Porco Rosso [Blu-ray + DVD]

The opening scene of Porco Rosso shows that the year is 1929, a decade after the First World War. This is depicted on the cover of the magazine Cinema, which rests over Porco Rosso's piggish face. It was a time of high tension throughout Europe and the Mediterranean Sea where the story takes place. In Germany the Nazi's were gaining strength while planning their conquest of Germany and later Europe with the possibility of the world. Italians were under Il Duce's iron rule, as he commanded the Fascist party, the only party allowed. Nineteen twenty-nine was just years before Francisco Franco's control in Spain with a Fascist ideology.What is most alarming is that 1929 was only one decade away from the Second World War, which was slowly brewing throughout Europe. In essence, Hayao Miyazaki literally depicts the year that was in-between the two World Wars, but his film also turns into a political allegory for the that time. This allegory is depicted through a flying pig that defies political undercurrents by collecting bounties on outlaws and trying to stay outside the boundaries of society.Porco Rosso, once a man, now a pig due to a curse, flies for himself only, as he collects bounties and makes life sour for air pirates that terrorize the Mediterranean Sea. Porco lives a lonely life in a hide-away somewhere in Mediterranean Sea where he bathes in the sun when he is not hunting flying pirates. Isolation seems to be Porco's way of dealing with his appearance and the only excursion from his personal island is done with help of darkness. At night shadows help veil his pig face, as he visits his favorite hangout, Hotel Adriano.Miyazaki does a marvelous job in his creation of the character Porco who portrays dispositions such as selfishness, cynicism, and gloom through a pig without hope of being something better. The idea of using a pig is also remarkably brilliant, as the pig is often used as a symbol for greed and sloth. Porco's laziness is depicted through his sunbathing and his inactive participation in politics and society, as the world around him is once again about to crumble.The persona and attire of Porco brings a mood that is experienced through many film noirs where cynical characters meet in sleazy and ominous atmospheres. This is evident when Porco visits Hotel Adriano for the first time when all his enemies are present. The film noir that Porco Rosso offers also augments the cinematic value of the story, as it authentically depicts the time period. The cynicism is further enhanced if the audience reflects on the political atmosphere of the 1930s in Europe where politics divided families and neighbors turned each other in due to different beliefs.In the middle of this an American pilot, Donald Curtis, arrives to claim fame and secure a spot in Hollywood, and maybe later the Presidency. When Curtis for the first time hears Madame Gina sing at the restaurant at Hotel Adriana he falls in love. However, he does not know that her love belongs to another, even though this other does not know. Curtis' reason to come to Europe was to have a dogfight with the infamous Porco Rosso and he finds his opportunity when Porco is on his way to get his plane fixed. This is the way he wants to claim his fame by shooting down Porco, which he successfully does as Porco's plane has a motor problem.Somehow Porco succeeds in getting his plane through Italy and to Milan where Paolo Piccolo a skilled airplane mechanic that he trusts lives. When Porco arrives he discovers that the Paolo's 17-year old American granddaughter is more or less running the show. Initially, Porco is suspicious and wants to go to another mechanic, but is convinced to stay. Fortunately Porco's suspicions are groundless, as his suspicions seem to be more sexist than based on facts. When the plane is fixed Porco can return to his life, as a bounty hunter, but the political climate has changed and it seems to have put Porco in a spot where he is forced to take a side.Hayao Miyazaki's Porco Rosso is a fantastic animated journey that also makes a strong political statement. The film entertains young and old, but also leaves a lot for the audience to ponder while the magnificent animation transcends into the mind through vibrant colors and detailed lines. Cleverly, Miyazaki communicates his story through an obvious storyline that is visually explicit, but also hidden in visual codes and symbols. This means that the film is multifaceted with several ideas that can have an audience member scratching their head for a long time. The story also keeps the viewers on the edge of their seat, as nail-biting suspense leaves the audience guessing what will happen next. Ultimately, this cinematic masterpiece leaves the audience with a fulfilling experience that offers something for everyone.

