| The opening of NAUSICAA shows a brief insight into the "Seven Days of Fire". NAUSICAA ( Zandra ) removes the eyescase from the Ohmu ( Giant Gorgon ) shell. In a beautiful scene, spores rain down on her in a shower of light and she revels in the beauty of the Jungle, although the spores are fatal to unmasked humans.
When Yupa returns to the Valley at the beginning of NAUSICAA, the Valley people are introduced. As a result there is more sympathy for them when they are invaded;everyday life in the Valley is shown in much more detail.
WARRIORS omits important footage of the secret rooms below the Castle, known only to Nausicaa and her father. Some contain hordes of weapons shut away long ago when the Valley people decided to live a life free of war, which could have been used to fight the Tomekulans. Another large room holds Nausicaa's botanical garden, where she studies the Jungle plants, and has learned that if planted in clean sand and water they no longer produce toxic gas.
Although Nausicaa ( Zandra ) is apparently fearless in WARRIORS, there are scenes in NAUSICAA where she shows her sadness and distress. Still only a young girl, she must take the place of her dead father to protect the Valley and her beloved people.
The Japanese version extends the scene where the Ohmu probe Nausicaa on the Lake. Her clothes fly off (!) to reveal her underwear and the childlike vocal theme featured in the end credits of WARRIORS is played.
Missing from WARRIORS are scenes following the section where Nausicaa and Asbel ( Milo ) are sucked under the quicksand to emerge below the Toxic Jungle. While she is unconscious she dreams of her childhood. She hid a tiny Ohmu and tried to convince her father it was harmless, but he took it away. This helps explain her empathy with the Jungle creatures.
The dialogue which followed is cut short. She shares some nuts with Asbel ( given to her in an earlier cut scene by Valley children introduced in an even earlier cut scene! ) The two continue talking into the night.
Seeing the cavern, Nausicaa realizes that the humans have polluted Earth's water. The Toxic Jungle grew to purify it by filtering it through the roots, and the jungle insects evolved to protect the trees. So destroying the Jungle would be the worst thing anyone could do. Once the plants began to grow in pure soil, the spores would stop. This was one of the most important main themes of the ORIGINAL film, but I wonder how many people who have only seen WARRIORS OF THE WIND picked up on this?
The final differences are in the end credits. NAUSICAA shows the Ohmu returning peacefully to the Jungle as teh Tomekulans leave the Valley. Most important, we see the Valley people returning to their peaceful lives, using a windmill to draw pure water from the ground. Asbel is living with Nausicaa, and the Toxic Jungle has been rejuvenated into a paradise. A lot more satisfying than a black screen with rolling credits I think! The childlike vocal theme is not used, instead the rousing music from the start of the film is repeated. |
