问:影片取材于漫画还是书?
答:取材于一部书(确切的说是一部短篇小说)《萤火虫之墓》,作者角野栄子,由新潮社出版。该小说是半自传体的。作者的小妹妹在战争中因营养不良死去,她因此自责了相当长的时间,最终在这本书的创作中得到心灵的解脱。
该书不同翻译版本的信息,请看
问:本片忠实于原著吗?真实情况是怎么样的?
答:相当忠实于原著。本片的导演高畑勲是以其现实主义表现手法而闻名的。宫崎骏擅长在漫画或小说的基础上建立自己的世界,讲述自己的故事,而高畑勲则不同,他善于完美的重现原著的世界。然而,兄妹灵魂的出现是高畑勲自创的,在原书中并没有出现。
问:影片的开头,为什么母亲抛下了清太和节子?
答:故事中讲的很清楚。母亲生下节子之后患了心脏病,不能跑动,所以清太就把母亲送到了前方的庇护所,因为他不能同时照看妹妹和妈妈。
问:为什么当空袭可能来临的时候母亲离开了孩子们?
答:母亲非常爱护孩子们。在故事中作者引用到:“‘你(清太)一定要带着节子赶快跑,我总有办法照顾自己。如果你们俩都出了事情,我就再也没脸面对你们的父亲了。你明白吗?’母亲总是半开玩笑的这样说。”
问:故事发生在何时何地?
答:1945年的神户。
问:影片的音乐由谁负责(演奏)?
答:村治佳织(村治佳织是公认的当今最有前途的古典吉他演奏家之一,她的简介参见注释1)。她也负责过高畑勲的其他影片,象《太阳王子》和《大提琴手高修》。
问:Bandai(日本一家知名游戏公司)制作了本片吗?
答:Bandai只负责录象在日本的发布,因为影片的制作方新潮社没有录象发行网络。
问:影片有英文版吗?
答:Central Park Media(纽约一家漫画出版社)那里可以找到配音版的家用录象带和双碟DVD。
本片DVD在其他国家也获准发行。
问:据说在日本该片和《龙猫》是同时开始制作的,是这样的吗?
答:是的。那时候,没有人认为人们会喜欢看“两个孩子和一个怪物的乡村故事”,所以《龙猫》被当作是一个很大的投资冒险。而且,宫崎骏和《Animage》(译者注:《Animage》,日本第一本商业性的动画杂志,由德间书店推出)的编辑们都很想拍这部片子,这一直是他宠物计划的一部分。所以他们想出分散风险的方法。《萤火虫之幕》是一部很著名的小说,而且鉴于它的教育价值,相当层面的观众都很期待。(事实上,《萤火虫之墓》被许多学校选做学生必看的影片——也包括《龙猫》,因为两者是一起发行的)。
当时《Animage》的主编铃木敏夫(现任吉卜力总裁)找到新潮社,也就是《萤火虫之墓》的出版商。由于新潮社一直在寻找机会进军电影业,他们很快同意制作《萤火虫之墓》。德间书店和新潮社都知道他们会赔钱,但还是把这项工作继续了下去(事实上由于戏剧化的版权问题,他们的确赔了钱)。所以说如果没有《萤火虫之墓》,就不会有《龙猫》的诞生。
借主题的光,该片一开始就被广为接受。人们认为它是一部很有意义的作品。但和《龙猫》摆在一起,它就显得有点呆板。观众的感受很大程度上取决于先看哪部片子。《龙猫》会让人们感到很快乐,至于这部《萤火虫之墓》……那些先看了《龙猫》的观众甚至根本无法坚持看完本片,而先看《萤火虫之墓》的观众就不存在这个问题,可以一直看到结尾。所以我说,同时发行就是这个问题。
注释1:村治佳织1978年生于东京,3岁开始跟父亲学吉他,10岁起师从福田进一先生。在1989年少年吉他比赛中获最优秀奖:1989、1991年的学生吉他汇演中,连续获得一等奖;她还是历届Leo Brouwer国际吉他比赛和东京国际吉他比赛中最年轻的获奖选手。1993年3月在津田会场首次举行了独奏会;1995年获得”新秀音乐会”的最年轻奖;1996年获得新秀奖。1996年5月,受聘于意大利国立广播交响乐团、参加定期演奏会,演奏了罗德里戈的《阿兰胡埃斯吉他协奏曲》,并在欧洲举办了独奏音乐会。1997年9月开始到巴黎的高等音乐学院留学,为期2年。同年11月,她的首张罗德里戈的原创吉他作品集《田园牧歌》出版。1998年1月,拜见了西班牙著名作曲家罗德里戈,并在大师面前演奏了他的作品。1999年6月学成归国。
1993年10月,她作为专业吉他演奏家的第一张CD《丰富表情》由日本JVC唱片公司发行;1995年1月,第二张专辑《缘袖子》面市;1996年6月,第三张专辑《巴洛克素描》推出:1997年 第四张卡辑《田园牧歌》面市;1998年 第5张专辑《梦森林(卡伐蒂纳)》发行。全部5张专辑都获得广泛好评,《梦森林(卡伐蒂纳)》更是创造了13万张的销售纪录。现在,她得到了来自男女老幼各个层次范围人们的支持,是位大有前途的实力派的顶级艺术家。
唱片:《巴洛克素描》、《梦森林》、《田园之美》、《阿兰胡埃斯吉他协奏曲》
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英文原文
Q: Is it based on a manga or a book?
