Since I have been exposed to this huge information network, there is a lot of information that can be ingested every day. The movies and movies I want to see are basically at my fingertips. Too nutritious is also a kind of corruption. I know that there are other beautiful and excellent works beyond this chapter, and this is an impetuous world where quantity is king, so I have always read film and television books only once. Even if I have the will to reread it, it will be a long time later. . And Howl's Moving Castle I watched it twice in a row, each time with tears in my eyes.
I'm also an old Ghibli fan, and I prefer Miyazaki's fantasy to Takahata's realism. The characters are pure and simple, but the core of the scene is both real and illusory, as beautiful as glass.
1. Worldview
Unlike some domestic dramas, there must be a background introduction of special effects garbage at the beginning, so Howl's simple beginning: a huge steel castle slowly emerging in the gray-blue mist. It drives its huge steam engine forward, but it doesn't know where to go - weird and lonely. Although there is only one picture, many elements in the world view are already ready to emerge: the castle with the elevated chimney and the billowing black smoke, which is obviously steampunk (retro industry & magic), setting the tone of the whole film.
From the conversation between Sophie and her sister, Sophie was shocked when her sister flew from the balcony, but she didn't feel it was abnormal, and the positioning of magic was clear, that is, it was owned by a few people, and it was difficult for ordinary people to touch it.
The swirling warships, the horns of victory, and the flying flags are the manifestations of war, and the male and female protagonists who meet romantically are love.
2. Small Town
The peaceful and remote towns also revel after the victory of the battle, which shows the madness of the war. But Sophie is at odds with all this. She was quiet, showing a calm beyond her age. The rare carnival was also rejected by her by sewing a hat. It's probably time to wear a hat when it's rare to show a girlish demeanor.
She sews hats. She obviously has a better hat, so why wear this hat she doesn't like? ——Sophie is not confident in herself, she thinks this is suitable for her and her simple dress and old-fashioned braids (after careful observation, you can find that only Sophie has braids, everyone else is curly) . After that, Sophie also directly and indirectly expressed "I'm not good-looking" three times. The first time was when I said to my sister, "Howl always looks for beautiful women anyway." The second time was when he got angry after the accident with Hal's hair dye, "I've never been beautiful anyway." The third time was in the sea of flowers. "I just want to help Hal, I'm not pretty anyway, I just clean up," said Er. Whether by coincidence or necessity, these times are all about Hal.
What kind of person is Hal?
His appearance can be described as amazing. I haven't seen anyone, so I heard his voice first, "I finally found you", and staged a gorgeous hero to save the beauty. What a handsome boy! Of course, goodbye to Hal's appearance, wrapped in doubts from my childhood: Why do you have to wear it when you can wear it? Why did his clothes never fall off?
(very strange.)
Howl is handsome and uninhibited. He naturally contracted the most romantic segment of the whole film. The golden partner of Hayao Miyazaki and Hisaishi Ishizaki made the first romance-walking in the air become the dream of countless girls. A mature girl like Sophie is surprised and tempted.
It can be said that the appearance of a person like Hal changed Sophie and even changed her destiny. It turned out that she just wanted to guard her father's favorite hat shop, but her intimacy was envied by the Wasteland Witch, who turned her into a 90-year-old old woman. She had to leave, but she was still optimistic and felt that the old woman's life had nothing to complain about. More importantly, she stepped out of her peaceful life and began to yearn for the extraordinary.
Maybe it has something to do with meeting Hal.
3. Howl's Moving Castle
The most comfortable part of watching this animation for me is that every word and every expression of the girl Sophie said did not violate the image of the girl at all. But you also think that she is an old woman. After all, Sophie is the kind of person who takes things with her, and everything she does must be close to the old woman.
What's more important is that the old woman Sophie and Hal have no sense of disobedience together!
The time in Howl's Castle is the biggest component of the film. But also the most ordinary time. What is Sophie doing here? But vigorous cleaning. Sophie said that "there is no dirtier place in the world", and Howl's castle is actually a reflection of Howl's heart. The mess of the castle also symbolizes the desolation, loneliness and loneliness in Howl's heart. Sophie is the first person willing to step into Howl's heart. A person who is willing to make his "heart" his home. But what does Hal say? It doesn't have to be so clean. In fact, Hal himself did not want anyone to approach him. Alone and away from crowds.
After Sophie cleaned up, her age pattern had obviously changed. She was no longer an old woman in her 90s, but a spirited little old lady in her 50s or 60s. why?
