The appeal and evaluation of "Sleeping Beauty": A fusion of deep story and beautiful visuals

"Sleeping Beauty or Sleeping Beauty" - Kihachiro Kawamoto's masterpiece puppet animation

■ Public Media

Independent Production

■ Original Media

others

■ Release date

1990

■Frequencies

22 min

■Original Story

・Original story: "Sleeping Beauty or Sleeping Beauty" by Kyoko Kishida, based on "A Cove That's Mysterious"

■ Director

Kihachiro Kawamoto

■ Production

Kyo Co., Ltd./Kawamoto Productions/Klatky Film Prague/Czech Republic/Jiri Trnka Studio/Czech Republic

■ Story

A beautiful queen living in an old castle begins to tell the story of the day she was born. A one-legged man arrives at the party to celebrate the princess's birth. It is a man whom her mother once loved and thought to have died on the battlefield. The Minister of Public Relations tells her that the man is a fairy, who tells her that the princess will be pricked by the spinning wheel at the age of 15 and will remain asleep. When the princess turns 15, she sees a spinning wheel in her dressing room and finds a diary written by her mother when she was young. It contains the secret of her mother's forbidden love. The princess searches for the man written in the diary and enters the forest in the pouring rain. The princess finds the man's hut and begs him to forgive her mother, saying, "I'm your mother's place," and is embraced by the one-legged man. When the princess returns to the castle, she cannot forget the one-legged man and visits the hut again, but the man is nowhere to be found. After that, her mother, who has been bedridden for a long time, dies while being looked after by the king and the princess, and the princess later marries a prince. At the end of this recollection, when asked if she is happy, the Queen smiles and says, "Isn't it polite to say yes?"

■Explanation

Kawamoto, who read the handwritten short story "Sleeping Beauty or Sleeping Beauty" (included in "Hitomi Shirina Irie") given to him by Kishida Kyoko, spoke of his desire to turn the novel into a work at the "Fire House" party. The story is of a forbidden love of a princess who inherits her mother's unforgiveable love at the tender age of 15. Kawamoto commented about this immoral story, "Czech people love these kinds of stories," and moved the setting to Europe to depict Kawamoto's absurd world. Kawamoto, an artist who pursues the definition of puppets and puppet animation, produced this work at the Trnka Studio in the Czech Republic, where he was born, and it is both a homecoming and a work of gratitude. The One-Legged Man is a homage to Trnka's "Four Seasons in the Czech Republic" (1947).
Kawamoto enjoyed designing the costumes for this work. Although the story is set in Europe, the princess's beautiful dresses are all made of ancient fabrics collected from Japanese kimonos. Kawamoto was told by the studio staff that her use of old fabrics is just like Trnka's.
Kawamoto said that he wanted to express the scene of the princess walking through the forest in a Noh-like way. In other words, the restrained movements, the atmospheric steps, were superimposed on the figure of the princess walking silently in the mist as a mysterious step onto the Noh stage, with a deeper meaning. In order to understand the Noh-like movements that Kawamoto was looking for, the Czech staff went to see a Noh performance that had just been held in Prague.

■Cast

・Kyoko Kishida

■ Main staff

Animation director: Vlasta Pospisilova, Hirokazu Minegishi, and others. Screenplay: Kihachiro Kawamoto. Cinematography: Minoru Tamura, Jan Mueller. Art direction: Jan Ruzicka. Editing: Jan Sladek, Naoko Aizawa. Music: Svatburg Havelka. Sound: Jaroslav Dežik, Isamu Katto.

■Detailed evaluation and recommendation

■ Background and production process of the work

"Sleeping Beauty" is a puppet animation work created by Kihachiro Kawamoto based on a short story by Kyoko Kishida. Kawamoto collaborated with the Czech Jiri Trnka Studio to create this work. For Kawamoto, it was both a homecoming and a way of giving back to the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is where Kawamoto learned puppet animation techniques and is also a place that has had a major influence on his work. In particular, the character of the one-legged man is drawn as a homage to Trnka's "The Four Seasons of the Czech Republic," and Kawamoto's respect for it is clear to see.

