The Castle of Cagliostro

Everything they used to say about summer TV remains true, maybe even truer. I don't know why, (tiny crowds? strange time zones? getting old?)  but I haven't recaptured the enthusiasm with which I watched the Olympics four years ago, so that really doesn't leave very much on the telly that I want to watch.

Which is great, since it lets me work my way through an my back catalogue of films on DVD. In the past week that's included Boyhood, Bringing Up Baby and City of Hope. No common thread there.  Last night it was The Castle of Cagliostro, a studio Ghibli comic romantic thriller which is sumptuous - clever, witty, beautifully drawn. It's like an old style adventure, with fights, clambering up castle walls, extreme goodies and baddies - but it also has subtle political touches, gorgeous jokes and a spectrum of lively, convincing characters. in short, none of the crude slushiness we think of as 'cartoony'  - this is high quality entertainment for grown-ups. I'll be coming back to this one.