In short, mice and ants and worms have all moved, and Hal's "heart" is indeed a lot warmer.
The reason why many people don't like this movie is mostly because of the emotional development, which is abrupt. It feels empty and gorgeous, and the story is not smooth. I think it's probably because they didn't take it seriously. (whispering bb)
But when Howl saw Sophie in the castle for the first time, Sophie clearly showed panic, which was to hide the kind of careful thought in her heart. And Hal, the handle made her a hearty breakfast. It seems that when a few people sit around the table, they suddenly feel like home.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Granny Sophie, the new cleaning lady in this castle."
In fact, Hal didn't eat breakfast. He just made breakfast.
There was a huge turning point in Howl's image, and that was the hair dye incident. Everyone should be very impressed by this picture. That perfect, powerful Howl suddenly turned into a rambunctious child: "It's not beautiful, it's all meaningless."
Suddenly I remembered the coat I was wearing. Like hair dye, it was his disguise for himself, gorgeous, narcissistic, and fragile, covering up his fragile heart.
He lost his temper and was oozing green slime, and Kalcifa said: "That's what happened to him before when he was dumped by a girl."
It's when he feels like he won't be loved. Loss, has a great psychological shadow, sadness to the shadow is distorted.
Sophie was also provoked by his "Sophie, you don't understand at all", and said, "I've never been beautiful anyway." Care about her appearance, is it still the calm Sophie?
Sophie has changed.
And Howl never dyed his hair or wore a coat again.
He explained himself to Sophie, saying that he was a coward, and many of his various rooms were children's stuff. Reminds us of the doll's doll house of the "Spirited Away" giant.
4. Royal Palace
(I finally wrote about the palace! The segment I thought about for the longest time! So excited! The rough man rubbed his hands, brewing for a while...)
If hair dye was the turning point for Howl, then the palace was the turning point for Sufi. She put on the dress that Howl magically arranged, put on her old hat, and went to the palace in place of Howl.
The palace in the movie has a weird atmosphere. Although it is grand and magnificent, it is towering and old-fashioned, and it feels very oppressive. Although the crystal garden where the Saliman magician is located is more eerie. All the servants were little boys with blond hair and uniform clothes.
Can't help but think of Hal, the image is so similar to him. Was he ever one of them, taught by Mr. Sulliman. And is he out of place with black hair? And life here, does it make him more lonely, so he must use blonde hair to prove his "beauty"?
Saliman is Hal's teacher. As a powerful magician, Saliman stands as a guide and companion (Mr. Salliman is the only person in the movie who is related to Hal's growth, and his uncle only appears in Hal's sentence, and cannot be used as a character image). From an angle, Hal, as an excellent close disciple and a child who accompanies her, must also love Hal, and she must say from the bottom of her heart that she wants to see Hal again. It is natural for her to be with him for many years. Just like her intolerance to magic, this "love" is based on absolute control. She represents an authority. Authority trumps privacy. What did she say, "He made magic his own" "If he serves his country, I will show him the way to get rid of the devil, otherwise I will unload him with magic". We have no way of knowing why Howl learned magic, but is it too selfish to deny Howl's self-will without asking why?
And Sophie is Howl's "mother". No matter what the real situation is, she has to get closer to the image of "mother", but it is actually the same mood as comforting the wayward Howl. Facing Saliman's righteousness and superiority, Sophie gave a complaint about the kidnapping of Hal by the power and denied freedom. As she said, "This place is really weird. While inviting people to come, let the old man climb the stairs to lure him into the strange room. It's a trap."
The more she spoke, the more she spoke, the more she spoke, and the more she spoke, and Sophie returned to the appearance of a girl for the first time. Not only because she understood Hal, supported Hal, and loved Hal, but also because she started to get rid of the boring life that was arranged, and she gradually became brave (although leaving was the beginning of leaving the boring life and pursuing freedom, but The cause is escape).
Just as Saliman pointed out sharply: "Madam, are you in love with your son?" (Mrs. Saliman is really a little expert at making complaints...) This is the first time she has bravely expressed her feelings for Hal. Instead of covering it all up with an old woman's attitude. After this was broken, Sophie regained her self-confidence and regained her old woman's posture. So is Sophie's age change related to her inner emotional richness and the courage to love? But then again, Calcifa saw that Sophie was cursed at first sight, not to mention Mrs. Saliman? The previous words may not be false, but there must be an element of temptation.
That's to find out Howl's weakness. She must be very curious, who is this strange girl who appears beside Hal?
She guessed right. Because she really knew Hal well and knew what her apprentice wanted.
