I bumped across the book "Howl's Moving castle" by Diana Wynne Jones last Saturday. It was really a detour that I entered the book shop that stored it, so it had been a nice surprise as well as an unexpected purchase.
Actually, as soon as I walked out of the Cinema finished watching the movie of the same name by Miyasaki, and learnt from a friend that it is adopted from a book, I was determined to find it and read it.
There was so much untold in the movie that reading the book seemed to be the only solution to solving all the mysteries.
And I was thankful that I did bump into this book.
Now I know that Sophie was actually quite a beautiful girl just finished school; that Howl is well into his twenties; that Sophie actually contributed partly to Howl's ability to charm and attract the girls he decided to court with; that the scarecrow was not actually the prince; that there was no war raging behind the scenes; that Sophie has a special gift of talking life into lifeless objects; that it was not the Witch of Waste who's after Howl's heart, but her fire demon; that the fire demon was after Howl's heart for a very good reason; that why Sophie was the only person who could break the contract between Calcifer and Howl; that Howl was not flying too much to turn himself into a bird for good; that Howl actually had family, etc.
It made much more sense after reading the whole plot as it was told in the book itself.
I like the book, as much as I like the movie. Both had been most interesting.
And I believe the movie had a special place in my heart simply because it was Takuya Kimura who gave Howl the charming voice in the picture.
And I am very much relieved that it is a children's book after all, not underlay by the war theme as Miyasaki introduced to this story on his own.
3 comments:
That means in this aspect, Miyasaki's film is really a "derivative" work that has a life of its own. Nevertheless as long as the original work is "making sense" to children, everyone will be happy.
The problem I found with Miyasaki's movie is that it wasn't that logical.
That's why I need to read the book.
Well, I have friends also saying that the movie as it was is already interesting enough.
I can only say that I am too obssessed for the "truth"...
Absolutely the movie is "not that logical", that I am so eager to know the whole story.
Of course Miyasaki is too perfect, but I found him too obssessed by the idea of wars and anti-wars; though it is a position I agree. I guess maybe he is victim of wars in certain circumstances.
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