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Porco Rosso Director: Hayao Miyazaki Number of Items: 2 Format: Color, Widescreen Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Running Time: 93 minutes Studio: Buena Vista Home Vid Product Group: DVD Release Date: 2005-02-22 Buy from Amazon |
 ""Face it, I'm a pig.""Those words give Porco Rosso, the "Red Pig", carte blanche to act in ways that Marco Berlini (his former self) couldn't. On the surface, that means mercenary and amoral. Sort of like Bogart in "Casa Blanca" or "To Have and to Have Not." In other words, nothing you could easily sum up in just a few words, and he likes it that way. It helps the new guys underestimate him, just the way he wants. Also like Bogart, Rosso lives in a time and a place just outside of active war, and just outside any jurisdiction that would take an active interest in him. And again like Bogart, he enters that un-war, on no side but his own, and wins what he wanted to win. This isn't an animated copycat, though. It's Miyazaki's story all through, built around a romantic passion for flying and around strong, young female characters. In this case, two young women, and both a bit older than Miyazaki's usual - old enough for romance. A chaste sort of romance, up to a point. The passion for flight is the "Rosso", Marco's signature red seaplane. The story? Just trust Miyazaki, you know it's going to be good. Miyazaki's films all seem to target specific ages, though, and this one isn't nearly as "young" as Kiki or even "Spirited Away." I'd guess it's good for tween/teen-agers, or adults willing to act a little child-like. That's child-like, not childish, a distinction that Miyazaki respects. //wiredweird  "What was with that ending?"I consider all of Miyazaki's films to be masterpieces except this one. First of all, the movie is set in Italy and nobody speaks with an Italian accent. The southern accent from the American is REALLY bad too! The animation is brilliant like in all of Miyazaki's films but I had trouble with the main character, Porco. In all of Miyazaki's other films you really feel drawn to the main character and want to see them succeed. But Porco is so...bleh. He shows so little emotion. It's really hard to like him at all. He has this curse that turned him into a pig but he doesn't even seem to care. So why should I care if he turns back into a human or not? And then there's the ending. It doesn't resolve anything. It's like the movie just ends halfway through the story. It wraps up with a voice over telling what happens next. What's up what that? That sucks! I was very disappointed with this film. "Pigs fly in Miyazaki's oddest outing yet."Of the films by Hayao Miyazaki I have viewed thus far (keep in mind that I have yet to see HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE), PORCO ROSSO is my least favorite. Alternately known as THE CRIMSON PIG, this gorgeously animated yet oddly themed tale about a tormented pilot transformed into a pig was the highest grossing movie of its year (1992). But I didn't find PORCO ROSSO as captivating as Miyazaki's other films; perhaps because I've been spoiled by the adventurous spirit and imagination of NAUSICAA, CASTLE IN THE SKY, and PRINCESS MONONOKE, the whimsy and charm of KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE and MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO and the surrealness of SPIRITED AWAY. The film eschews all these to tell a story geared more toward grown-ups than children. With the exception of one mystified moment of imagination (a flashback sequence involving fallen airplanes ascending to a streaming trail of vapor--Airplane Heaven, perhaps?), the overall movie is more rooted in reality. When concentrating on character development and breathtaking flight sequences in the sky, PORCO ROSSO is at its best. But occasional shifts in the plot feel more obtrusive than interesting, and consequently, I didn't find this movie as memorable as Miyazaki's other work. By the time the credits rolled, I was of two minds--this was a pretty, well, strange movie, but still good... it just didn't click with me as much. (Though I still give the movie my highest recommendation.) That said, I now have a huge amount of respect for PORCO ROSSO. And I owe it, mainly, to this two-disc DVD set by Disney. The visual transfer is crisp, clean and vibrant, showcasing the beautiful skies and oceans when our hero is in flight. The audio quality on the English, Japanese, and French language tracks is Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, which is a little disappointing for a film of this caliber, but understandable given the age. Purists will be happy to know that