A Tree of Palme

Amazon.com

The feature Tree of Palme (2001) was reportedly a pet project of writer-director Takashi Nakamura, who has worked with both Katsuhiro Otomo and Hayao Miyazaki. The plot borrows liberally from Pinocchio, Robot Carnival, Akira et al. Palme, a puppet created by a scientist to aid his wife, has hung mutely from a tree since her death. But he reawakens when he receives the mysterious Egg of Touto from a woman, who tells him to take it to Tama. En route, Palme meets a band of street urchins and Popo, a mistreated girl. As they search for the way to Tama, the story loses what little coherence it ever offered. Characters appear, disappear, and change sides for no reason, and at 136 minutes, the film is a half-hour too long. Tree of Palme offers some striking visuals, but it's the cinematic equivalent of a trackless swamp. (Unrated, suitable for ages 12 and older: violence, grotesque imagery) --Charles Solomon

Description

A dark Pinocchio tale with a science/fantasy robotic twist! Palme, a puppet, is created to care for the dying wife of his master. After her death, Palme ceases to function until a mysterious woman, who is being followed, appears asking for help in delivering a precious package. This is Palme's first step in his long and incredible journey to becoming a real boy.

Customer Reviews:

Akiko Hiramatsu has got nothing on Hayao Miyazaki.......2006-01-23

The animation was good, the imagery was good, although not totally original, however the movie is too long, boring, confusing, and over the top dramatic. So many characters in this that has nothing to contribute with the plot elements that either come from nowhere or go nowhere this movie really wasn't one of them at all, it would have been better as a short series. This is a Pinocchio rip off.

If you want to watch a anime movie with good animation watch these: (Akira, Voices of a Distant Star, Spirit Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Steamboy, The Place Promised in our Early Days, Metropolis), and more.

A gem of a film, a eternally misunderstood masterpiece........2005-12-28

A tree of palme is a beutiful animated film loosely based upon the ever iconic Pinnochio. That is not to say this is a retelling of that story, it is a film based on the CONCEPT of Pinnochio rather than the NARRATIVE, those who were angered or confused by the fact that the filom has little to nothing to do with the fairy tale are just missing the point.
A Tree of Palme is the story about one puppets (Palmes') quest to become human. And as a side note to ANYONE claiming that this is not his(Palme's) original intent, his pseudo father says upon reactivating him that he called the Fairy Xian and chased the giant fish because he was searching for a purpose, all he wants to be is human, he merely does not relize that it is the very longing to be human that makes him human.

The film is lovingly crafted and full of wierd alien landscapes designed soley to evoke wonder and curiosity.
It is also a tragic film, full of hardship and horrible hapenstance, one can not help but shed a figuritive tear at the horrors Palme and his friends both face and become.

It is constantly criticized for not having a "Cohesive narritive" or being "over developed but under realized" the naysayers that claim this are mistaken and again, are missing the point.

A tree of Palme is a allegory as well as a fairy tale. Not Everything is supposed to make absolute sense. Why doesn't anybody criticize Miyazaki (the director of the animated films Spirited Away,Howl's Moving Castle, and Princess Mononokee) for the same reasons? His works are just as (if not more surreal)than A tree of Palme yet are never criticized as such.

The film is logical from a child's point of view, a kind of strange if these things exist, than this must happen, mentality that has been all but lost in an age of modern cinema awash in cliches and tired retreads of aging concepts, the film expects you to interpret the meaning of itself, it doesn't spoon feed you plot or reasoning, it assumes you have a mind and can sort those dillemas out for yourself.

Again, A Tree of Palme is a enchanting film that never really got the publicity or appreciation it deserved. Buy and Own this film, it is a genunine classic in an age of pretenders.

Any fan of twisted takes on children's tales apply below:.......2005-04-19

There is a scene in this film where a character climbs the tentacles of a massive floating jelly fish and, after splitting its juicy insides, he reappears at the top and detaches its swim bladder, floating happily around as the hulking creature silently slumps to the dirt and grows dark. Popo, the shy female lead, gasps in horror at the sight as the rest of the characters laugh and cheer, blissfully unaware that they had done anything wrong. That scene, to me, sums up the feel of this film. It is dirty, yet as innocent as that kid who pulls a cat's tail to hear it scream. He doesn't connect the scream to pain, at least not on a conscious level.

Pinnochio...AS IF!!!!!.......2005-04-02

Tree of Palme, was and excellent anime, and i cant pretend like it didnt just hike its way to my top ten of anime in the first watch of the film, BECAUSE IT DID.

A Tree Of Palme is about a robot, Palme, who is awakened by a mysterious woman that looks like his dead master. The woman gives him a mission to take an egg to the world below. Palme starts out his journey without hardly any memories except the ones with his mistress and how happy he was with her. Soon he learns many things, and wakes up in time to begin his journey to save the world.

Theres a deep ominous feel through all of A Tree of Palme, the beginning and end music are partly to blame, being completely allegorical and retaining a sense of haiku, the other thing is to blame is the setting and the color schemes. Tho the movie is somewhat dark, the setting and colors are definitly not, with giant trees from the pages of doctor suiss, to flowers completly and beautifully done in CG, the look and sound of this movie is an 11 out of 10. Flawless.

The story, however, is not flawless. But thats what makes this movie great. u c the points of view of many different characters, their background stories, and their hopes and dreams are revealed through a slow process filled with action and scene after scene of awe-inspiring artistic direction. The story is mostly based on the theme of loss, and the things needed to fill those holes, but its also about palme's journey of self discovery.

Pinochio definitly comes to mind in this movie, but Palme doesnt want to b a real boy, until a certain point in the story, and even then the fact that he's robot and that he wants to b real only serve as a plot point, not the main subject. The director has mentioned that he does pull some things from pinnochio, but thats because this type of story is done all the time in anime, robots/puppets and their relationships to humans, and he wanted to break away from the that genre all together. The director says that pinnochio was not really about that at all, it was about self discovery and the sense of want, and what you will do to get what u want, and also about guilt.
Also, theres the literal differences, pinnochio was a puppet with a spell put on him, palme is a robot made from a tree to help cheer up a dieing woman(not a spoiler).

A tree of palme kicks some of myazaki's films out of my top ten, and takes up alongside of akira and ghost in the shell, a great buy for any fan of anime, especially those always looking for that next EPIC movie for their collection. Buy this film.

Echoes of Pinocchio.......2005-01-31

I can't pretend to know too much about Anime -- or even this film, for that matter. However, "Tree of Palme" is a beautiful, confounding, work of art. The animation is superb, blending computer-aided effects with traditional cel animation in a tale that feels epic and urgent. The plight of the robotic boy elicits genuine sympathy, and the allusions to Pinocchio make the film feel familiar, even when the backdrop and plot become a bit convoluted and foreign. I am very pleased to see this film receive U.S. distribution, and I look forward to seeing it again.

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