It was devised by Mamoru Oshii and Yoshitaka Amano.
Whether it’s fantasy or horror or science fiction I can’t tell you because I don’t know. Maybe it's all three.
Whether it’s fantasy or horror or science fiction I can’t tell you because I don’t know. Maybe it's all three.
Or maybe it's something else entirely.
It could certainly be described as art-house anime.
It was not a financial success and it stalled Oshii’s career for several years.
It begins with a young girl and a large egg. She feels that she must protect the egg.
She wanders through an apparently deserted city. It looks like a medieval European city but we will soon come to have doubts about the nature of this city. It may have been subjected to some calamity, possibly war or a plague.
It feels like a fantasy movie but then fairly on the machines arrive. Assuming that they’re machines.
The girl encounters a young man. He might be a wandering soldier or even a wandering knight. He seems determined to be her protector. He carries a weapon which looks slightly machine-like.
The girl is unsure about him but he has become her shadow.
He tells her about a bird he once saw. He asks her what is in the egg. She either won’t tell him or doesn’t know.
There is very little dialogue in this movie and very little plot. It’s a succession of images and moods.Striking, moody, disturbing images but disturbing in a subtle way. Everything is slightly off-kilter.
There are no clear delineations. Where does the water end and the city begin? Is this a city of the living or the dead? There are ruins, or are they skeletal remains of creatures or of machines, or even of gods? Is the man’s weapon a gun or a sword? Is he the girl’s protector or her enemy? Is he human or non-human? Are the girl and the man alive or dead? Are they real? And the fishes. What on earth are they?
Is this a dream or a vision? Is this another planet, or some distorted version of Earth or an entirely imaginary non-real world?
The egg might be the egg of a living creature or of a god or it might be something else entirely.
Asking what this movie means is probably to miss the point. It’s almost as if Mamoru Oshii has conjured up a movie from his dreamworld and is now asking the viewer what it means because he isn’t sure either.
This sounds very arty and very philosophical and possibly mystical and it is all of those things. It has been interpreted as having some Christian significance since many people believe that Oshii was at one time training to be a Christian priest. This appears to be a misunderstanding. He has stated that he had a considerable interest in Christianity but never was training to be a priest. He does know his Bible but he is also interested in religion and mythology in general. Perhaps in Angel’s Egg he is trying to create his own personal mythology.
As for the ending, you’ll have to decide for yourself about that.
The images are as stunning and extraordinary as you would expect given the involvement of Yoshitaka Amano.
Umbrella’s Blu-Ray release (the 4K disc is included as well) looks terrific.
Angel’s Egg is hypnotic and puzzling and if you like plot or character-driven stories this may not be for you. But if you hypnotic and puzzling stories then it’s highly recommended.
It was not a financial success and it stalled Oshii’s career for several years.
It begins with a young girl and a large egg. She feels that she must protect the egg.
She wanders through an apparently deserted city. It looks like a medieval European city but we will soon come to have doubts about the nature of this city. It may have been subjected to some calamity, possibly war or a plague.
It feels like a fantasy movie but then fairly on the machines arrive. Assuming that they’re machines.
The girl encounters a young man. He might be a wandering soldier or even a wandering knight. He seems determined to be her protector. He carries a weapon which looks slightly machine-like.
The girl is unsure about him but he has become her shadow.
He tells her about a bird he once saw. He asks her what is in the egg. She either won’t tell him or doesn’t know.
There is very little dialogue in this movie and very little plot. It’s a succession of images and moods.Striking, moody, disturbing images but disturbing in a subtle way. Everything is slightly off-kilter.
There are no clear delineations. Where does the water end and the city begin? Is this a city of the living or the dead? There are ruins, or are they skeletal remains of creatures or of machines, or even of gods? Is the man’s weapon a gun or a sword? Is he the girl’s protector or her enemy? Is he human or non-human? Are the girl and the man alive or dead? Are they real? And the fishes. What on earth are they?
Is this a dream or a vision? Is this another planet, or some distorted version of Earth or an entirely imaginary non-real world?
The egg might be the egg of a living creature or of a god or it might be something else entirely.
Asking what this movie means is probably to miss the point. It’s almost as if Mamoru Oshii has conjured up a movie from his dreamworld and is now asking the viewer what it means because he isn’t sure either.
This sounds very arty and very philosophical and possibly mystical and it is all of those things. It has been interpreted as having some Christian significance since many people believe that Oshii was at one time training to be a Christian priest. This appears to be a misunderstanding. He has stated that he had a considerable interest in Christianity but never was training to be a priest. He does know his Bible but he is also interested in religion and mythology in general. Perhaps in Angel’s Egg he is trying to create his own personal mythology.
As for the ending, you’ll have to decide for yourself about that.
The images are as stunning and extraordinary as you would expect given the involvement of Yoshitaka Amano.
Umbrella’s Blu-Ray release (the 4K disc is included as well) looks terrific.
Angel’s Egg is hypnotic and puzzling and if you like plot or character-driven stories this may not be for you. But if you hypnotic and puzzling stories then it’s highly recommended.
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