Night on the Galactic Railroad
I am still 7 films short of Shii’s all-time favorite list, though I managed to get this down from 14 during last year. (You are probably doing worse on my list, aren’t you, Shii? :D) “Night on the Galactic Railroad” mostly is here because of that. I have the film lying around for ever and ever, but since anthropomorphic cats always scare me a little bit (especially when they walk on two legs), I have never quite wanted to see the film.
All in all, the movie is completely different from what I have expected. The end is so sad! Oh my God, it’s perhaps the saddest ending ever? (Apart from “Make way for tomorrow”) It did not make me cry, but that doesn’t mean very much. I think the film is sad because whenever I think back of the film, I think of its ending and how Campanella is perhaps the most lovely character of all times – it’s almost cathartic.
I am not sure if I see the point of the rest of the film though. It certainly is a lovely story, but so immensely slow-paced it is almost painful. I think that the film has a lot of creative and beautiful fantastic elements in it, especially the characters they meet on the road. Most of all, I liked how these encounters are brief yet meaningful in some sense, almost like “Le Petit Prince” (which I hated as a child for its immense sadness).
Just like “Le Petit Prince”, I think that “Night on the Galactic Railroad” is not a children’s movie, nor do I find the book suitable for children. I mean, there is a character who let two children die so that they can meet God? Come on! If I had read this story as a little child, my heart would have broken, no joke. Before learning what irony is, I don’t think children are very good at dealing with sadness – even if it’s fiction. Maybe it’s even worse in fiction, because real life ultimately isn’t all that sad for a little child.
Anyways, I love that the film is practically about the meaning of death, but I also thought that it failed at delivering any deeper meaning. At the same time, it’s a wonderfully creative adaptation of a most likely well-written story, which touched me and made me wish that I could board on such a train when the time comes.
:)
The ending gives me the creeps every time I watch the movie. It’s so incredibly beautiful!
I don’t think you have to see the “point” in the rest of the film though. For me, it’s not about a point. This meditative atmosphere packed with all of these symbolic puzzles fills my head in such a pleasant way that I’ve never experienced before with a movie. My favorite is the birdcatcher! AAAAH!!
I never thought of the comparison with Le Petit Prince! (I never liked it as a child too, because the priests in church used to quote from it and I never understood what they meant! :D)
My god, I’m sure I’m doing worse on your list! But that’s awful! XD And I don’t have any particular thing to do this evening, so I’ll just watch something off your list… Let’s see…
So what did you watch? XD I haven’t heard from you in forever! Or so.
The ending is awesome, and I think it’s incredibly beautiful especially since Campanella is definitely my favorite character. So sad!
I think “Le Petit Prince” is totally not religious at all (unlike “Night on the Galactic Railroad”) – what an odd choice for your priest. At the same time, I came to like the book as an adult (same for other modern tales like “The Wizard of Oz”, “Alice in Wonderland” or “The Little Mermaid”) Anyways, I see the beauty of the film itself, but not quite so of the content. Its symbolism is just too… messed up for my tastes? I mean – the cross? This “I’ll let these kids die so they can meet God”? If the film didn’t have those two elements, I assume my judgement of it would be much higher.