Porco Rosso
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Movie Reviews of Porco Rosso
Movie Review: Miyazaki's grown-up film.
Summary: 5 Stars
I need to address the comments of longshotex - Firstly, the characters do not speak with an Italian accent because they are American actors. It doesnt seem to matter that the Ghibli films set in Japan (Mononoke, Spirited Away etc) dont have actors speaking with Japanese accents.
Secondly, the character of Porco is deliberately distant. He considers himself to be essentially worthless to the world, and nothing more than a coward for thinking of himself at a time when his friends were in need. Consequently he withdrew from the society around him. The film is essentially showing the events leading up to his acceptance as a human being once more. Thus you are not expected to identify with him that much, just understand his motives for being how he is.
Thirdly, while the ending to the film is admitedly quite abrupt, the clues are in the last few scenes as to whether things have turned out right or not - you just have to pay attention. I think personally that a film which gives the viewer a little nudge in the direction of the fate of the characters but leaves the imagination to flesh it out is a good film. If a film spoon-feeds the viewer too much information, it becomes good ammunition for those who believe TV/films rot childrens minds, and Miyazaki can never be accused of that.
For me, Porco Rosso is just as good as any other Miyazaki film - and as anyone who has other examples of his work will know, thats a pretty high praise. True, its a slight departure from his normal situations and stories but the same basic threads shine through regardless. Excellent animation, beautiful watercolour backgrounds, appealing characters and a plot that doesnt get predictable or feel like its being worked from a template. Hisaishi also does a cracking music score as usual.
Movie Review: Miyazaki Film With Adult Taste
Summary: 5 Stars
Porco Rosso or "red pig" in 1992 is the movie originally for Miyazaki himself. It is composed of almost everything he loves and is keen on.
GINA WHO SINGS CHANSON
Gina in this movie is the rare mature adult woman character that sets apart the rest of Miyazaki works. Miyazaki's films have a lot of young teen (or pre-teen) heroines and this movie also has the typical Miyazaki film heroine Fio an 18-year-old plane designer who eventually fell in love with Porco Rosso. But it is no doubt Gina's presence that gives the movie adult romance flavor something like the movies Humphrey Bogart or Gregory Peck might be starring. Gina part of Japanese dub is performd by Tokiko Katou who is said to be the model of Gina.(Miyazaki is the huge fan of Katou's chanson singing for sure!)
REPAIR SHOP FULL OF WOMEN
Just that was the way of the arms factory also the home for little Miyazaki during the second world war, according to his elder brother. During the war in Japan, most of the men were called for war. The shop must be maintained mostly by the hands of women.
FRENCH DUB
Jean Reno performs Porco Rosso's voice. He is the huge fan of Miyazaki's works.
COLLECTION OF CLASSIC AIRPLANES
The movie in itself is the museum of such planes Miyazaki has been crazy about.
Verdict: Strong Miyazaki identity. Fan's dreamland.
Rating: 93 out of 100. Minus three points for clone-alike little girls in early stage.
Recommended for: Every Miyazaki fan who also loves something mechanic and/or classic movie lovers.
Movie Review: A glorious achievment that stands the test of time.
Summary: 5 Stars
If you look at a list of the greatest directors of all time, Fellini, Kubrick, Dreyer, Lumet, and Kurosawa are givens on any list. But for me Miyazaki stands out as one of (if not the best) directors of all time for his intense perfectionism that makes his movies so intracitley detailed and fresh, while at the same time retaining an air of nostalgia. "Porco Rosso" is one such film. Miyazaki takes the sleek Bogart-style anti-hero that changed cinema and applies it to an animated film made in the 90s. The result is the bizzare but wonderful story of a humanoid pig who runs from Mussolini's secret police while searching for bounties and the woman he loves.
People rightly complain about how animation in Japan tends to focus only on stunning visuals and not story. Here we really get the best of both worlds. The scripting is top-notch, and the characters are great, but we get some excellent `performances' from the animated characters. This film features the best character animation since Tex Avery's cartoon shorts. Every character -down to the tiniest speck in the crowd- is animated believably. The animation is also remarkable during the heart-stopping flying sequences that make me wish the film had a theatrical release here in the states. Add the sweeping and majestic score by Jo Hisaishi and you've got one hell of a ride.
This is one of the rare films where everything seems to add up perfectly from start to finish, which is rare for a film from any director no matter how great. Rent it now, but of course, skip the dub.
Movie Review: A Quite Different, But Still Magnificent, Studio Ghibli Anime
Summary: 5 Stars
During the first few minutes of "Porco Rosso", I was thinking, 'okay, this is.....different. It's good but I don't think it's exactly gonna be "Spirited Away" or "Naussicaa"'. I should have known better. It IS different, it's not "Spirited Away" or any other Ghibli movie before or since, but it is, in its own bizarre way, just as good. Studio Ghibli seems to be incapable of delivering anything short of true excellence.
The title character is a grumpy bipedal pig who flies a World War I-era airplane in the Mediterranean in the years between the two world wars. Once human, Porco has adopted an air of disinterested apathy to cover his feelings, but he finds himself drawn to a group of people in Italy after his plane is shot down by a rival pilot, rendering Porco unable to make a living protecting transport and passenger ships from pirates - some of the most gloriously incompetent pirates imaginable, by the way. "Porco Rosso' is suitable viewing for the kiddies but may be, in general, enjoyed more by an older audience - in addition to the soaring air battles and action-packed climax, there's plenty of romance, dry humor, and subtle political commentary. Regardless, it has the Ghibli charm, and is likely to have something for almost everyone. A truly one-of-a-kind movie (ask youself this: when was the last time you saw a movie about a trenchcoat, goggles and fedora-wearing pig piloting a brightly painted red airplane and fighting sky pirates?) and another jewel in the glorious Ghibli crown.
Movie Review: Amazing in every way
Summary: 5 Stars
We love this film so much we just borrowed it from the library again. My wife's father was visiting, so we played it for him.
Hayao Miyazaki is well regarded as one of the best creators of animated film. He is easily my favorite. Of his films, this is my wife's favorite and in my top 5.
There is some mild violence. A couple of characters beat each other up pretty significantly. It's fisticuffs, with lots of visible bruising. No blood. Teeth are lost, though.
Miyazaki revisits several themes in all of his films. One of the highlights of his films for me is the strong female characters he creates. This tendency is age-independent. From young girls to elderly women, and every age in between, there is strength of mind, spirit, will, and character.
The characters and environments are crafted with lush care. The details are gorgeous, landscapes rich, and each and every person and animal is deep, and easy to connect with.
Broad concepts are positive and easy to grasp, but more subtle details keep more mature viewers engaged in the story as well. Replay value is high.
Disney secured the contract to bring Miyazaki's films to the US, and have done a splendid job with the dubbing of this one, as they have with all the rest. Great care is taken to ensure the characters mouths synch with the dialog. The silly distractions of poorly dubbed films are completely absent.
It's just brilliant.