Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»1270. From Up On Poppy Hill (コクリコ坂から) (2011)

    1270. From Up On Poppy Hill (コクリコ坂から) (2011)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on February 29, 2016 2011, 6 - 7.9, 90-99 mins, Animation, Drama, Feb 16, Japan, Movies Of 2016, Review
    7.1 Mature and heartfelt
    • Acting 7.0
    • Directing 7.2
    • Story 7.1
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Masami Nagasawa, Junichi Okada, Keiko Takeshita

    Director: Gorô Miyazaki

    Running Time: 91 mins


    From Up On Poppy Hill is a Japanese film about a group of Yokohama schoolkids who look to save their historic clubhouse from demolition in the lead up to the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

    Whilst retaining the trademark relaxing tone of so many Studio Ghibli movies, From Up On Poppy Hill takes a slightly different direction. It’s a more mature, controlled and heartfelt tribute to the power of youth and freedom, and although it doesn’t always make for the most compelling watching, I was still impressed by its depth.

    I’m not saying that other Studio Ghibli movies aren’t mature or heartfelt, nothing could be further from the truth, but what I want to make clear is that this is mature in a more outright way. There’s no fantasy element to it, the romance, whilst pleasant, doesn’t take centre stage, and so it deals more directly with family and local drama than any other film from the studio.

    That was the best thing about the film by far. I was impressed by the way that it handled a story that isn’t of great worldwide consequence in a dramatic and interesting manner. It’s all about the relationship between a teenage boy and girl, and the students’ efforts to save their beloved clubhouse in the face of corporate greed and rapid modernisation in Japan during the 1960s, and because that was dealt with in both a calm and mature way, I was able to care more about the events of the story.

    Also, as you’d expect with Studio Ghibli, the animation is exquisite. Given the suburban setting of the story, it’s not always the most dazzling, but it fits in perfectly with the controlled and calm tone of the film, and reinforces it fantastically.

    However, I wasn’t always fully engrossed by From Up On Poppy Hill. Whilst I was impressed by and appreciated the mature tone that it struck, there were moments where I could have gone for a little bit more high drama. That’s not a general characteristic of Studio Ghibli’s films, and it’s almost always for the better, but there are moments here that feel like they’ve not been as emphasised as they should be, often costing emotional power that would have otherwise made this a great film.

    Overall, I liked From Up On Poppy Hill. It’s nice and calm, but has a mature and assured message and tone as well. However, that lack of emotional drama just frustrated me at times, because I felt like the film was missing an opportunity to make a really engrossing and compelling tale, and that’s why I’m giving a 7.1.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.6
    Review
    March 28, 20160

    1299. Modern Times (1936)

    8.3
    Review
    January 24, 20150

    831. Goldfinger (1964)

    8.4
    Review
    February 15, 20170

    1662. The Lego Batman Movie (2017)

    8.1
    Review
    May 22, 20150

    966. The Jungle Book (1967)

    9.1
    Review
    January 29, 20170

    1636. Manchester By The Sea (2016)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.