Sharing a House with the Never-Ending Man: 15 Years at Studio Ghibli

Este livro conta as memórias de Steve Alpert um ex-profissional da Disney do Japão que foi trabalhar no Ghibli para ser um dos responsáveis pelo licenciamento/localização de seus filmes para o exterior, em especial os EUA devido ao novo acordo com a Buena Vista/Disney americana.Até ai nada demais já que ele esperava um servicinho fácil até descobrir que ele era um gaijin perdido dentro de um pequeno estúdio nipônico onde o diretor não fazia questão de que suas obras fossem compreendidas no exterior no melhor estilo "quer curtir meus filmes na sua plenitude? Vai estudar japonês cabeçudo!"Ao mesmo tempo ele tinha que administrar as ansiedades do Papai Walt Disney com relação a picuinhas do tipo "quem era mocinho ou bandido no filme", "como gente apontando armas para criancinhas?" ou coisa muito pior: Censurar um filme inteiro por causa de uma cena onde uma menina foi dispensada da aula de educação física na escola por ter menstruado pela primeira vez.Aliás, a Disney ficou tão chocada com Mononoke Hime e o fato deles (por força do contrato) não poderem mexer em nada do filme que decidiram lançá-lo por meio da sua subsidiária Miramax.De um certo modo esse livro é uma divertida jornada de um estrangeiro dentro de um dos estúdios mais míticos dos anos 1980~90 que ele descreve fisicamente como um "submarino" onde as pessoas penduram toalhinhas pra secar na grande fachada da recepção do prédio ou almoçavam juntos na sala de reunião da diretoria.Upalelê!

I have so many books that I never finished reading. This one? I started at 7pm and before I knew it I was finishing the last page at 3am wishing there were more. Will you find this as thoroughly engaging? If you are interested in...MiyazakiStudio GhibliAnime productionJapanese business cultureInternational business challengesTranslationThe film entertainment businessNeil GaimanDisney people being jerksHarvey Weinstein beng a jerk...then you'll probably find it an interesting read. It's not that Steve Alpert wrote this book to explain any of these topics in great breadth or depth. But he gives just enough context along with his own personal insights and "a-ha" moments. I found each anecdote so charming and entertaining that I was constantly wondering "and then what? and then? and..."While there's no overarching theme explicitly mentioned, "translation" certainly stands out. There are anecdotes where translation presents unique challenges and opportunities across many different modes - text for publication, scripts for subtitles, discussion in meetings, prepared speeches for events, dialogue in movies, nonverbal cues between people, and protocols between cultures. I think it's because Steve Alpert had to translate in all those ways that he has such engaging observations about the fascinating situations he describes here. He isn't just relaying what he saw or what he heard like some thin "tell-all" book by someone who happened to be a fly on the wall at important events. As he says in the book, there is no such thing as a perfect translation. As such, he describes events in terms of trying to understand the motivations of the people involved and how difficult that could be. And that's really a universal experience between any two people, even with the same nationality and language. So forget what I said at the beginning - maybe anyone and everyone can find this book just as engaging :)

Ottimo libro. I retroscena sono interessanti per chiunque voglia capire quanta fatica, quanto impegno e quanto compromesso servano per veder nascere e soprattutto distribuite opere cinematografiche complesse e ambiziose come quelle dello Studio Ghibli.Great book. The background is interesting for whom wants to understand how much fatigue, effort and compromise is needed to bring ambitious and complex works such as the Studio Ghibli movies to life - and to see them distributed all over the world.

Studio Ghibli is without a doubt one of the most influential animation studios in the world. Hayao Miyazaki is a creative genius on the highest level of the world's finest filmmakers, whether live or animation. The author had a unique opportunity to experience a fly-on-the-wall perspective over many years, allowing him to write a fascinating memoir giving the rest of us a view of some of the issues and events not previously made public. If you know Miyazaki's work, or just like anime in general, it's worth your while to read this.Full disclosure: As a person involved with the distribution of one of Studio Ghibli's movies, I have met the author in person at Studio Ghibli. I found him to be a very likable fellow, so please consider that I may be somewhat biased in my review, due to this positive experience.

Un libro imperdibile. Come fare un viaggio dentro alcuni segretucci della Ghibli e farsi anche due conticini su come/dove/quando/perché il Miya-san non è poi tanto "San".