Later, Mrs. Salliman's magic to deal with Howl is identical to the magic of "judging" the Witch of the Wasteland. Although one is dark, the other is bright and natural. But they all have the characteristics of cage music. It shouldn't matter at first glance, so I'll write it in a certain chapter. But fortunately, Hal rescued Sophie in the end, and only lost Sophie's hat, the ugly hat that she still insisted on wearing even though she didn't like it. Sophie was finally willing to abandon her submissive self and be brave to be herself.
Hal said, "It is because Sophie is here that I dare to come. I don't want to come alone in such a terrifying place."
How much Howl relied on Sophie's courage.
This section is really full. The density of characters increases. The long-lost Witch of the Wasteland also makes an appearance—but her image has changed, and she has been stripped of her magic. From an absolute villain to an old old woman. In fact, she is also a person who "loves" Hal. She coveted both howl's powerful magic and howl. But she confused the concept at the beginning: Howl's heart ≠ Howl's heart. She thought that if she got Howl's heart, she could get both. In a way, she's actually a similar person to Howl, taking a path that goes against orthodox magic. It's just that Hal is here to leave, and she is here to raise her eyebrows. Although, all to prove themselves. After all, deviant people are necessarily people who are dissatisfied with the status quo.
In fact, the palace is also a turning point for the Witch of the Wasteland. She and the new Goubin have become a comedic character. I couldn't help laughing all the way to the palace. The witch and Sophie quarreled angrily and mistook Bing for Hal. Make the journey extra fun.
5. Run away
After the palace, the pace of the story gets faster and faster. Saliman has been searching and arresting Sophie and Howl, while the parallel is intensifying and fighting. They have been on the run for a long time, and even moved their homes—the town where Sophie lived, Howl's, the sea of secret flowers, but even these places were polluted by Saliman's interference and war.
But the warmth of home is getting stronger and stronger. There were more people and more rooms were added. Sophie's room also took a little thought to become the way she used to sew hats. No more messy, but a nice clean and bright place.
But there must be unease in the heart when fleeing from the war. For Sophie, this unease is not only the fear of losing Hal, but also the uneasiness of herself. She is still not confident, is she really worthy of Hal or is her love really meaningful to Hal?
In Sophie's dream of Howl's return from the battle, the dream is the most brave and fearless girl full of love, who walked into the cave where Howl was injured, and expressed his love to Howl warmly. This was her wish, but her subconscious self, Hal who turned into a monster, told herself, "You can't even save yourself, so how can you save me?" - Her real fear is the monster.
So Sophie said for the third time that she was not beautiful in the sea of flowers. It was already in the second half of the story, she had the courage to trust Hal, but she still didn't believe that she was the courage. When it comes to Howl, she is a radiant maiden, and when it comes to herself, she is a cowardly old woman. Hal's sentence "Sophie, you are beautiful..." was interrupted.
why? I've run away enough, and after all these years, there is a person who must be guarded by my side, that is you.
Howl loves Sophie. Sophie please have the courage to believe.
So when did Hal fall in love with Sophie?
6. Secret Flower Sea
(This name is a nonsense... just understand it)
Howl's secret flower sea actually appeared three times.
No one will notice the first time.
The second time was when Hal gave it to Sophie as a gift.
The third time Sophie was guided by the ring to the sea of flowers in Howl's childhood. There is a flashback scene where Mr. Saliman is dealing with Howl. Think back to that scene, the green grass, the mirror-like lake—yes, that was the secret flower sea, and that was when the flower sea first appeared.
Where is this place?
As the name suggests, Howl's Secret Flower Sea. It hides a secret cabin left to him by Uncle Howl the magician and countless lonely hot summer days. One such summer day here, Hal saw a meteor and made a wish.
Mrs. Saliman repeatedly emphasized that Howl made a deal with the devil, but a dazzling meteor fell, lighting up a small piece of green grass. A little boy walked slowly, holding a shooting star and muttering reverently. Why is this scene so pure and beautiful? Meteor is indeed a beautiful image commonly used in film and television works - why slander a child's good wishes as a devil? How innocent is little Hal.
Calcifa once told Sophie that giving his magic powers like eyes and hearts would be stronger. What exactly is Hal's wish, worthy of his most important heart?—
The important hiding place, where his little wish was hidden, he gave it to Sophie.