the Japanese language track is included, as well as the French language dub featuring Jean Reno as the title character. (I was told that Miyazaki prefers this version to the original.) But what about the new Disney produced English dub? Well, I do admit to being skeptical about Michael Keaton as the pig-headed (pun-intended) protagonist. Not that I have anything against the actor or any sort of loyalty to the original Japanese seiyuu or Jean Reno, it's just that I had a vision on how Porco Rosso should sound, and Keaton was not it. After sitting through this dub, however, I lay my case to rest--Michael Keaton is an excellent Porco Rosso. His dry, deadpan delivery works in favor of the character's melancholy, cynical nature; but he's not afraid to let loose on the scenes where he's emotional either. The rest of the cast is equally well matched. Susan Egan plays the thrice widowed bar singer Gina with the same amount of sarcasm and vulnerability she gave Lin in SPIRITED AWAY. She also has a great singing voice--for continuity's sake, Disney had Egan redub Gina's siren song, and boy, is it beautiful. Cary Elwes turns in a gallantly boastful and hilarious performance as Porco's rival pilot, Donald Curtis, whose sole weakness is falling for every woman he sets eyes upon. (He also speaks with a surprisingly convincing Southern accent.) Deep-voiced Brad Garrett voices the ringleader of a macho band of seaside pirates with the kind of pomposity and heavy-weightiness you would expect, but also remembers to showcase the character's secretly softhearted nature. Although the banter between his pirate gang isn't as memorable as, say, Phil Hartman's Jiji from KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, or even the guys who played the Dola Pirate Gang from CASTLE IN THE SKY, the chemistry between this bunch of thugs is undeniably funny. David Ogden Stiers hams it up as Grandpa Piccolo, employing a thick Italian accent, which actually makes his character all the more amusing. It is probably daring to say that in every Disney/Miyazaki dub, there is always one actor standing out from all the others, practically stealing the show. In KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, it was Hartman; in PRINCESS MONONOKE, Keith David; in SPIRITED AWAY, Suzanne Pleshette; in CASTLE IN THE SKY, Mark Hamill tied with Cloris Leachman; in NAUSICAA, Patrick Stewart. So, yes, there is one such standout in this dub of PORCO ROSSO, and this time it's in the form of Kimberly Williams-Paisley. She does an absolutely bang-up job as the spunky, irrepressible engineer, Fio, who befriends (and becomes smitten with) Porco, and the chemistry between her and Keaton is a delight. As with KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE and CASTLE IN THE SKY, the script occasionally makes a habit of reinterpreting and/or altering lines for either comprehensibility, or for the sake of a good joke. Writers Cindy Davis Hewitt and Donald H. Hewitt never overstep their boundaries, though, and remember to retain all the important lines, just like the aforementioned two dubs did (which were both scripted by John Semper, incidentally). All in all, I ended up enjoying the dub more than I thought; it really made the movie a lot better for me IMHO. Additional features include a Behind-the-Microphone featurette (which I always like watching; it's a thrill to see the actors at work!), Japanese trailers and TV spots, and the second disc devoted to storyboards. One noteworthy extra is a 3-minute interview with producer Toshio Suzuki. A longtime colleague of Miyazaki, Suzuki shares his wisdom about this gifted, imaginative animator, and it's a pleasure to hear him talk about this film's assets. Disney continues their first-rate treatment of Miyazaki's titles with this nicely put together package of what is probably his oddest movie yet. I may not consider this my favorite of the works Miyazaki has done, but you're inclined to disagree. Besides, Miyazaki at his least is still highly recommended; you could definitely do a whole lot worse by missing out on a less memorable but still fabulous film. "Miyazaki's grown-up film."