Has anyone here ever heard or seen Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5yestem? It's a rather recent anime (Dec 2003), created by the joint effort of the musical group Daft Punk and Leiji Matsumoto (Arcadia, Star Blazers, Galaxy Express 999). It's a beutiful mix science-fiction, the decadent world of show-business, limousines and electric guitar shaped spaceships.
The entire movie is one big music video for Daft Punk's Discovery album wich is a Rock/Techno/Electronica fusion that just sounds groovy and really trippy. There is no dialoge (beyond the basic lyrics of the songs which are simple one liners like "one more time" and "into the air"), only the music and the animation and that is all, and together they weave a beautiful, sad, and upliftly story of an alien rock goup who is kidnapped from their home planet by an evil Record Label from Earth. Their memories are erased and their bodies and brains are sedated, and although their music becomes a hit on Earth (as the grop: The CrescenDolls), the alien's souless expressions hide their saddness. One die-hard fan from the alien group's home planet ventures across the galaxy risking everything to return the kidnapped group home. Yeah, I know that sounds really out there but the sorty is very sad and very moving.
How well Matsumoto is able to overcome the lack of dialogue is truly fascinating, as he instead relies on his ability to craft extremely nuanced body language for the characters. Countless moments find Matsumoto exhibiting levels of artistic consideration on par with some of his best work. Moreover, his delicate use of humor keeps the film from a tempting degree of melodrama that Matsumoto knows when to restrain and when to let loose. Put simply, Interstella 5555 is both fine anime and the ultimate context for its more-than-soundtrack Discovery. Taken as a whole, it's the fantastic culmination of years of artistic dedication.
The entire movie is one big music video for Daft Punk's Discovery album wich is a Rock/Techno/Electronica fusion that just sounds groovy and really trippy. There is no dialoge (beyond the basic lyrics of the songs which are simple one liners like "one more time" and "into the air"), only the music and the animation and that is all, and together they weave a beautiful, sad, and upliftly story of an alien rock goup who is kidnapped from their home planet by an evil Record Label from Earth. Their memories are erased and their bodies and brains are sedated, and although their music becomes a hit on Earth (as the grop: The CrescenDolls), the alien's souless expressions hide their saddness. One die-hard fan from the alien group's home planet ventures across the galaxy risking everything to return the kidnapped group home. Yeah, I know that sounds really out there but the sorty is very sad and very moving.
How well Matsumoto is able to overcome the lack of dialogue is truly fascinating, as he instead relies on his ability to craft extremely nuanced body language for the characters. Countless moments find Matsumoto exhibiting levels of artistic consideration on par with some of his best work. Moreover, his delicate use of humor keeps the film from a tempting degree of melodrama that Matsumoto knows when to restrain and when to let loose. Put simply, Interstella 5555 is both fine anime and the ultimate context for its more-than-soundtrack Discovery. Taken as a whole, it's the fantastic culmination of years of artistic dedication.
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