Millennium Actress [Blu-ray/DVD] [2001]

Among the limited offerings from the late, great animator Satoshi Kon was this piece, showcasing his multilayered style of storytelling that boggles the mind and entertains deeply at the same time. Documentary filmmaker Genya, doing a piece on the recently shuttered Ginei Studios, meets with its most famous actress, Chiyoko Fujiwara, who has become a recluse following her departure from stardom. With the aid of a long-missing artifact from her life, she regales the filmmaker and his cameraman with her life story, and in doing so she literally makes the two men part of the action, in a manner as only Satoshi Kon could handle. This title is an essential for Kon fans and anime collectors in general, not merely because it was among the few works he was able to produce in his tragically short life, but also because it is beautiful. moving, and complex enough to keep your mind occupied for the duration, separating fiction from reality as Chiyoko relives her past. This feature hasn't been on home video for the better part of two decades (it was originally released in 2001), but now it's on Blu-ray, and better than ever. Pick it up if you can.

I recommend you see this film first. If you're a lover of anime/manga and have never seen this film, you will find it a breath of fresh air. It is a masterpiece and deserves every award it got.

Excellent movie one of satoshi kon’s best must have for any anime fan

The 4K remastering make the movie more colorful to an already near perfect masterpiece.

The movie’s heroine is herself a movie heroine in the story. As she is interviewed about her life story, the interviewers are documenting her life in stream of conscious vignettes in which her real life is intermingled with her life as an actress and her roles as an actress. The action goes from slow and thoughtful to breakneck speed with transitions from movie role to movie role and back to real life.

The movie itself is not a total disappointment nor have completely captivated by attention. I have seen better ones (howl's moving castle, wolf children, etc). Once seen, it would not be something I want to rewatch again.

very good movie. studio ghibli does very good movies overalll

I never knew how great this film was until I could finally purchase it! It was worth every penny! The adventure in this film is a wild ride.