It is based on a book (more of a short story), "Hotaru no Haka", by Akiyuki NOSAKA, published by Shinchosha. The story is semi-autobiographical. He lost his little sister during the war due to malnutrition. He blamed himself for her death for a long time, and wrote this story to come to terms with it.
For information on the different translations available, please see the Books page.
Q: Is the anime loyal to the story and what really happened?
Very much. Takahata, the director, is known for his realism. Unlike Miyazaki, who takes a manga or novel as just material to build his own world and tell his own story, Takahata usually recreates the world in the original manga or novel perfectly. However, the ghosts of the two children were Takahata's creation, they don't appear in the original story.
Akiyuki NOSAKA explains what really happened.
Q: At the beginning of the movie, why does the mother leave Seita and Setsuko behind?
The story makes that clear. Since she gave birth to Sestuko she has a heart desease and can't run. Therefore Seita sends her to the shelter ahead, since he can't carry Sestuko and his mother.
Q: Why would the mother leave her children when there's a possibility of an air raid?
She cares very much for her children. In the story she's quoted: "'You must run away with Setsuko, I can take care of myself somehow. If somethings would happen to you both, I never could face father again. Do you understand?' This, half joking, mother had often said"
Q: When and where did it take place?
Kobe in 1945.
Q: Who did the music?
MAMIYA, Michio. He also worked on other Takahata movies, such as "Horus" and "Goshu".
Q: Did Bandai produce this movie?
No. Bandai just distributed the video in Japan, since the producer of the film, Shinchosha, doesn't have a video distribution network (it's a publishing company).
Q: Is it available in English?
Subbed or dubbed VHS tapes and two DVDs are available from Central Park Media.
The film has also been released on DVD in many countries, more details on the Video page.
Q: I heard that it was double-featured with "Totoro" in Japan. Is that true?
Yes. At that time no one thought that people would want to see "a movie about two little kids and a Monster in rural Japan", and "Totoro" was considered a big investment risk. Still, Miyazaki and the editors of "Animage" wanted to make this movie, which was Miyazaki's pet project for a long time. So they thought up the idea of risk-sharing. "Grave" was a well-known book, and because of its "educational" value, a certain level of audience could be expected. (Indeed, "Grave" was chosen by many school boards as a movie to show their students - and "Totoro" along with it, since it was in the package.)
Toshio Suzuki, then the chief editor of "Animage" (now a producer at Studio Ghibli) went to Shinchosha, the company which published the book. Since Shinchosha was looking for an opportunity to enter the movie business, they agreed to produce the movie "Grave". Both Tokuma and Shinchosha knew they were going to lose money, but they still went ahead with the project (they did lose money from the theatrical release). So, if it were not for "Grave", there would have been no "Totoro".
As for the order in which they screened the newest DVD release from CPM contains an interview with Takahata who explained:
The film was very well received from the start because of its themes, of course. People thought it was a very meaningful work. It was a little awkward in a way, because it was double-featured with My Neighbor Totoro. The response was different depending on which film was shown first. My Neighbor Totoro would make them happy, then this Grave of the Fireflies... Those who saw Totoro first didn't want to see Fireflies to the end. Those who saw Fireflies first didn't have that problem, and stayed to the end. The double featuring was a problem, I'd say.