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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 |
 "ONE OF THE LESSER KNOW OR SEEN, BUT..."And its a big one. This film was conceived original to be aired on JAL (Japan Air Lines). Mr. Miyazaki intended this film to appeal to the tired japanese businessmen coming home. It is also something of a personal project. He has always loved airplanes and this film was a way including it in one of his works. I find no fault with any of the other reviews here. But you should remember that his other films were intended for a broader group of veiwers, Kiki's delevery service for example. If you liked or loved any or all of Miyazaki san's films then get this one. Its well worth it. "Something particularly for the romantic adventurers"So, it's finally going to happen. Here's hoping that the people at Disney do the original version some justice..... by leaving it alone!! My family and I have watched a bootleg copy that was given to us of this film on DVD for the last couple of years. While the subtitles are sometimes a bit hasty posted to read, repeated viewings have helped to make this a very enjoyable film. It has also slowly become a sort of cult favorite with us. The ending is particularly poignant. As a guy with a soft spot for genuine romance and a passion for adventures, particularly those involving older aircraft, this film really leaves it's mark. My entire family look forward, eagerly to seeing the new release for American audiences.Also, comparing this film to other films by this director and storyteller is silly. Miyazaki is a versitile creator, capable of involving many types of storytelling and animation techniques and story pacing to tell a wide variety of stories on film. For those who think this is a kids film, it is not, no more than Casablanca is a kids film. They can watch it and probably will enjoy it but this is not "My Neighbor Totoro" or "Kiki's Delivery Service". Comparing it to them is not relevant regarding the story's content or the animation. Do people let their little ones watch "Princess Mononoke" because it's an animated feature? I certainly hope not. "....Mononoke" deserved it's PG-13 rating and "Porko Rosso" deserves it's PG rating for reasons regarding content. "Is it as good as the original release?"I am a region4 customer so have not reviewed the revised DISNEY version on DVD but am reviewing the original versions for your information/comparison. The original English version was masterful. While no expert on the director's work or ANIME I have a broad knowledge of film/animation. The story is for romantic adults but is also safe and entertaining for children. It is fanciful in that the central character is under a spell/curse (he has not suffered a tragic accident) but aside from this the story is set in a semi-real world unlike films such as 'Spirited Away'. It is a story of complex, adult friendships and love. It has an air of 'Casablanca' to it. The animation is beautiful, and is a treat for aviation buffs dreaming of the barnstorming days. The original music score is good and sets the right 'atmosphere' for the film. I hope the re-working has not removed the soul of this excellant film, and I do not understand why it was even done. "Favorite Miyazaki Film"I'm probably going to be in a minority in naming this my favorite film, better even than Spirited Away or Princess Mononoke. It's different from most of Miyazaki's other movies, in that the protagonist is middle-aged and most of his character development is subtle. It pays off in a tone that is considerably more adult than anything Miyazaki has done before or since - regardless of the slapstick air pirate sequences. One of the other reviews here says Porco has become a pig due to a "tragic accident." As far as I can tell, he became a pig because he was disgusted with humanity; whether he did it to himself deliberately or whether it just happened seems ambiguous. For my money, Porco's description of his near-death experience during the war is one of the best scenes ever animated. I should note here that I've only seen a Japanese version, with somewhat poorly synchronized English subtitles. I don't care about the dubbed version at all, in fact. (There is a French language version with Jean Reno as Porco. That would be worth seeing.) "My favorite Miyazaki too . . ."I agree with the other reviewer who mentioned this was the favorite Miyazaki - I love Porco even more than the popular Mononke and Spirited Away. You can't go wrong with any of this masters work - but Porco has beautiful aerial scenes, well-developed characters and the soundtrack is superb. The detail in the planes and other mechanics can be more impressive artistically than nature-only scenes. Although our protaganist is a man (okay, turned pig), Miyazaki's tradition of strong female characters continues in this film through with both the "love interest" and the marvelous plane mechanic. |
