|| Main | MailingList | Films | Search | Ghiblink | Feedback||
| | Kurenai no Buta (Porco Rosso) |
Reviews & Articles
- The Japan Times, July 28, 1992.
- Asahi Evening News, July 24, 1992. (Porco Rosso mentioned)
- Variety, July 24-30, 1995 (review of French release)
The Japan Times, July 28, 1992.
RED PIG RUSHES TO THE RESCUE
By MARK SCHILLING
Japan, as most of us know, has a deep-rooted cartoon culture andlegions of devoted cartoon fans of all ages. Not only the kids, but Dadstretched out on the tatami with his Kirin and edamame watch manga onthe tube.
According to a recent survey by A.C. Nielson, the highest-ratedprogram for men aged 35 to 49 is "Sazae-san.""Chibi Maruko-chan"follows in seventh place, ahead of "Pro Baseball Sunday Nighter."
So it should come as no surprise that top anime director HayaoMiyazaki ("Tonari no Totoro," "Majo no Takkyubin,""Omoide Poroporo")has made a film aimed, as the director said in a memo to his animators,at "tired, middle-aged men." His film, "Kurenai no Buta(The Crimson Pig)," stars Porco Rosso, an Italian World War I flyingace of the porcine persuasion.
Though approaching middle age, Porco is hardly tired; instead, heflies his snazzy red hydroplane, scouring the skies for air pirates.The year is 1920 and the air space over the Adriatic Sea is infestedwith gangs of cashiered fliers who prey on cruise-ship passengers.Porco makes his living by saving the pirates' victims and collectingrewards.
Yes, Miyazaki's is a Mickey Mouse world, where history and realitytake a partial vacation. But though the hero may be a pig, he is nocousin to Porky.
How many kiddie cartoon characters smoke cigarettes with aContinental insouciance, carry a torch for a thrice-widowed chanteuse,and live alone in a tent on a desert island, in a disillusioned retreatfrom the world?
And how many start life as a dashingly handsome man, in love with apretty young girl (the chanteuse), and later decide, by means ofunspecified magic, to grow a snout and triangular ears?
This, in other words, is no ordinary anime and Miyazaki is noordinary anime director. Like that other master of the medium, WaltDisney, Miyazaki is something of a genius and something of a flake --and sometimes it is hard to tell which is which. Was it the genius orthe flake who decided to abandon his hugely successful chidren's anime,including "Totoro," for more "adult,""personal" themes?
Commercially, this move was an undoubted stroke of genius. "OmoidePoroporo," his first anime targeted squarely at adults, was a monsterhit last year. Artistically, however, I have to wonder.
Stripped of its wonderfully realized animation,"Kurenai no Buta" ismock-Hemmingway pretentious, with Porco as a mucho macho Papa figure,and '30s B-picture silly, with a story that Barton Fink may have stolenfrom an "Action Stories" comic book.
The plot, such as it is, revolves around a rivalry between Porco andan Errol Flynnish American pilot who flies with the pirates. Defeatedby his rival in a dogfight, Porco takes his battered plane to Milan.When he arrives at the repair hangar, he is greeted by the wizenedproprietor and his saucy young grandaughter, Fio.
Fio, as it turns out, is an aircraft designer, and a good one. Weknow that Porco, the chauvinist pig, will refuse her services and thatFio will win him over at the end.
We don't know, however, that Grandpa will hire local women to rebuildthe plane (all the men are away, working in distant cities) -- and thatPorco will sit contentedly watching them, while absentmindedly rocking acradle.
Here we see Miyazaki's knack for bringing a scene to fresh, vibrantlife -- and for humanizing his cartoon heroes.
Then the plane takes off, with Fio aboard, and we head back tocomic-book country. After the pirates ambush them at the islandhideaway, Fio spunkily dresses down their leader (How dare he destroythe the plane they worked so hard to build!) and dares the American tofight Porco in an air duel.
This scene is both pulpy and primal; the very stuff of kids'fantasies and cartoons. And the showdown itself, with its clownishcarnival atmosphere and its two "prizes" -- Fio for the American,a bag of loot for Porco -- is straight from TV-manga land.
But we also have the "serious" story of Porco's mysteriouspast (Whydid he become a pig?), his ambiguous relationship with the chanteuse(Can she love him as a pig as much as she did as a man?) and his ongoingargument with the human race (Will he reject it or rejoin it?)
Unfortunately, this story is more atmospherics than substance. Webegin to long for Porco to get on with it and take to the air again, forflight sequences are "Kurenai's" glory.
A confirmed aviation nut, Miyazaki has a true love of old planes andhe and his team of animators have brought them to exhilarating life.Just as their hero risks everything in the air, they take the art ofanimation to new limits. The result is a beauty beyond mere realism.This is the way flying *ought* to look and feel. Miyazaki's amazingflying machines are an excellent reason to see this wildly swinging moodfantasy. There is no angst above the clouds.
Back to Table of Contents
Asahi Evening News, July 24, 1992.
JAL, ANA Compete With Animation
(This article is from Asahi Evening News, July 24, 1992. It is aslightly abbreviated translation of an article which appeared on AsahiShimbun evening edition, July 23, 1992. Enjoy!)