I have seen this anime movie before, in the subtitled version sold in the Hayao Miyazaki collection. Many dubs of good Japanese anime movies or series are horrible. I have to admit this is a very good dub, and seeing it, I realized I'd missed a few subtle details. I won't spoil it for anyone, but suffice it to say, that I got a completely different take on the ending by hearing this in English. Michael Keaton was an inspired choice as Porco. He gave just the right kind of understated, "man of few words" talk that was expected from his character.While I'm not certain how old this is, it is definitely from before 1998 when Princess Mononoke was released. The animation is first rate all the way, and the art is extraordinary, as we've come to expect from recent Miyazaki films. A friend of mine who viewed it with me said the backgrounds were almost real life, but the characters and things like planes seemed more cartoon like in the foreground. I personally like the effect, as it gives the characters some dimension. Too many drawn animes look two-dimensional all the time. By fading the background a bit and making it more realistic, it brings more life to the characters, and movement of objects.As for the movie, itself it has a good story that on the surface excites the younger audience, and on a bit deeper level gives the adults something to enjoy. Porco has a bit of a comment on the history of the time (pre-World War II). Most of that commentary will go right over younger children, who will love Porco and his adventures. Miyazaki seems to have a love for children. Many of his stories appeal to them without being overly dumbed down, and syrupy.As for my Disney title comment, they have the rights to these films. If Disney spent a little on promotion, this kind of film plays well for American audiences. While it angered me at the time, the way they tanked the distribution of Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away. It may have made some business sense, since they were both in uniquely Japanese settings. Porco Rosso however, is set in the Adriatic Sea, and has many universal adventure concepts, like pirates, spies, airplanes, and hide-a-way desert islands.As for the DVD, top notch all around, two discs with wide-screen and tons of extra's on the second. The transfer looks great, and while I don't have a THX system to try it, its THX certified and includes a THX Optimizer. It's also specially enhanced for 16X9 televisions. An outer cardboard art sleeve protects the inner standard DVD clamshell, which has the same art on it on the cover.

Discs work well. Movie was entertaining.

Love the adventure and story of this movie. Both for the young and old to watch.

Of the 8 or so Miyazaki films i have purchased and watched...this is my least favorite

So if you collect Studio Ghibli steelbooks the Uk ones are made by Studio Canal there are 22 official studio Ghibli filmsup to now there have only made 13 (and The Red Turtle but this isn't a official studio Ghibli film)So that leaves 9 films with no steelbooks however there is also the Italian steelbooks which cover ones studio canal has made including the other 9 Studio Canal still need to make1991 Only Yesterday1993 Ocean Waves1994 Pom Poko1999 My Neighbors the Yamadas2010 The Secret World of Arrietty2011 From Up on Poppy Hill2013 The Wind Rises2013 The Tale of the Princess Kaguya2014 When Marnie Was ThereThe issues is Studio Canal don't see to communicate there's no page on there site detailing there steelbooks when they came out or when there releasing new ones so when new ones are coming, for me i only found out about Porco Rossowhen looking at deals on Ukhotdeals so how many year are we going to be waiting for the other 9 to be released if ever, clearly there not interested in sells so why not just make the rest us collectors are trying to complete are collection and seeing the Italian versions don't have the same style of steelbook and the fact there's no English dub only the original langue and Italian.

Not only was this the highest-grossing Japanese film in 1992, but it holds a very special place in the heart of its creator, Hayao Miyazaki. As well as being a master filmmaker, Miyazaki has always had a special passion for planes. He even named his studio after an Italian fighter plane from the Second World War - although the pronunciation of 'Ghibli' is a little different. Miyzaki's love of planes also went on to inspire his final animated film 'The Wind Rises' (2013), which is about the life of Jiro Horikoshi - a famous WWII plane designer. 'Porco Rosso' was such a pleasure for Miyazaki to create that he even considered doing a sequel to it - which would've been the only sequel ever made by Studio Ghibli. But although such a sequel was never made it really wasn't necessary for there to be one. 'Porco Rosso' is one of Hayao Miyazaki's greatest works and is considered a valuable addition to the Studio Ghibli collection.The story is about Porco/Marco, an ex-war pilot turned bounty hunter, who is cursed into having the appearance of a pig. Porco earns his living by flying the skies and foiling the schemes of sea-plane pirates, whilst trying to avoid the Italian government, who are out to get him for abandoning the Air Force. His bounty-hunting business comes under threat when an American pilot turns up and forms an alliance with the pirates to take him down. Now Porco has to tune up his plane and face his new rival in the ultimate dog fight.As far as the story goes, it's quite interesting in general, with a good mixture of action, fantasy, romance and humour. The settings in it are also really beautiful and give the audience a true sense that they're witnessing an Italian-themed movie. Plus, although there are some adult themes contained within it (e.g. war and violence) they are managed quite well, making it a pleasurable movie for both kids and adults to watch.If there's anything I'd have to criticise about the story, however, it would be that there are some parts of it which feel a bit weak and incomplete by the movie's conclusion. In particular, its never really explained how or why Porco was cursed into becoming a pig - he just is a pig, who used to be human, and that's what makes the story a fantasy. There are also several side-stories which serve almost nothing to the main plot, and some characters don't have enough screen time to develop properly. In fact, the ending to the movie itself feels a little open-ended, despite explanation of what happened after the climax. Nonetheless, the movie is still fun and interesting for all the family to watch.For me, what's powerful about 'Porco Rosso' isn't so much the story itself, but some of its meanings. I find that whenever I watch an anime - even if the main character is male - I focus more on the female leads, because there is so much more that can be done with them. When I watch 'Porco Rosso', I find that my focus is more on Fio. In one part of the movie, Porco is reluctant to allow her to help with his plane because she's a young woman. But she proves that she has impressive skills, and is able to do a fine job of improving his plane. She even turns out to be a valuable ally when it comes to dealing with enemies. She is just one of many strong female leads presented in Studio Ghibli films, who seem more valuable to the story than any of their male counterparts.Another message presented in the film is one that is universal. Fio asks Porco what makes someone a true professional. He admits that it's not experience that matters, but intuition. What this means is that all you really need to succeed in life, is to have enough passion for what you want to do, and have the skills to do it well. This message was even given back to Hayao Miyazaki himself when he was against his inexperienced son, Goro, directing 'Tales of Earthsea' (2006).One final thing that's worth mentioning about Porco Rosso are some of the voice actors in the English dub. Amongst these actors are some that have supplied their voices in other Studio Ghibli English dubs, such as Cary Elwes ('Whisper of the Heart'/'The Cat Returns'), Susan Egan ('Spirited Away') and David Ogden Stiers ('Spirited Away'). There are also others like Frank Welker and Kevin Michael Richardson.I would recommend this movie to anyone who is a fan of Studio Ghibli and wants to see a prime example of what they can do to make a movie so great.My next Studio Ghibli review will be on 'Pom Poko'. Stay tuned.

