Title: Porco Rosso
Run time: 94 minutes
Released: 1992
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Studio: Studio Ghibli
Miyazaki directed three movies between Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Porco Rosso. Castle in the Sky was the first film animated by Ghibli. My Neighbor Totoro was released alongside Takahata’s Grave of the Fireflies. Kiki’s Delivery Service was Miyazaki’s final film of the ’80s and based on a book by the same name.
Porco Rosso stands out in Miyazaki’s filmography for a couple of reasons. It’s an animated movie for adults, which Miyazaki still seems to find a foolish decision despite it being his most profitable movie at the time of its release. It is also particularly indulgent, relaxing into a lot of Miyazaki’s favorite things: pigs, planes, Italy, island structures, juxtaposition, etc.
Porco Rosso is based on Miyazaki’s Hikōtei Jidai manga. Set in the late ’20s or early ’30s in the skies and waters of the Adriatic, our hero is an ace Italian pilot and veteran of WWI. Marco, bearing the title Porco Rosso, has been cursed by his experiences in WWI so that he has the head of a pig. Now Marco prefers his solitude above the clouds or in his hidden beach retreat, and he makes ends meet as a bounty hunter foiling the plans of seaplane pirates.
Marco is serious in the vain of a Bogart character. The backdrop and existential conflicts of Porco Rosso involve the rise of fascism and the lasting effects of war. Marco talks with an old flame about dead friends and makes idle talk about lawbreaking with a weapons dealer within the first act. But Porco Rosso is a comedy, and Marco seems to be aware of the contrast. The pirates are straight out of Popeye and Mickey Mouse cartoons, but kinder and gentler than Bluto and Pete. They kidnap kindergartners for ransom and the leader of the pirates frets over the girls going for a swim because it might be dangerous. They rob a cruise liner, and the ship has a prepared announcement for the event. When they succeed they pose for a photo with the loot.
Marco’s pessimism with a smile reminds me of Miyazaki himself. And the tone is quintessential Miyazaki. It feels like a world of aviation and wonder where comical pirates and pigheaded pilots can exist is about to be stamped out by the rising tide of fascism and the inevitable destruction of WWII. Marco is a man who can sense the coming destruction and smile at the ridiculousness of humanity.
In an interview published in Animerica, Miyazaki says he gave Marco a pighead because he likes the associations of pigs. They may be loved but never admired. While Marco is stubborn, aloof and fond of his vices, he is a character who deliberately rejects the self-righteousness that seems to fuel both the comedy of American pilot Curtis and the pirates and the impending doom of the fascist uprising in Europe.
It’s interesting and yet again distinctly Miyazaki for a film meant to be a 45 minute in-flight movie for Japan Airlines to become a 94 minute reflection on the director’s inner self. Miyazaki never felt the movie had real appeal for general audiences, and he did not take the concept very seriously to begin with. After serving as producer on Takahata’s Only Yesterday, he wanted animation to be “more fun, more absurd,” and he went for it without hesitation.
Porco Rosso might be one of my favorite Miyazaki movies. It feels much more personal than his more influential and beloved films. He has even discussed creating a sequel for it set during the Spanish Civil War. In his Animerica interview he says the planes are in the movie not because he loves the concept of flight (although he clearly does, because he uses it with and without planes), but because they reflect an unrecoverable past. Miyazaki is not interested in the artifacts themselves but the moments of time that we can never return to that they represent. And that’s probably the beginning of my thesis statement on Miyazaki as a whole.
That’s all for tonight. The next post will be on Princess Mononoke. Until tomorrow!
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