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. "Miazaki's best - and hardest to appreciate"This is one of the best animated films of all time. Wait, wait - not so fast. That's a loaded statement, and we have to justify it, don't we? So let's go ahead and do just that. This is Miyazaki's most polished, flawless work. You could say that this is an artifact of the fact that it takes less chances than his other full-length films, that it is more restrained and less complex, but that simply wouldn't be true. Porco is as complex a character as Miyakazi has ever made, and far less typical than most characters he creates. Let's face it, the man has certain archetypes he likes, and he sticks to them like glue: your outwardly brave yet inwardly vulnerable female lead (i.e. Fio, Sophie (wait for Howl's Moving Castle), Chihiro, Mononoke, Sheeta, or just about any other Miyazaki female lead), the standard enigmatic noble leading man (Pazu, Haku), the kindly weird old guy, the irate old witch that is morally redeemed throughout the story, and many others besides. Porco is none of these. He's completely unique, and watching him interact with everyone around him is truly remarkable. He's the most well-rounded and fleshed-out character that Miyazaki has ever produced. The supporting cast is firmly archetypical, but we can forgive him for that. The story is simple, but flawless. It isn't overly convoluted as it is in Mononoke, nor is it as arbitrarily and unsatisfyingly resolved as it is in Spirited Away. The tension arc throught the film is wonderfully well thought out. It starts on a high note, slightly silly, then settles into a stylish, melancholy and surreal vibe that lasts for a good half of the film. In the end, action picks up and some of the silliness comes back, but after having sat though the wonderfully surreal middle segment, you're more pre-disposed to watch it at face value, and it's inherent silliness is less irksome. The ending itself is wonderfully melancholy, resolving (some of) the plot yet leaving the tension hanging in the air. The only other Miyazaki feature that has this flawless a story-line is Castle in the Sky, but it cannot touch the nuance and emotional complexity of this film. The historical setting provides a necessary realistic contrast to the deeply romaticised characters and events in the movie, and adds a degree of unsettling tension to the atmosphere. The visuals are gorgeous. Rumour has it that three times as much money was spent on this as was on Castle in the Sky, it's direct predecessor - and it shows. The detail in every frame is stunning, and the emotion and nuance in character expression is second to none. The movie was technically far ahead of it's time, and still looks fresh today, despite competition from CGI. Disney may have it's terapixel rendering pipelines and billions of polygons, but they have not come even close to capturing the freshness and liveliness that Miyazaki infuses his characters with, nor do they have anywhere near his visual imagination. The soundtrack by Joe Hisaishi is wonderful as always, and Gina's beautiful ballad is a melodic centerpiece of the film. This is a film that is deeply humanistic yet never overly sappy and emotional. It is dynamic and engaging while being wonderfully subtle and nuanced. It is simple, yet never simplified. It offers social commentary, yet doesn't preach. It is moralistic, yet not moralizing. And it's charming as all hell. Many, many scenes will remain in your memory forever. Porco's story (you'll have to see the film to know what I'm talking about) is a stunning, surreal, typical Miyazaki moment, and is one of the most powerful scenes in all of cinema (I'm not kidding). So, are you going to enjoy this movie? Well, that depends. If you like everything distilled into clear, concise explanations, with no moral trickery on the part of the author, then this probably won't be your cup of tea. If "what happens" is your measure of a film's, or a story's worth, then this will probably fall short. If you can't appreciate subtle humour, then this may seem boring. If, however, you want charm, wit, grace, and refinement bundled together with dynamic action and a healthy dose of surrealism, then meet your new Holy Grail. And if you think that animation is still chiefly family entertainment, then grow a few brain cells. Animation allows us to express what conventional live-action cinema cannot (though with the advent of CGI, this may not be true for much longer). This is one of the best animated films of all time. P.S. Howl's Moving Castle is worth the wait. It's excellent. If you like the more surreal direction in which Miyazaki was going in Spirited Away, well, he goes further in that direction. Much, much further... but that's for another review! P.P.S. My review applies to the subtitled version. I hate english dubs, and you should too. The emotion and vocal delivery of the original Japanese soundtrack is a vital element in watching any Japanese animated film. In general, it's a good idea to watch any foreign movie in it's original language. I hope I've been helpful. If I seem overly exuberant and full of superlatives, that it because this is a film that's worth being superlative about. Treasure it. |
