#Bois des les

[slayerbuffy]

Les Dames du bois de Boulogne 1945 | dir. Robert Bresson

#* #les dames du bois de boulogne #films #filmedit #filmgifs #moviegifs #classicfilmsource #userlenie #uservita #uservienna #userkraina #maria casares #robert bresson

[elysieeh]

Bulgarian Music in Studio Ghibli films

”Myth has it that Orpheus was born in what is now Bulgaria. It seemed to be fact, not myth, that his daughters are still singing there”

These words were written by the New York Times in the remote 1963 — the year in which the largest Bulgarian folk ensemble crossed the Iron Curtain to conquer an entire continent with its cosmic art.

The 1975 release of Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares, a compilation album of modern arrangements of Bulgarian folk songs, further popularized Bulgarian music, and in 1977, a vinyl record featuring the folk song “Izlel ye Delyo Haydutin” (Eng: Come out rebel Delyo) began its journey aboard the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 spacecrafts.

From this point on popularity from the West spread to the East, and Bulgarian folk music made it to the entertainment industry, including legendary Japanese anime films, like the cult cyberpunk “Ghost in the Shell” or the heartwarming Studio Ghibli features.

In this short article I write about two occasions of Bulgarian music playing in Studio Ghibli’s films.

The record that inspired the creation of “Only Yesterday”

“Only Yesterday” is a 1991 Japanese animated drama film written and directed by Isao Takahata, based on the 1982 manga of the same title by Hotaru Okamoto and Yuko Tone. Set in rural Japan, the film draws parallels with the peasant lifestyle present in Eastern Europe.

The original work is a compilation of short stories about 11-year-old Taeko’s daily life in 1966. Director Takahata had a hard time making it into a movie since the manga, told in the form of a memoir, has no plot to hold a feature. Together with producer Toshio Suzuki, they came up with the solution of bringing the narrator of the story, adult Taeko, into the movie. But there is a curious anecdote about how this idea came to mind.

Taeko picks safflower as the Bulgarian song “Malka moma dvori mete” plays in the background. © Studio Ghibli

In a 2021 interview with students from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, producer Suzuki recounts how a record of Bulgarian songs performed by the children choir “Bodra Smyana”, introduced to him by director Takahata, inspired the creation of the movie. Moved by the cosmic voices of the children, they decided to make “Only Yesterday” a musical. He also recalls what a tiring process it was to acquire the rights to the music, but if you’ve seen the movie, I am sure you will agree that it was worth it; the haunting, beautiful songs with the pastoral images of farmers picking flowers contribute to one of the greatest scenes created in cinema.

Producer Suzuki showing the record that inspired the creation of ”Only Yesterday”. Source: Studio Ghibli’s Twitter

In “Only Yesterday”, we can hear two songs from the album Bulgarian Polyphony I by Philip Koutev Ensemble. The upbeat “Dilmano Dilbero” [Eng. beautiful Dilmana] sets a happy mood as the protagonist gets changed and ready to go on the field. As the scene shifts and Taeko starts narrating a sad story about the girls in the past picking safflower with their bare hands, the song and mood shift as well.

While the first song has a fast rhythm, with lyrics about pepper planting that can also be interpreted figuratively, the second one, “Malka Moma Dvori Mete” [Eng., a little girl sweeps the yard], is a ballad about a young girl who is forced into marriage but has never known true love.

Both compositions sing about life-cycle events like marriage and the regular coming of the harvests, with lyrics perfectly fitting the setting and plot of the movie, which makes me wonder if the filmmakers chose them by chance or if they had someone translate the words.

Bulgarian Cosmic Voices Enchanting Howl

“Howl’s Moving Castle” is a 2004 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, loosely based on the 1986 novel of the same name by British author Diana Wynne Jones. Set in a fictional kingdom the movie draws inspiration from various places in Europe. One of them being Bulgaria.

