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Original 117 minute version on Blu-ray |
The US VHS by New World Video was compared with the German Blu-ray by Universum Film.
In a post-apocalyptic future, much of the world is uninhabitable for humans due to deadly spores. Princess Nausicaä lives with her people in a valley protected from the spores by ascending winds. Surrounding the valley is a deadly forest guarded by giant insects. One day, a ship from Torumekia crashes in the valley. On board is a fire demon that the Torumekians intend to use to burn down the forest. Nausicaä, who has the ability to communicate with the insects, wants to prevent this, as she sees the chance for a better life only in a balance between humans and nature...
A phenomenal anime by Hayao Miyazaki with a strong ecological message and a question about the relationship between humans and nature. Visually impressive, it has not lost any of its impact over the years and is more relevant than ever in terms of content.
International version heavily cutIn 1985, New World Pictures acquired the rights to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and released a version of the film in the USA that was shortened by 23 minutes under the title Warriors of the Wind. This version was distributed internationally and also appeared in Germany by UFA on VHS.
The dub itself is okay, but unfortunately, all names were changed and the story was occasionally misrepresented. Despite the significant cuts, there is probably more dialogue than in the original version. Very often, the characters say something when there is nothing to say in the original version. Many important scenes, such as Nausicaä's dreams or the scene where she shows Yupa her cultivated plants in her hidden place, were removed. Therefore, the international version is not recommended. Director Hayao Miyazaki was very angry about the cuts. When Harvey Weinstein insisted on many cuts for the US release of Princess Mononoke, Miyazaki angrily left the meeting. Studio Ghibli producer Toshio Suzuki allegedly then sent him a katana sword engraved with the words "No Cuts". Weinstein relented, and Princess Mononoke was released in the USA without cuts.
For a long time, it was difficult to see the uncut original version of the film, but this changed when the rights went to Disney. A new and better English dub was created, and the film is available uncut on DVD and Blu-ray. The German UFA tape has since become very rare and is accordingly highly valued. The film was released uncut in Germany on DVD and Blu-ray by Universum Film and international Blu-ray releases feature the complete version as well.
Image comparison:
US VHS:
 German Blu-ray:
 Runtime:
US VHS: 94:57 min.
German Blu-ray: 117:02 min.
[00:01:55][00:00:00]
The US starts with the New World Video logo.
The OV shows the WWF logo followed by a title card.
US: 25 sec. OV: 14 sec. [00:03:54][00:01:49] No cut, but a fade-in of an English introductory text, which is not present in the original version. The German speaker explains the story, nothing is said in the original, you can hear the phenomenal theme of the movie. There is no narrator in the US VHS. In the English audio of the original version, the overlaid text is read out by a narrator.
No time difference. [00:04:05][00:02:00] The opening credits have been recreated. In the original version, you see wall drawings depicting the destruction of civilization and the creation of the poison forest. In between, huge fire demons are seen devastating the cities.
The international version shows a shot of the skull instead. Here you can hear the narrator explaining the plot.
Int: 5 sec OV: 1:20 min [00:04:23][00:03:34] In the international version, the cut to the skull follows the close-up of Nausicaä on her glider.
OV: 4 sec. [00:04:50][00:04:05] The international version shows a longer black frame after Nausicaä runs to the forest. In the next shot, the movie title is faded in.
The original version shows a shorter black frame. Then the forest can be seen.
Int: 14 sec. OV: 11 sec. [00:06:00][00:05:12] Nausicaä walks even longer through the forest and is amazed to discover the shell of an Ohmus.
OV: 27 sec [00:06:05][00:05:43] The princess continues to climb around on the hull. On a ledge, she grips the hull, draws her sword and thrusts to test its hardness. It bounces off with a clang.
OV: 21 sec [00:06:13][00:06:12] Nausicaä enthusiastically finds an eye cap, which she immediately wants to take with her. She pours cartridge powder around the rim and ignites it with her weapon. With her sword, she finally cuts off the eye lid.
OV: 33 sec [00:06:17][00:06:49] She holds up her eye and looks up at the sky. Suddenly, a rain of spores begins to fall, becoming denser and denser. Nausicaä lies down under the lid and watches the fascinating spectacle. Soon after, she is "snowed in". She is startled by a sudden noise.
OV: 1:21 min [00:15:12][00:17:06] The villagers marvel at Nauscicaä's Ohmuauge, which Lord Yupa has brought with him. Nausicaä brings a baby to Yupa and asks him to be its godfather. The children run through the village and play while Yupa rides towards the castle.
OV: 1:32 min [00:25:37][00:29:03] The villagers search the fields for spores. A child finds some and calls a man to him. He destroys the spores with a flamethrower. The man praises the child for his find.
OV: 26 sec [00:36:00][00:39:52] One of the most important cuts: While the warship is being loaded, Yupa is talking to one of the men. The revival of the fire demon must be prevented at all costs. Yupa wants to leave the valley.
