Tenshi no tamago (1985)

A mysterious young girl wanders a desolate, otherworldly landscape, carrying a large egg.

Director:

Mamoru Oshii

Writers:

Yoshitaka Amano (story), Mamoru Oshii (screenplay)

Stars:

Mako Hyôdô, Jinpachi Nezu, Kei'ichi Noda

Cast

Credited cast:
Mako Hyôdô	...	Girl (voice)
Jinpachi Nezu	...	Boy (voice)
Kei'ichi Noda	...	Narrator

Storyline

a young girl is the sole protector of a very precious, large egg. her lair is near a large, abandoned, decaying gothic city inhabited by restless shadows. a mysterious young man arrives one day, and eventually wins her trust. they converse sparsely about obscure philosophical and theological topics, and she shows him some astonishing fossils and works of historic and scientific art. the ending is a bit shocking, and very ambiguous, leaving many unanswered questions and tons of room for interpretation.

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Plot Keywords:

avant garde | anime | girl | egg | gothic | 

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Genres:

Animation | Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The Coelacanth fish (Latimeria chalumnae) was thought to have been extinct since the Cretaceous Period but was found in 1938 off the coast of Africa.

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Quotes

Boy: Maybe you, I and the fish only exist in the memory of a person who is long gone. Maybe no one really exists and it's only raining outside.

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Alternate Versions

In the South Korean version, all the names are in Chinese character form, but the status ranking is in hangul though. The Japanese version slightly changed the Korean names.

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Connections

Edited into In the Aftermath (1988)

User Reviews

A stunning work of pure imagination

Tenshi no Tamago - Angel's Egg - is a very rare type of movie. It is a movie that does not spell the plot out in big bold type. Instead the meaning of the story is told in symbolic imagery and left to the viewer to interpret and understand. Some believe it tells of the director's own loss of faith in religion, and society's blind devotion to belief in mythical and imaginary things.

The film's visuals are utterly beautiful, with designs from Yoshitaka Amano, and with Mamoru Oshii's breath-taking direction in full force. The soundtrack too is sublime, composed by Yoshihiro Kanno and one of only a few he ever composed for movies.

Films as meaningful, thoughtful, and beautiful as this should never be missed. If you value the art form of cinema, then watch Angel's Egg and be amazed. If you prefer wall to wall explosions then look elsewhere.

Details

Country:

Japan

Language:

Japanese

Release Date:

22 December 1985 (Japan)

Also Known As:

Angel's Egg

Company Credits

Production Co:

Studio DEEN, Tokuma Shoten

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1