(STARTED WORKING ON FAN ART OF MY FAVORITE ANIME CHARACTERS. STARTING WITH THE LEAD CHARACTER OF MY FAVORITE MIYAZAKI MOVIE, SO.........Why not check out my review?) PORCO ROSSO This is one of the more underrated Miyazaki films that most don’t really mention, but after seeing most of Miyazaki’s canon (although I’ve not seen his version of Lupin the 3rd), this probably remains my personal favorite of his work. The story follows the antics of Porco Rosso, an ex-military pilot turned bounty hunter (who, for whatever reason, has the face of a pig). While he does protect the Adriatic seas from air pirates, he’s very much his own man refusing to comply with the changing atmosphere of war. He then comes across Curtis, an American daredevil hired by the pirates to take down Rosso’s plane. After he’s shot down, Rosso travels to Milan for repairs, coming to the factory of his old friend Piccolo and his granddaughter Fio, who proves to be a talented mechanic herself. Accompanying him to ensure he “pays the bill”, there becomes a new confrontation between Curtis and Rosso, with Fio in the middle. It’s possible PORCO ROSSO doesn’t get mentioned as much in terms of recent films like PONYO or MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO because it’s a far more slower and simpler story (there’s still great action, especially the dogfight scenes). However, that’s where I feel it provides better insight into how well Miyazaki works as a writer and director. There’s very much a style that echoes reality far more than any other film Miyazaki has done (I could easily see PORCO being done as a live action movie the easiest out of Miyazaki’s works). Oddly enough, this was originally meant to be a commercial airline film for Japan (hence the subject matter); however, war was breaking out during the making of this film, and Miyazaki perfectly captured that kind of atmosphere of political and social chaos (which he did later in HOWL’S MOVING CASTLE to reflect his disdain for the second Iraq War). Fortunately, there’s ton of comedy to enjoy in this film, not just in the discord between Porco and the people he encounters but also in design and terms of character slapstick (the Air Pirates themselves really remind me of Dave Fleischer’s Popeye characters in both look and reactions). Plus, the reason I especially love PORCO ROSSO: the character itself. Porco Rosso has just become one of my favorite film characters (and largely expected to be Miyazaki’s alter ego) in general. He’s a middle aged man who is really reflecting his age and the weight of his experiences (played beautifully by Batman himself, Michael Keaton, in the English Dub). He’s definitely a goofy character, yet heroic at times (while he charges for his services, he still has a certain respect and honor). There’s also a lot of unspoken tragedy to his character (one dream sequence is especially haunting and reflects the depth of Rosso’s sorrows and regrets). The reason why he has the face of a pig is fortunately not referred to, nor truly explained (although the character Gina mentions it’s a spell); there’s even some feeling it’s a self-inflicted spell (Miyazaki, when asked about Rosso’s appearance, quoted that all middle aged men are “pigs”). I really like that it’s not explained because it gives more challenge to the audience to discover the inner being of Rosso. Fio is a fun character (easily the most likeable female character), while Gina is another part of learning about Rosso’s past, including her own personal tragedies of a woman who owns her own hotel, but constantly marrying pilots that die in battle. The main villain Curtis is more an adversary of talents (he’s more a hired hand, whose biggest ambition is fame). He’s not evil enough to be a true bad guy, but he’s forceful enough to become a bully. Also, as far as Miyazaki’s villains go, he’s easily one of the goofiest (especially when performed in the English dub with Cary Elwes’ very bad Texas accent). There’s a part of me that longs for someone to try a live action adaptation of PORCO ROSSO (if only so I could audition for the Porco part). However, it ranks not only as one of the more realistic films from Hayao Miyazaki, but thanks to the great characters and fun comedy and action, it’s my personal favorite from the Miyazaki legacy, and it’s one that should be discovered more by audiences.
Posted on: Fri, 24 Oct 2014 02:42:42 +0000
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