Porco Rosso

During the transitional years between World Wars I and II, Italian flying ace Marco Porcello has lost his faith in human virtue and resides on a small Adriatic island with only one true friend, aircraft company owner Piccolo. Still he keeps his eye on the skies and his heart given to two very different women: strong-willed, emotionally damaged Gina (a thrice-widowed hotel owner and torch singer who must fight off the advances of a brash American) and innocent, aviation-loving Fio, Piccolo's daughter, who's eager to prove her worth as a plane mechanic. Also noteworthy is our middle-aged hero's appearance; he has transformed willingly into a pig. The most internationally acclaimed living name in feature-length animation, director Hayao Miyazaki had already developed a series of ambitious projects when he decided to combine his love of all things Italian and porcine for 1992's Porco Rosso (which translates as "Crimson Pig," though the more lyrical Italian name was retained for most territories). While most of Miyazaki's films combine his own personal predilections with commercially viable fantastic elements, even the director felt this particular project might be too personal and even self-indulgent (according to The Art of Porco Rosso); the predominant themes of disillusionment, middle-age longing, and nostalgia would be challenging even for Japanese audiences, much less other countries where animation is often regarded as a children-friendly art form. Born in 1941, Miyazaki spent his childhood in World War II and its immediate aftermath, a likely influence on the film's ambivalent attitude about male-driven conflict and the use of technology both for spiritual uplift and destruction. His cel animation company, Studio Ghibli (whose name derives from aviation and gets an in-joke nod in this particular film), still relies primarily on traditional hand-drawn animation with only minor, time-saving reliance on computer assistance when necessary. While most Western viewers have been forced by studios to accept completely computerized animation as the cinematic standard, Japanese animation (Miyazaki rejects the term "anime") continues to adhere to its original roots, drawn by human hands with characters and situations impossible to recreate via machine. Still, one can find parallels between Porco Rosso's saddened view of humanity and Miyazaki's own feelings about his profession; as he stated in a 1988 publication, "About Japanese Animation" (written for a film course), "Our profession has been corrupted. The ambivalence in myself is also getting worse...We can't see anything if we stay in Tokyo. We can't find anything if we look for a hint in the TV or movie industry. Unless we make an effort to get a viewpoint to see far away, we will end up in a small closed world." Despite repeated threats of retirement, Miyazaki continues his busy work as director, writer, and artist. Originally begun as a short film running under an hour for Japan Airlines and inspired by his own manga, Zasso Note, Hikotei Jidai, the narrative expanded far beyond its original concept into the bittersweet ode to 1920s European pilot life in its current incarnation. Fortunately Miyazaki's vision prevailed (and earned his highest box office gross in its native country to date), allowing him to continue expanding the limits of feature-length animation with his later masterpieces like Princess Mononoke (1997), Spirited Away (2001) and Howl's Moving Castle (2004). Despite its success, Porco Rosso took over a decade to widely reach American audiences, with Disney commissioning a new dub track (featuring Michael Keaton, Cary Elwes, Brad Garrett, and Susan Egan) rather than using an unsatisfying previous English dub. However, regardless of the language in which one sees the film, its delightfully eccentric world remains fascinating and beguiling. PORCO ROSSO (JAPANESE VERSION) Producer: Ned Lott, Yoshio Sasaki, Sokai Tokuma, Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Matsuo Toshimitsu Director: Hayao Miyazaki Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki Cinematography: Atsushi Okui Film Editing: Hayao Miyazaki Art Direction: Yoshitsu Hisamura Music: Joe Hisaishi, Tokiko Kato Cast: Shuichiro Moriyama (Kurenai no Buta), Tokiko Kato (Jina-sama), Sanshi Katsura (Pikkoro-oyaji), Tsunehiko Kamijo (Manmayuto no shacho), Akemi Okamura (Fio Pikkoro). C-94m. Letterboxed. PORCO ROSSO (ENGLISH VERSION) Producer: Rick Dempsey Director: Hayao Miyazaki Screenplay: Hayao Miyazaki, Cindy Davis Hewitt, Donald H. Hewitt Cinematography: Mark Henley Film Editing: Hayao Miyazaki Art Direction: Yoshitsu Hisamura Music: Joe Hisaishi, Tokiko Kato Cast: Susan Egan (Gina), Cary Elwes (Curtis), Brad Garrett (Mamma Aiuto Boss), Michael Keaton (Porco Rosso), Kimberly Williams (Fio). C-94m. Letterboxed. by Nathaniel Thompson