NoaIzumiAnime Review: Porco Rosso
June 8th 2009 18:28
The Adriatic, 1929, a world of air pirates, mercenaries, and high-flying adventure. Porco, an ace pilot cursed with the face of a pig, is of this world, but when he defeats the pirates once too often, they bring in American pilot Donald Curtis to clip his wings. Curtis becomes a rival in love as well as in the air, and only with the help of young mechanic Fio can Porco defeat him, and just maybe end his curse.
I admit, when I first saw Porco Rosso, I didn’t like it. It was a beautiful anime, of course, but I thought the characters were shallow, and I didn’t care for the plot either.
What a difference a second viewing makes. It’s still beautiful, with very compelling characters, and a fun and uplifting story. In my case, it took seeing it twice to really appreciate it; it was well worth the effort.
Fio and Porco look over the plans for his new plane
Porco Rosso is probably Miyazaki-sensei’s most personal film. Aviation plays a central role, and the main character is a middle-aged cynic rather than a young optimist. The viewer can’t help wondering how much of Porco is reflective of Miyazaki himself. The curse that turned him into a pig is never explained (although every fan of the movie has a theory), and whether he ever lifts the curse is also never clearly resolved (although again, every fan of the movie has a theory. This is a great movie to watch with friends; you will spend a good hour after the credits roll discussing your opinions of what really happened.)
Porco himself is a wonderfully layered character. He has a tragic past which is slowly unveiled, and it’s implied that it was this past that turned him into a pig. He’s also a pig not just in appearance, but in attitude. He’s a cynic, a male chauvinist, and an unapologetic mercenary. He’s very much a porcine Rick Blaine (of Casablanca), with the same outlook and the same possibilities for redemption. He may be a pig, but he’s one of the most human characters Miyazaki-sensei has ever written.
Porco and Gina
Of course, this being a Miyazaki film, there are the obligatory strong female characters as well. Gina is an old friend of Porco’s, who charms Curtis and even the air pirates, and has a great singing voice besides. Fio is the young mechanic who designs a new plane for Porco and insists on accompanying him to confront the air pirates again. This causes Porco no small amount of chagrin, but he is grudgingly won over by her enthusiasm. In addition, since the men have all left to look for work, all the workers who build Porco’s plane are women. There is a great role-reversal shot during the plane-building montage of Porco looking after a baby while the women are working on his aircraft.
As for the villains, these are probably the nicest bad guys you’ll ever see in a film. Curtis is the ambitious pilot out to make a name for himself, and over-bearing and rather boorish, but basically a nice enough guy. He’s not evil, he’s just American. As for the air pirates, how many crooks do you know who take all 15 schoolgirls on a boat hostage just so that all of the girls can be with their friends?
Fio faces off against the pirates
In all, Porco Rosso is not just Miyazaki’s most personal film, it’s one of his best.
Geeking out: When we first see the new engine for Porco’s plane, “Ghibli” is stamped on the side. (They make airplane engines too!?)
Great Moments: When the pirates have Porco at their mercy, Fio convinces them to back off by giving a stirring speech about the honor of seaplane pilots.
Extras: Behind the Microphone featurette, storyboards, original promos.
Summary: Wonderful character study with some seriously cool aerial action. Grade: A
Age rating: 13 and up. Violence, including a bout of bare-knuckle boxing, but no one is killed (except in a wartime flashback). Very minimal fan service, Porco smokes cigarettes. It’s not meant for kids, but there’s nothing really objectionable either.
Porco in trouble
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