The genre of the animated documentary seems to become quite popular in festival circuits these days with films such as Waltz with Bashir gaining praises everywhere it plays. Knowing Mamoru Oshii was behind such project got me really excited and I couldn't wait to be surprised with Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samuraï, a film he wrote.
Surprised I was after the screening at the FNC, as this film is a strange object closer to Greenaway's The Tulse Luper Suitcases than Ghost in the Shell. Describing it as an animated encyclopedia seems to be ideal since the film uses a structure similar to a book covering a wide variety of subjects all linked more or less with the same theme. The starting point here would be the legendary samuraï Musashi who lived in the 17th century, a man whose myth took over his life in Japanese memories to a point where it is now impossible to distinguish the truth from the fiction. Oshii and director Mizuho Nishikubo's project consists on solving the many mysteries behind the historical figure by basically showing on the screen everything that is known about him, from his Book of Five Rings to his war tactics, art and fights.
Which is where the film become a true melting pot. Every subject is told with a different type of animation (some live-action shots are also used) and we get access to a lot of information, so much it becomes sometimes difficult keep your attention. While watching it, I thought the film would probably worked better as a CD-ROM where you could simply click on what grabs your attention and spend as much time as needed on it. The didactic approach used is respectable, but not fully enjoyable. Sure, you have so great fight scenes, but because they're shown in such an educationnal context, most of the excitement they should carry is lost. Besides, for a film that wants to tell the truth on Musashi, it's hard not to think that manga-style fights are not the best way to represent a reality. Finally, having a fat professor as a teacher doing silly jokes with his assistant is funny, but can become truly tiresome towards the end.
Musashi: The Dream of the Last Samuraï reminded me of some of Godard's TV shows as they both share the ambition to use the image in order to educate the audience. Keeping that in mind, the project works since you do get to learn a lot on Musashi and it makes it perfect for a classroom. For a theater room, this is another story...