Spring & Chaos
by Shôji Kawamori, Stuart J. Levy
Our Price: $43.20
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $7.26 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD details
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD details
Actor: Chikao Ôtsuka, Kirk Durham, Mariko Kouda, Shirô Sano, Victor ChinDirector: Shôji Kawamori, Stuart J. Levy
Writer: Shôji Kawamori
Producer: Stuart J. Levy
Producer: Atsumi Tashiro
Producer: Ken Fujita
Producer: Takao Abe
Writer: Kenji Miyazawa
DVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); German (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Georgian (Subtitled); Chinese (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Japanese (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Animated, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 55 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-05-29
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Tokyopop Pictures
DVD Reviews of Spring & Chaos
DVD Review: I never thought I, of all people, would call a movie too impressionist...
Summary: 3 Stars
Spring and Chaos (Shoji Kawamori, 1996)
Just as the first definitive edition of Kenji Miyazawa's poetry appears in the United States (from University of California Press), Spring and Chaos hits the bargain bins at movie stores and Targets all across the nation. This could actually be a good thing; Miyazawa is a name pretty much unknown to anyone outside the poetry fanatic, and who better than Shoji Kawamori, the mind behind the mega-popular Macross, to bring his message to the masses?
This short, impressionist Miyazawa biopic (with all the characters anthropomorphized as cats, in case you're into that sort of thing) can in no way be said to be unbiased, complete, or anything other than Shoji Kawamori's vision. We get small pieces of Miyazawa (voice of Shiro Sano, recently of Godzilla 2000)'s life, all framed by his time as a schoolteacher, a position he resigns in order to go to the fields and be a farmer (whether this is something he finds inspirational, or whether it's because he empathizes more with the poverty-stricken farmers of his province--or both--is left to debate). There are frequent flashbacks to earlier times in his life, and hallucinatory sequences meant to illustrate the creative process, but the main story centers on Miyazawa's relationship with one of his students/former students, Tekichi (voice of Jonathan Funk in the English dubbing; the Japanese voice actor is uncredited on my DVD), a petty criminal whom Miyazawa attempts to redeem.
Obviously, not the comprehensive work (or illusion of same) we've come to expect from the biopic, so Spring and Chaos is perhaps better considered as simply an interesting experiment in animation; from this angle, I believe it succeeds quite nicely. Kawamori lives up to his lofty reputation, never letting the viewer get comfortable within the subject matter; he's always going to throw some sort of visual curve ball your way (just as Miyazawa is constantly doing to his students; it might be productive for the American contemplating picking this up to think of it as Goodbye, Mr. Chips with talking cats set in the dust bowl during the Depression) to keep you interested. Still, I do wish there had been a stronger link to Miyazawa's life. ***
Bestsellers in DVD
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $9.17
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg)
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar DVDs, VHS Video, Audio CDs
Harlock SagaRelease date: 2001-05-08; DVD
Best price: $36.99
![Evangelion: 2.22 You Can [Not] Advance Image](/images/Evangelion-2-22-You-Can-Not-Advance-B004EC5IV6-X.jpg)
Evangelion: 2.22 You Can [Not] AdvanceFunimation; Release date: 2011-03-29; DVD
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
Perfect BlueRex Entertainment Co., LTD; Release date: 2000-05-02; DVD
Best price: $39.85
Starting Point: 1979-1996by Hayao Miyazaki
VIZ Media LLC; Published: 2009-08-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.91
Price in other shops:
Lupin the III: The Castle of Cagliostro (Special Edition)Fox; Release date: 2006-08-29; DVD
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
PaprikaSony; Release date: 2007-11-27; DVD
Best price: $7.49
Price in other shops:
RedlineRelease date: 2012-01-17; DVD
Best price: $12.45
Price in other shops:
The Cat ReturnsBuena Vista Home Video; Release date: 2005-02-22; DVD
Best price: $15.49
Price in other shops:
Summer WarsFunimation; Release date: 2011-02-15; DVD
Best price: $14.44
Price in other shops:
Miyazawa Kenji: Selections (Poets for the Millennium)by Miyazawa Kenji
University of California Press; Published: 2007-05-30; Paperback; Book
Best price: $20.95
Price in other shops: