Anime for Grown-ups Fim Series at the Clark

Williamstown, MA - During the film series "Anime for Grown-ups: The Art of Japanese Animation," the Clark will examine anime not from the perspective of genre expectations, but through the work of directors who speak in the international language of film. Films are free and held on Saturdays in November at 1 pm (Japanese with English subtitles) and 3 pm (dubbed American version).

Porco Rosso  (1992, 94 min., rated PG)
November 1
Oscar winner Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away) directed Porco Rosso explicitly for adults. Like Casablanca meets Only Angels Have Wings, it tells of a World War I flying ace, reduced to bounty hunting against air pirates over the Adriatic while the Fascists come to power in 1920s Italy-and oh, incidentally, he's turned into the Crimson Pig of the title.

Whisper of the Heart (1995, 111 min., rated PG) November 8 For Whisper of the Heart, a thoroughly charming tale of adolescent romance and a bright young girl's search for self, Hayao Miyazaki wrote the script but gave the direction to heir apparent Yoshifumi Kondo. If you liked Juno, you will love this winning story of a brash schoolgirl finding both a boyfriend and a calling in life.

Grave of the Fireflies  (1988, 88 min., rated PG-13) November 15 Directed by Isao Takahata, Hayao Miyazaki's longtime collaborator, Grave of the Fireflies is a sensitive, harrowing film that depicts the impact of war on children, warranting comparison to all-time classic Forbidden Games. An orphaned boy and his younger sister, struggling for survival in the aftermath of the World War II firebombing of Japan, find evanescent beauty in a terminal landscape.

Tokyo Godfathers (2004, 92 min., rated PG-13) November 22 Satoshi Kon, a young director to watch, transposes John Ford's Western Three Godfathers to the underbelly of modern-day Tokyo, with three tramps-an alcoholic, a transvestite, and a teen runaway-finding a baby on Christmas Eve, and encountering comic adventures in their heartwarming attempt to return the child to its mother.

Paprika  (2006, 90 min., rated R)
November 29
Paprika is the therapeutic avatar of a powerful woman psychiatrist, partnered with a blubbery nerd genius who has invented a machine that allows physical entry into the dreams of subjects, a dangerous weapon in the hands of the unscrupulous and power-mad.