Little Howl meets Sophie after making a wish, the one who loves him and asks him to wait for her in the future. Then the wish of this loner boy is ready to come out: there will be a person who truly loves me. That's why Sophie cried. It was her promise, and Hal had been waiting for her to appear. So both Hal and Calcifa were fine while Calcifa was being put out by Sophie. Because Sophie is the bond that can break the contract, she is Hal's wish.
So Hal's phrase "I finally found you" is also a symbol. In fact, they did meet again after a long absence. The ring will guide the direction of the person you are thinking of. Is the ring shining because Howl came here to find Sophie? Whether it is or not, but Howl really starts seeing Sophie as a lover after she arrives at the castle. Hal only heard Sophie's name at the time, and he wasn't the type to show love because he was "waiting for Sophie to come and find her. When she came, Hal made a breakfast - he was in He welcomes the arrival of his lover. But that's because he didn't fall in love with Sophie, some were just curious, and he was still reluctant to open his heart. But in each contact, he gradually fell in love with her. Of course, the decisive thing was the hair dye incident. When she was not beautiful and showed her willful, timid and selfish ugliness, Sophie still loved him, and he suddenly found that she was very dependent on Sophie.
Let's go back to the palace, back to when the sea of flowers first appeared. Hal was no longer a deserter, but came to Saliman with Sophie's courage and rescued Sophie. He must have heard Sophie's words before he finally dared to appear.
Here is a conjecture about the first appearance of the sea of flowers.
The scene of Meteor villains in a circle must have borrowed from the cage song, and the cage song originally symbolized the meaning of "cage". And Meteor made a deal with him. To do so would be nothing more than depriving him of his desire. But he paid the price and couldn't get it back. Then he is an incomplete person. How can a person without a heart be a monster? But what Hal wished for was all around him - which is why Hal was able to escape. Off topic, there are a bunch of dark shadows surrounding the Wasteland Witch, maybe she really made a deal with the devil.
7. Ending
Some people are bound to find the ending inexplicable. Why did Saliman decide to end the war so easily? Why did the Witch of the Wasteland return Howl's heart so easily? Isn't this a happy ending for the sake of a happy ending!
Why Saliman is willing to end the war has been made clear by many. It was the scarecrow neighbor prince who appeared again, he said that he would stop the war, and the film repeatedly mentioned "this is a stupid war", so it is very likely that the neighbor prince disappeared. lead to this war. And Mrs. Sallyman asked Hal to be loyal to the war. Now that the war is over, naturally, she will no longer think about "trial" Hal. At the same time, Saliman is not completely ruthless, and it is impossible to have no feelings for students for many years. As I said in 3, Saliman loves Hal. But as an authority, she naturally has to consider the so-called overall situation. And now, there is no need for that.
About the Witch of the Wasteland. As mentioned earlier, after coming out of the palace, she is no longer a villain. As an old woman, her lust for power had all but been annihilated. Then all she had left was her desire for "Hal's Heart". It's just that this manifestation is still in the possession of Howl's heart (of course, the "love" of the Wasteland Witch for Howl is just possession). She must have been changed by the warmth and warmth of the time she spent in Howl Castle. And robbing Hal's heart was the last remaining instinct of her "Witch of the Wasteland". In Sufi's last prayer, that last bit of evil finally disappeared. "Treat it well," the Wasteland Witch is just an ordinary old woman.
8. Sophie and Howl
Sophie's image reminds me of Meggie in "Birds of Thorns," who are typical people born for love. Desperate for love. If they don't love, then they end up in the crowd. But the people they fall in love with are different, and their final destiny is also different. If there is no love, Sophie is just a person who always sews hats and does nothing. Ordinarily married and has children, she has no self-awareness. Obey the order of fate. Not the brave and rich girl.
As for Hal, although he always has the truth and justice he insists on (Hal has been desperately trying to prevent the war), he will always be cowardly, unable to find what he wants, and will always be alone without understanding.
So Sophie and Howl's love is mutual fulfillment. The two of them are incomplete when separated, as Plato said, everyone is half human, always looking for the other half.
The forms of their love are also quite rich. Lovers, parents and children, couples are involved. Howl walks with Sophie, which is the attitude of a girl's dream lover; when Sophie is her mother-in-law, Hal, who comforts her tantrums, is the attitude of a mother to her children; when Mark sees people fleeing, he asks Sue Fei: Are we a family? Yes, a family. Howl fights to the death for his family, Sophie protects his family at home, this is the state of husband and wife.
Why not envy?
I finally finished it, although I don't know what it means to write so much, maybe no one will read it... In short, I love it, so I write it.
PS. Thanks for naming the sisters.
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