Stirred by the huge success enjoyed by JapanAirlines in screening the popular animated cartoon"Kurenai no Buta" (Crimson Pig), on itsinternational flights, All Nippon Airways is tofeature the just-released "Hashire Merosu" (Run,Meros), also a work of animation, on itsinternational flights from Aug 1.
The competition in animated films is anextension of the fierce competition between thetwo airlines over improving business performance,recruiting new employees and expandinginternational flights.
ANA decided in the beginning of this month toscreen "Hashire Merosu" on its internationalflights, instigated by the fact that JAL's"Kurenai no Buta" has proved very popular beforeand after release.
It decided on "Hashire Merosu," which was madeby the Asahi Shimbun and other companies, forin-flight viewing during summer vacation. WhereasJAL participated in the production of "Kurenai noButa" and screened it on its international flightsprior to its release in theaters---a first, ANAwill show "Hashire Merosu" one week after it hitsthe theaters.
Director Hayao Miyazaki wrote the originalstory and script for "Kurenai no Buta," which isan action romance about a middle-aged air forcepilot who turns into a pig and fights air pirateswhile flying a crimson plane.
According to distributor Toho Co., thetheaters showing "Kurenai no Buta" from July 18have been full, with about 220,000 people seeingit in the first three days.
Director Masaaki Ohsumi wrote the script for"Hashire Merosu" on the basis of an original storyby Osamu Dazai. As music director, Kazumasa Odawrote the theme song. Singer Akina Nakamorirecorded the voice of the heroine.
According to JAL and ANA, this is the firsttime that a movie has been available for viewingon flights prior to theater release and also thefirst time that a movie playing in theaters willbe concurrently screened aboard airliners.
JAL estimates that 360,000 passengers will see"Kurenai no Buta" by the end of August, while ANAcalculates that 120,000 passengers will enjoy"Hashire Merosu" up to the end of September.
According to those connected with movies, thetwo animated cartoons have big differences instyle, but on the basis of their directors andstaffs, they are both masterpieces dividing theanimation world in two. It is hard to tell whichwill emerge victorious in the battle of the summerskies.
Back to Table of Contents
File Review (pg71): Porco Rosso (Japanese)
By Lisa Nesselson
An AMLF release (in France) of a Le Studio Canal Plus/UCORE presentationof a Studio Ghibli/Nippon Television Network/JAL Cultural Developmentproduction. Produced by Toshio Suzuki. Co-executive producers,Yasuyoshi Tokuma, Matsuo Toshimitsu, Yoshio Sasaki.
Directed, written by Hayao Miyazaki. Camera (color), Atsushi Okui;editor, Takeshi Seyama; music, Joe Hisaishi, Toshiba Emi; productiondesign, Katsu Hisamura; sound (Dolby), Naoko Asari, Makoto Sumiya;special effects, Kaoru Tanifuji, Tomoji Hasizume, Tokiko Tamai. Reviewedat UGC Odeon Cinema, Paris, June 24, 1995. Running time: 90 min.
Top-notch animation in the service of a dapper aviator hero -- whohappens to be a pig -- and his mechanic -- who happens to be an appealinglyself-assured teen heroine -- makes "Porco Rosso"a winning, ultimately bittersweet viewing experience for all ages.A major B.O. [boxoffice]hit in its native Japan, the pic took top honors at the 1993 edition ofthe biannual Annecy animation fest and was scooped up by Gallicpowerhouse Le Studio Canal Plus, which hired the revered Jean Reno("The Professional") to voice the title character for theFrench version.
Not unlike a milder version of Art Spiegelman's "Maus,"pic uses a "naive" form to tell a sophisticated story,which opens in Italy between world wars, in 1929. It is neverexplained how, exactly, Marco -- founderof the Italian Aviators Club -- was transformed into a giant pig, known asPorco Rosso. He reveals only that he prefers "being a pig to being afascist."
With his bright red open-cockpit hydroplane parked on the beach, therenegade flying ace lives in secret on a deserted island in the Adriatic,from which he takes flight to rescue victims from a band of air pirates.When his plane needs repairs, he entrusts it to longtime pal Piccolo,whose tomboyish granddaughter Fio is a gifted engineer-cum-mechanic.
She's cute, hardy and industrious, and also proves to be headstrongand fearless. Pic is brimming with positive female role models for youngviewers, although story's melancholy tilt will have its greatestresonance for adults.
Sultry Gina, who sings at the classy hotel she owns while carrying atorch for Marco, adds a deep streak of sentimental longing to the tale.Mix in a vain and ambitious villain of an American pilot, the fascistsecret police, and a band of air pirates with a code of honor -- and theingredients are in place for a daring duel in the sky.
Animation, from the famed Studio Ghibli, has an impressive sweep andgrandeur -- smoke, shadows, clouds and every aspect of soaring through theair in an open cockpit plane is lovingly detailed. Whether it's thebobbing Adriatic or the open sky, there's a full-bodied feel for movementand the same attention to "focal lengths,"framing and editing as in the boldest live-action features.
Back to Table of Contents
This page is brought to you by Team Ghiblink.