The story focuses on a young girl, named Sophie, magically transformed into an old woman, and a self-confident but emotionally unstable young wizard, Howl, living in a magical moving castle.

A sketch of a Star Child. Source: The Art of Howl’s Moving Castle

If you’ve seen the movie, you surely remember the scene when Madame Suliman ambushes Howl and tries to strip him of his magic powers. Star Children encircle him and his companions; their shadows grow big, dark and intimidating. They start dancing and chanting unintelligible magic words and are almost successful in their devilish act.

This scene, together with the music played in the background, have been a favourite of many fans of the film. Some even recount it giving them nightmares when they were children.

Star Children encircle Howl in an attempt to strip him of his magic powers. © Studio Ghibli

It turns out, however, that these aren’t any incantations, but the lyrics of a folk song. In Bulgarian. And a love song! Contrary to popular belief, the lyrics have nothing to do with magic and are actually about a boy taking his sweetheart, Dona, to the market to buy her new clothes. The excerpt used in the movie is very short and a bit altered from the original, but the words used go like this: Trendafilcheto, kalafercheto, Done mamino, translated as “the rose, the costmary, my darling Dona”.

I am planing a follow up article where I will post the translated lyrics together with a brief explanation on how they are related to the movies.

If you want to comment on or add something, I would love to hear!

Source

#studio ghibli #only yesterday #howls moving castle #Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares #bulgarian folklore #bulgaria #toshio suzuki #hayao miyazaki #isao takahata #bulgarian music in ghibli films #the boy and the heron #スタジオジブリ #ブルガリア #おもひでぽろぽろ #ハウルの動く城 #宮崎駿 #高畑勲 #鈴木敏夫 #bulgarian music

[bossuets]

They were schoolboys Never held a gun Fighting for a new world That would rise up like the sun...

#les miserables #lesmisedit #les mis #perioddramaedit #adaptationsdaily #blackandwhiteedit #usergif #filmedit #les amis #les amis de l'abc #barricade boys #les miserables 2012 #usercossette #** #mine.gif #films #death tw #flashing gif #flashing tw

[dance-world]

Célestin Boutin - Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal

#Célestin Boutin #french ballet dancers #Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal #danseur #bailarín #ballerino #dancer #tänzer #boys of ballet #ballet men #dance #ballet

[dailyworldcinema]

Les Dames du bois de Boulogne 1945 | dir. Robert Bresson

#* #ours #by charlie #les dames du bois de boulogne #1940s #france #worldcinemaedit #filmedit #filmgifs #moviegifs #classicfilmsource #userlenie #uservita #uservienna #userkraina

[illustratus]

The Sleeping Beauty by Gustave Doré

"Reclining upon a bed was a princess of radiant beauty."

The Sleeping Beauty, La Belle au Bois Dormant, The Beauty in the Sleeping Forest, The Sleeping Beauty in the Woods, Dornröschen, Little Briar Rose.

#the sleeping beauty #sleeping beauty #art #gustave doré #charles perrault #illustration #fairy tale #fairy tales #les contes de perrault #la belle au bois dormant #princess #prince #forest #woods #forests #woodland #palace #europe #european #cursed #sleep #sleeping #folklore #medieval #middle ages #fairy #fairies #history #bed #enchanted

[the-great-kraken]

one thing that really annoys me about a lot of les mis productions is their insistence on making the les amis de l'abc older than they are. i know it's partly a schematics thing with hiring younger actors, but to me so much of the tragedy behind the barricade comes from the fact they were kids. they were college students staring at a future they despised, desperate to change it, and they - and the hope they had for a kinder future - were slaughtered. i mean, hell, the musical talks about it! all the time! javert calls them schoolboys, turning is the mothers of paris staring at corpses of boys who could have been their sons, cosette eponine and marius are kids lost in their first loves. idk it seems like such a minor thing but to me it's so core to what makes this story so devastating

