Ghost in the Shell (1995)

A cyborg policewoman and her partner hunt a mysterious and powerful hacker called the Puppet Master.

Director:

Mamoru Oshii

Writers:

Shirow Masamune (based on the manga by) (as Masamune Shirow), Kazunori Itô (screenplay)

Stars:

Atsuko Tanaka, Iemasa Kayumi, Akio Ôtsuka

5 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Atsuko Tanaka	...	Motoko Kusanagi (voice)
Akio Ôtsuka	...	Batou (voice)
Kôichi Yamadera	...	Togusa (voice)
Yutaka Nakano	...	Ishikawa (voice)
Tamio Ohki	...	Aramaki (voice)
Tesshô Genda	...	Director Nakamura (voice)
Namaki Masakazu	...	Dr. Willis (voice)
Masato Yamanouchi	...	Minister of Foreign Affairs (voice)
Shinji Ogawa	...	Diplomat (voice)
Mitsuru Miyamoto	...	Mizuho Daita (voice)
Kazuhiro Yamaji	...	Garbage Collector A (voice)
Shigeru Chiba	...	Garbage Collector B (voice)
Hiroshi Yanaka	...	Coroner (voice)
Ginzô Matsuo	...	Old Man (voice)
Takashi Matsuyama	...	Terrorist (voice)

Storyline

It is the year 2029. Technology has advanced so far that cyborgs are commonplace. In addition, human brains can connect to the internet directly. Major Motoko Kasunagi is an officer in Section 9, an elite, secretive police division that deals with special operations, including counter terrorism and cyber crime. She is currently on the trail of the Puppet Master, a cyber criminal who hacks into the brains of cyborgs in order to obtain information and to commit other crimes.

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Plot Keywords:

anime | cyborg | policewoman | hacker | philosophical | 

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Taglines:

Mamoru Oshii's animated thriller

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Genres:

Animation | Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Japan UK

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

29 March 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ghost in the Shell

Box Office

Budget:

JPY 600,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£7,493 (United Kingdom), 14 December 1995, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,736, 4 February 1996, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$515,905

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$583,393, 21 December 1995

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kôdansha, Bandai Visual Company, Manga Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo (Original Japanese) Dolby Digital (5.1 surround) (English Dub)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The following dialogue from the film is a direct quotation from the Bible (I Corinthians 13): "When I was a child, my speech, feelings, and thinking were all those of a child; now that I am a man, I have no more use for childish ways. What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face. What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete-as complete as God's knowledge of me".

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Goofs

When Kusanagi is fighting the ghost hacked man, the orientation of the signs in the background changes between shots.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: In the near future: Corporate networks reach out to the stars, electrons and light flow throughout the universe. - The advance of computerisation, however, has not yet wiped out nations and ethnic groups.
Dispatcher: [on radio] To all units: Code 2-0-8 in district C-13, Newport City. Air space is closed. I repeat...

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Alternate Versions

The movie was released in Germany on VHS by Manga Video. The version was uncut, though it was rated 16. There was a second release by Ascot, the movie, the package design and everything was exactly the same, except that this version was rated 18, but the disclaimer at the beginning still showed the 16 rating. Further more Ascot replaced the Manga Entertainment logo at the beginning of the movie and the credits scroll down to their full length where Manga cut them a bit. It seams like the Ascot-Video was intended for rental-use only.

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Connections

Spin-off Ghost in the Shell (1997)

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Soundtracks

One Minute Warning
Passengers (Brian Eno and U2)
Featuring vocals by Holi
Engineering by Dave Danton Supple
Assisted by Rob Kinwan
Published by Blue Mountain Music (UK), Mother music (Rep. of Ireland), Taiyo Music (Japan)
Polygram Music International Music Publishing B.V.
(R.O.W)/Opel Music except in North America by Upala Music Inc./BMI
P 1995 Polygram International Music B.B.
Holi appears courtesy of Resurgence and Funhouse Inc., Japan
Licenced courtesy of Records Ltd.

User Reviews

Don't Listen to koryanpiora

This is single handedly one of the best animated films I've ever seen. You can definitely tell how far the animation genre has gotten in the last half-century. It's pretty much flawless in my opinion. The story, audio, and especially visuals are excellent. This is definitely one of the most pretty films i've ever seen. The philosophy really made me think too, the matrix tried this idea and failed horribly with it's sequels. This one isn't just for hipsters, if you're a sci-fi fan I couldn't recommend this more. If you liked this, I also recommend Akira, The Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series, and the upcoming Steamboy