As a recent convert to Ghibli films and someone with an interest in early aviation, this was a must-have DVD. Whilst films like "Totoro" are clearly aimed at kids, this film is an odd mixture. The opening sequence where the children are kidnapped by pirates is rather cutesy and there seems to be an obvious borrowing of the character Bluto from Popeye. However, the film then relocates to a bar at which point the references quickly change tact and this appears to be a re-imagining of "Casablanca" with our hero being a wise-cracking re-working of Humphrey Bogart complete with raincoat and cigarette. The arrival of a brash, American rival to challenge Porco Rosso also serves to raise the bar somewhat above a typical children's film and the film's conclusion certainly re-emphasizes this fact. There is also a moving scene where the planes of pilots killed in dogfights during World War One are seen ascending towards heaven which might not be suitable for younger children. As with all Ghibli films, the images are extremely striking, well drawn and full of vivid colours.All in all, this is a very ambiguous film. As per usual with Ghibli, it is the girl engineer, Theo, who transpires to be the most favourable character and another woman, Gina, the most sympathetic. Children will probably not pick up on the references to an earlier generastion of Hollywood films and will simply enjoy the action sequences, especially whee the planes are involved. There is a lot of humour although some of the wisecracks seem at odds with an animation film and the scenes at the workshop where the new planes is designed and built are a highlight in this respect even if some parents may be scratching their heads at remarks about the size of the girl engineer's butt! The section of the film concludes with a hairy take-off sequence along a series of canals and is the highlight of the film for me.Beautifully illustrated, this is not necessarily a film for children but the story is enjoyable even if there are scenes of fighting which probably are a bit more realistic than the usual Tom & Jerry type scrap. Older children will enjoy this as will adults but probably best avoided for the very youngest.

Get over the curious fact that the hero of this story is an Italian WWI aviator curiously transformed into a pig and you won't fail to be amazed by 'Porco Rosso'. It's another Studio Ghibli classic and equal to any of their other movies including 'Spirited Away'.Porco Rosso (Crimson Pig) is a bounty hunter living in the Adriatic in the 1920s. He makes a living by flying his superb seaplane fighter and combatting the local air-pirates (also flying seaplanes) whilst admiring (from a distance) the woman he secretly loves (Gina). Again, don't get hung up on the pig thing: this is a mature and effective plot with some hard hitting political subtleties if you look closely and some spot on historical facts. The animation is first rate (as always with Ghibli) and some of the backgrounds are masterpieces: look closely at some of the framed paintings in Gina's room for example.Where 'Porco Rosso' really shines is in the air. The flying sequences are truly exhilirating and Messers Spielberg & Lucas don't come close (really!). As always this is clearly a labour of love and art not commerce.Oh: do me a favour and watch the subtitled Japanese version. You know it makes sense... :-)

Unleash the pig! This is a definite 'grower', having viewed it twice now. The stock Ghibli figures from other animations are readily recognisable here, and some of the animated work on show here is beautiful. It is a tail of flying, of sea pilots and of sea pirates who are also sea pilots. There are clear nods to other films and cartoon characters, notably Brutus from Popeye.The ending is curious - you will either embrace it or find it infuriating, but there is plenty to enjoy as you go along for the ride. If you - like me - are a sucker for Ghibli films, then this is a no-brainer.