#when i saw it live we had a marius who was pretty baby-faced #and bring him home hit me so much harder than in any other version i've seen #i wish it was more common because god it was so fucking good #almost brought me to tears in a way songs like that never seem to #anyway #rhi rambles #les mis #les miserables #the barricade boys #les amis de l'abc

[orangepajamas]

disco doodles of some npcs coz they do be interesting

I definitely don't feel like any of them got closure and most of them deserve it (looking at you, George)

#I need to change brushes #I actually haven't drawn kimharry in weeks and I miss them #disco elysium #disco elysium fanart #idiot doom spiral #ruby the instigator #tommy le homme #harry du bois #kim kitsuragi #artists on tumblr #fanart #de

[sachart]

I've had this WIP for far too long and I'm hoping if I post about it I'll actually finish it

So here's my Les Mis Lament For Icarus

#enjolras #combeferre #courfeyrac #grantaire #enjoltaire #les mis #les amis #les amis de l'abc #barricade boys #les miserables #exr #sach art

[revolutionnaire-farouche]

Barricade day day 2

#les mis #les miserables #enjolras #grantaire #les amis #les amis de l'abc #enjoltaire #jean valjean #courfeyrac #combeferre #barricade boys #barricade day #victor hugo

[yellowmellow841]

What would happen if I posed some Les Mis art huh?

Help it’s taking over my life

#les miserables #les mis fanart #les mis #les mis enjolras #les mis musical #Les miserable fanart #enjolras #les amis #les amis de l'abc #les miz #barricade boys

[sarahbobbie]

Grantaire: I’m like the yin to your yang, the wit to your wrath.

Enjolras: More like the hangover to my headache.

#les miserables #enjolras #grantaire #e/r #enjoltaire #incorrect les mis quotes #incorrect quotes #les mis #barricade boys #les amis #les amis de l'abc

[sirgawainofgalifrey]

Okay don't come at me for this but I 100% judge any and all Les Mis adaptations almost completely by their design and characterization of Javert.

Like if he's not on point then I'm sorry, I'm done, I can't.

#i love the other characters but still #and also by how much romantic tension there is between him and Jean Valjean #No hes not my favorite character why do you ask? #les mis #les miserables #les amis de l'abc #Javert #jean valjean #valvert #barricade boys #Les Mis manga #les mis arai #takahiro arai #the brick #phillip quast #russel crowe

[bossuets]

Empty chairs at empty tables Where my friends will sing no more...

#lesmisedit #les miserables #les mis #filmedit #blackandwhiteedit #adaptationsdaily #les miserables 2012 #usergif #usercossette #usercaitlyn #courfeyrec #les amis de l'abc #les amis #barricade boys #** #mine.gif #films

[courfee]

So this is it, that's how it ends I guess there's nothing more romantic than dying with your friends

ah yes, the happy soft vibes for the @sillylovesongsfest, you get it... based on the assigned prompted song Till Forever Falls Apart by Ashe and FINNEAS, as well as this

for an even sadder and bloody version look under the cut <33

#enjolras most angelic angry boy furiously heartbroken about hwo things went down #combeferre prettiest man ive ever drawn still trying to protect his friends (covered in blood by the people hes tried to keep alive) #and then there is courfeyrac #nah he is still round and radiant like a centre i guess but he is just cute instead of pretty next to the other two #look this song so very much just screams them but i do have to admit that it is just a little too sad for valentines vibes #so i AM also making a prongsfoot one thats a little less sad because the song also is very them it just breaks my heart in the softest way #Silly Love Songs Fest #enjolras #combeferre #courfeyrac #les amis de l'abc #les mis #les mierables #les amis #les mis fanart #les mis art #barricade boys #mine #my art

[dance-world]

Célestin Boutin - Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal

#Célestin Boutin #Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal #danseur #ballerino #tänzer #dancer #bailarín #ballet men #boys of ballet #dance #ballet