My Neighbor Totoro

[miriam_e]

I mentioned to Lois (my niece) my interest in finding stories that concentrate on happiness without using conflict for plot. She suggested Tonari No Totoro (My Neighbor Totoro) [1988], one of the sweetest films I've ever seen. I don't know how I didn't think of it myself. It has been one of my favorite films since I first saw it ages ago. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed it, watching during dinner tonight. It does have conflict, but not much.

Oh, there are some brilliant people around! Imagine being able to point to that film and saying you'd played a part in the creation of it. What a thing to be proud of!

Comments

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

Baen Books also give away free out-of-publication books online.
http://www.baen.com/library/defaultTitles.htm
They've found it boosts sales for current titles. This isn't directly why they did it though. It was a conscious moral decision.
http://www.baen.com/library/home.htm

It is nice to see good, honest people doing well by doing good things when so often we hear about the monsters eating their customers (like the RIAA and the MPAA).

Efforts like Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org and Wikipedia and One Laptop Per Child http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OLPC are cause for optimism too.

I remember hearing a German talking about how they believed that they were alone in disagreeing with demonising the Jews/gays/blacks during Nazi rule. The propaganda successfully isolated what may well have been the majority, who were squeamish about hurting people, and prevented them opposing it.

[nosearmy.livejournal.com]

In the spirit of light-heartedness I think I'm obligated to mention Godwin's Law at this point. I completely agree with your point, though.

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

heheheh :)
I've heard of it before, though not by its name. Thanks. It's nice to know what it's called.

:) Notice near the end:

Godwin's Law does not apply to discussions directly addressing genocide, propaganda, or other mainstays of the Nazi regime. Instead, it applies to inappropriate, inordinate, or hyperbolic comparisons of other situations (or one's opponent) with Hitler or Nazis.

My comparison of sports propaganda with Nazi propaganda might be seen as hyperbolic... though not if you've seen the brilliant SF movie "Rollerball" (the first one, not the remake).

[nosearmy.livejournal.com]

Funny, I haven't actually seen Rollerball, either version of it. But you could also argue that you ranalogy is extremely pertinent precisely because of these "mainstays of the Nazi regime"--promotion of athletic activity among its populace, and presumably spectator sportsmanship as well. It's a trend I would argue you can see in many imperial, warlike states like the Greeks, the Romans, the Incans and Aztecs, etc. The overtones of 1984's mindlessly athletic proles are a really vivid example.

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

I hadn't thought of that. A rather sinister possibility.

Do try to see the original Rollerball. It is quite disturbing. Refreshingly, it is told from the point of view of a not terribly smart guy who just doesn't quite get it. For instance when he can't see why the librarian is so upset and clearly thinks he's a nut, we can see the chilling implications. Brrrr. Freaky stuff. What is most scary about it is that it portrays people having what seems to be a good life, but one which has been systematically cleansed of depth.

Huh! Here I am searching for happy stories and I'm suggesting you see a movie that still scares me to the core, decades after I saw it. :)