Movies don’t quite know what to make of pornography. Comedies mine it for material all the time, and dramatic works tend to be revenge sagas that fall just short of sermonizing. So the animated Danish film Princess has a tricky job to fulfill, though it succeeds mostly because it never condescends. It doesn’t pretend that porn being bad is a foreign concept, nor does it stake a claim amidst the moral high ground. Princess is a tragedy cast in that most classic of molds, in which both its viewers and its characters are confronted with the personal price of seeking vengeance.

Once upon a time, August (voice of Thure Lindhardt) left home to preach the Good Word overseas. His sister Christina (voice of Stine Fischer Christensen) declined to join, opting instead for a flourishing career as a porn starlet named Princess. But Christina has met an unfortunate end, beckoning August back home to take care of her daughter, Mia (voice of Mira Hilli Moller Hallund). To spare the little one a similarly seedy fate, August resolves to eliminate all traces of his sister’s life as Princess (and, if need be, by brute force). Of course, her employers aren’t so eager to give up such a lucrative piece of their empire, though their efforts to strike back only further enrage the one-man army August has become.

Admittedly, Princess does lug around a pretty paint-by-numbers structure. The path from wreaking bloody havoc to “What have I done?” epiphany hasn’t deviated much over the years — but then again, where else is there to go? It comes with the territory, and Princess goes to show that, done right, such themes can ring as strongly as they ever have. From its crude animation to its touchy subject matter, Princess announces quite early that it has no intentions of being loved. It’s here to rub our faces in society’s mess, not to be cooed over by Pixar enthusiasts. Though a brazen attitude is one thing, director Anders Morgenthaler sweetens the deal with the story’s well-rounded presentation. Morgenthaler handles this most disquieting descent into the porn biz with equal parts action, drama, and even dark humor, all delivered in balanced and effective doses. Enough is done to keep things lively without sacrificing the story’s dramatic edge.

While it doesn’t shy away from graphic imagery (both sexual and violent), the humanity within Princess is its greatest asset. Scenes in which August tries bonding with Mia are as powerful as those in which he goes berserk on some lowlife. Morgenthaler also makes clever use of his religious angle; God not only seems to condone August’s rampage, He even helps out a bit. Live-action footage is included to provide glimpses of both happier times and those warning signs which led to Christina’s downfall (some of which August himself takes responsibility for). It’s a story that could have been told in the flesh, though certain content would incur a lifetime of lawsuits. The voice acting isn’t extraordinary, but the cast gets the job done; if anyone, Hallund deserves extra credit for being neither too gruff or too precocious as the wounded Mia.

Princess grounds itself in grittiness so well, those parts where its fantasy flag flies don’t register as well as they should. But while Morgenthaler’s point is made rather abruptly, it should be noted that he arrives at one (while others continue searching long after the final credits). Those impressed in recent years by Chan-wook Park’s revenge pictures would do well by popping in Princess, an ungainly work that still possesses a more lasting wallop than one usually receives.

==Written by: A.J. Hakari==

==From: Passport Cinema [http://passportcinema.com]==

Before it ever arrived in the U.S., this epic, animated 1997 fantasy had already made history as the top-grossing domestic feature ever released in Japan, where its combination of mythic themes, mystical forces, and ravishing visuals tapped deeply into cultural identity and contemporary, ecological anxieties. For international animation and anime fans, Princess Mononoke represents an auspicious next step for its revered creator, Hayao Miyazaki (My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service), an acknowledged anime pioneer, whose painterly style, vivid character design, and stylized approach to storytelling take ambitious, evolutionary steps here.

Set in medieval Japan, Miyazaki's original story envisions a struggle between nature and man. The march of technology, embodied in the dark iron forges of the ambitious Tatara clan, threatens the natural forces explicit in the benevolent Great God of the Forest and the wide-eyed, spectral spirits he protects. When Ashitaka, a young warrior from a remote, and endangered, village clan, kills a ravenous, boar-like monster, he discovers the beast is in fact an infectious "demon god," transformed by human anger. Ashitaka's quest to solve the beast's fatal curse brings him into the midst of human political intrigues as well as the more crucial battle between man and nature.

Miyazaki's convoluted fable is clearly not the stuff of kiddie matinees, nor is the often graphic violence depicted during the battles that ensue. If some younger viewers (or less attentive older ones) will wish for a diagram to sort out the players, Miyazaki's atmospheric world and its lush visual design are reasons enough to watch. For the English-language version, Miramax assembled an impressive vocal cast including Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup (as Ashitaka), Claire Danes (as San), Minnie Driver (as Lady Eboshi), Billy Bob Thornton, and Jada Pinkett Smith. They bring added nuance to a very different kind of magic kingdom. Recommended for ages 12 and older. --Sam Sutherland