During the production process, Kawamoto was particular about the costume design. Although the story is set in Europe, the princess's dress is made of ancient Japanese fabrics. This is the result of Kawamoto's attempt to fuse different cultures by incorporating traditional Japanese aesthetics into the work. The staff also commented that they could see the influence of Trnka, showing that Kawamoto's style is linked to Czech traditions.

Furthermore, Kawamoto aimed to recreate the scene in which the princess walks through the forest in a way that was closer to the expression used in Noh plays. This was an attempt to recreate the mystical step of Noh, with emphasis on restrained movements and atmospheric steps. There is an anecdote in which the Czech staff visited a Noh performance in Prague in order to understand this expression, and it is clear that Kawamoto's attention to detail is reflected throughout the work.

■ The depths of the story

The story of "Sleeping Beauty" depicts the forbidden love of a princess who inherited her mother's forbidden love. The story contains a sense of immorality and absurdity, and strongly reflects Kawamoto's worldview. In particular, her meeting with the one-legged man and the subsequent events symbolize the princess's inner conflict and growth. Furthermore, the scene at the end of the story where the queen smiles and says, "Isn't it polite to say yes?" raises the question of what happiness is, encouraging the audience to ponder deeply.

As Kawamoto said, this work is popular among Czechs, and it has a unique worldview that combines European culture and Japanese aesthetics. The story depicts the relationship between mother and daughter and the weight of forbidden love, evoking deep emotion and empathy in the audience. In addition, the film is also praised for its skilful combination of visual beauty and symbolic expression, such as the scene where the princess walks through the forest and her encounter with the one-legged man.

■ Technical evaluation

"Sleeping Beauty" has also been highly praised for the technical aspects of its puppet animation. Kawamoto's puppet animation is characterized by its attention to detail and precise movements, and this work fully demonstrates his skills. In particular, the design of the princess's dress and the depiction of the scene walking through the forest are an exquisite blend of visual beauty and realism.

The technical contributions of each staff member, including cinematographer, editor and composer, are also significant. Cinematographer Tamura Minoru and Jan Muller, and editors Jan Sladek and Aizawa Naoko, have all used their respective skills to improve the quality of the film. The music was written by Svatburg Havelka, and plays an important role in enhancing the atmosphere of the story. With the cooperation of Jaroslav Deřík and Katto Isamu, the soundtrack also achieved a high level of perfection.

■ Recommendations and how to watch

"Sleeping Beauty" is highly recommended for those who want to appreciate the artistry and depth of storytelling in puppet animation. This work, which combines Kihachiro Kawamoto's unique worldview with traditional Czech techniques, combines visual beauty with deep themes. In particular, the scenes that incorporate Noh expressions and the costume designs using ancient textiles are extremely valuable as visual art.

This work is an independent production, and is often not available on general streaming services. However, there are specialized film festivals and museums that feature Kawamoto Kihachiro's work, and DVDs and Blu-rays are sometimes available for purchase, so we recommend taking advantage of these opportunities to watch it. Also, learning about Kawamoto's other works and the history of Czech puppet animation will help you to gain a deeper understanding of the background and significance of this work.

■ Related works and other works by the artist

Other works by Kawamoto Kihachiro include "Fires on the House" and "Dojoji." These works are also masterpieces that pursue the technique and artistry of puppet animation, and have deep themes just like "Sleeping Beauty." To learn about the history of Czech puppet animation, you can also refer to Jiri Trnka's "The Four Seasons of the Czech Republic" and "The Emperor's Nightingale." Through these works, you can understand how Kawamoto's work is connected to Czech traditions.

■ Summary

"Sleeping Beauty" is a work that brings together the technique and artistry of Kawamoto Kihachiro's puppet animation, and combines deep themes with visual beauty. Its unique worldview, which combines Czech tradition with Japanese aesthetics, is sure to deeply move and evoke empathy in the audience. By watching this work, you will be able to gain a deeper understanding of the background and significance of Kawamoto's work and appreciate the artistry of puppet animation. If you have the opportunity, please watch this work and experience its charm for yourself.