Scene change: Yupa visits Nausciaä, but she is not in her room. Teto scratches the wall with his paw and the lord discovers a door there. He follows a staircase deep into the castle and discovers the princess asleep in a room full of plants. She wakes up and explains the significance of this room to the lord. She has grown plants here that are also found in the poison forest. But thanks to clean soil and pure water from deep underground, they don't give off any poison and only the contaminated soil is to blame. Nausicaä wants to use her findings to help her father and everyone else. Weeping, she tells Yupa that she has stopped the flow of water and that the plants will soon die. He takes her in his arms.
OV: 3:16 min [00:36:22][00:43:30] The princess is on her way to the plane. Three children run up to her and give her a bag of Chico nuts as a parting gift. She thanks them and promises to come back soon. The children run back again and wave to the princess.
OV: 56 sec [00:48:02][00:56:07] Nausicaä is wrapped in the feelers of the Ohmu. Her vision appears in his eye. Freed from mask and clothing, she sees herself in a golden field under a blue sky. Shortly afterwards, she stands under a huge tree and looks through its leaves into the sun. Then there is a fade to the Ohmu.
OV: 47 sec. [00:52:27][01:01:19] Nausicaä has a dream. She is standing in the golden field again, only this time as a small child. Her parents and a few warriors ride up to her and take her with them. Together they ride towards the big tree. Nausicaä stands protectively in front of the tree and suddenly an Ohmularve crawls out from under her legs. Jhil, her father, grabs the larva and takes it away after telling her that insects and humans cannot live in the same world. Little Nausicaä shouts after him not to kill the Ohmu. Nausciaä wakes up from the dream. Teto comes to her and lets her pet him.
OV: 2:05 min [00:52:41][01:03:37] There is a missing shot of Nausciaä with Teto before she stands up.
OV: 5 secs. [00:53:06][01:04:08] A shot of the water can be seen, followed by a tracking shot up the cave. In the original, Nausicaä enjoys the silence in the cave scenes; in the international version, she speaks and thinks.
OV: 13 secs. [00:55:46][01:07:00] Asbel walks up to Nausicaä. She is lying on the ground and says that she is happy. At one point, sand begins to trickle down. Shortly afterwards, the two sit together and Nausciaä tells Asbel about his sister's death. Asbel tries the chico nuts and grimaces. Nausciaä says that they are good.
Later he repairs Mehve, the glider. In the evening, they sit around a campfire and talk about the poison forest. Nausiccaä tells Asbel that the trees only grow to cleanse the world that humans pollute. They absorb the poison, purify it, die and turn to sand. This is also how the cave came into being. Insects, on the other hand, are the protectors of the forest. Asbel says that it will take centuries to cleanse the world and that humanity will not survive that long. Nausciaä finds his shots antiquated. They both go to sleep.
A shot of the castle can be seen.
OV: 3:16 mins. [01:00:38][01:15:09] The residents discover that the spores have contaminated several trees. Oh-Baba says that the forest is doomed and must be burned down. The inhabitants ask if there is another way, as the forest has protected them from the spores so far. Thick smoke rises from the forest.
OV: 55 sec. [01:05:19][01:20:44] After Nausicaä has been captured by the Pejite people, she argues with the leader. He wants the fire demon to destroy the forest. Nausicaä accuses him of being no better than the Torumekians and explains the importance of the forest. The leader says that his people do not want to become slaves to the Torumekians.
OV: 31 sec. [01:09:51][01:25:48] Nausicaä is led into the room where the women are staying. The women apologize to Nausciaä for their treatment. Through a secret passage, Asbel leads them crawling to their glider.
OV: 22 sec. [01:15:08][01:31:27] Kushana and Kurotowa stand on one of the besieging tanks. Kurotova suggests attacking. Kushana says that she wants to see if the princess will come back alive. She goes to the three hostages and advises them to give up. But they are not persuaded. One of the men shows his hand and says that he has the same illness as the king, but Nausciaä has told him that they are the hands of a hard-working man. Kushana thinks it is stupid to want to live in harmony with the jungle when it wants to kill you. The man says that fire can destroy a lot in a short time and that they prefer the elements of water and wind. Kushana walks away annoyed. A soldier asks Kurotowa for orders, but he sends him back. Kushana orders the hostages to be released and the troops to be given food. The attack is to begin in an hour. In the shipwreck, where the valley dwellers have entrenched themselves, unrest is spreading. The wind has stopped. Oh-Baba wants to go outside and notices that the atmosphere is filled with anger.
OV: 3:12 min [01:35:25][01:54:57] The credits are missing, as are the opening credits. The Ohmus move on, the Torumekians leave the valley, the remains of the Ohmus are collected for later use. The village is rebuilt and new trees are planted. Asbel and Lord Yupa leave the village and are bid farewell by Nausicaä.
OV: 39 sec. [01:35:43][01:56:53] The mask at the end is longer in the international version. English credits follow.
The original version fades out earlier. The music stops when the picture is black.
Int: 1:10 min. OV: 9 sec. |
