Good ole Miyazaki at home with his model planes.
So Porco Rosso was originally intended as just a nice, relaxing short film, less than an hour, for weary Japanese businessmen on business flights... but as we've seen, Miyazaki can't just sit and let it go - he puts a lot of thought and integrity into each one of his films, even if some of the concepts (i.e. the postwar masculinity thing) aren't as original as some of his other ones.
Yet why is his film still so filled with motifs that we know mean something more; he's making statements about the old and new, and the nature of humanity. So many things just seem to come out naturally as he makes a film to his perfection.
1) What are some of the themes/motifs that you noticed in Porco Rosso that we have seen before in Miyazaki's films? What do you think it says about him as a filmmaker, or his disposition, or the points he's trying to make about humanity?
But though the film is about that, perhaps it's nearly completely self-indulgent for Miyazaki, because he loves pigs and airplanes... and both are in Porco Rosso. I uploaded scans from the manga 飛行艇時代 「雑想ノート」(The Age of Flying Boats - Daydream Notes) for your reading/browsing pleasure. It's in Japanese but you can get the general gist of it.
Interesting stuff. HERE IT IS! DOWNLOAD
As you can see, Miyazaki is absolutely obsessed with airplanes. This is partly due to the fact that during World War II, Miyazaki's father Katsuji was director of Miyazaki Airplane, owned by his brother (Hayao Miyazaki's uncle), which made rudders for the Zero fighter plane. So Miyazaki grew up surrounded by flight, but it's of a very different sort than those that were made for the World War II purpose. Think even about Nausicaa and Kiki.
2) What are some elements of flight that you've noticed in the films so far? What do they mean symbolically, literally, what do they mean to Miyazaki? What does it mean, to be able to fly?
Finally, Japanese salarymen. Did you know that Japan is the only country with a condition called 過労死 karoshi, death by overworking? Up until now, people would be hired by a company and stay with them their whole lives.... there are a lot of stereotypes about "sararimen" and it's often parodied in manga and anime... you guys probably have seen or heard something about it.
3) Reading these articles, or knowing what Miyazaki's target audience was for this movie, how do you think he constructed it? What are some aspects of the film that you notice that might have been conceived because of the target audience for the film?
Have fun posting!
22 comments:
First of all, to Jenny and Sarah. Thank you so much for posting early!
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1) One obvious repeated theme is strong women. Both Gina and Fio are intelligent, resourceful characters. Moreover, similar to the women in Princess Mononoke, the women of Milan are hardworking women that do manual labor and build Porco's plane.
2) Elements of flight, and various aspects of symbolism, include the planes and pilots, war, love and freedom, and the act of running away. By saying that "pigs can fly", Miyazaki is presenting a theme of hope, overcoming impossible obstacles, and an extremely optimistic and whimsical way to view the serious topics of life (such as masculinity, war, politics, and the economy). To be able to fly takes intelligence, guts, money and fame (at least, a type of fame: ie: the pirates are infamous idiots)-- in the literal sense.
3) I feel like he wanted to construct a light hearted film that would still connect with the inner soul of a salary man. Yes, it is light hearted--but by touching upon the idea that a man would voluntarily choose to look like a pig (that is also another conversation/discussion)in lieu of what men had become in his day and age, Miyazaki is also critiquing upon the very life of his targeted audience. It also brings up the idea/discussion that it doesn't matter what a man looks like or appears to be--but a man who looks lazy, fat, or a type of scoundrel (ie: pig/pirate) is not necessarily disliked nor does he act as he looks. Porco has the looks of a pig, but women still find him admirable and attractive because of his actions, his personality, and his feats. It carries across the idea that it is the doing that creates one's character; it is the being that decides what an individual will get in life.
1) Themes of empowered women are definitely present through Fio and the factory run by the women of Milan. There is also a strong anti-war theme in Porco Rosso, with the Fascists coming into power and Porco's refusal to join them in due to his past experiences as a fighter pilot. Nausicaa had an anti-war theme, in which Nausicaa sacrifices herself to stop the Ohmu from attacking, and to encourage the nations of the world to stop fighting. Totoro is set post-WWII and denotes a peaceful time that people should aspire to maintain, and Kiki's Delivery Service, while not completely overt, presents a European town in which WWII did not happen and is therefore preserved, optimistic and undamaged. Instruments of war, like giant warplanes and dirigibles, can create wonder but also destruction.
2) Some common elements of flight found in all the films is flight as fantastic freedom. Air is presented a medium that lifts the spirit of the characters and the audience, one where they are at home in and enables them to achieve their ends. Kiki flies with her spirit, Nausicaa flies to negotiate between the feuding kingdoms and the Sea of Decay, and Totoro flies to help Satsuki look for Mei. Flight defies the ordinary, the life on the ground, and elevates our feelings and the characters to a freedom of incredible speed and exhilaration. I think flight has always been a mysterious force, one only recently achieved in the past century, and Miyazaki tries to re-instill that wonder of freedom and fantasy/magic of flight.
3) I think Porco Rosso, if constructed towards a salaryman audience, is a figure that somewhat invokes the middle-aged salaryman: overweight and unattractive (in our eyes at least, but not to the women of the movie). The movie also invokes a theme of honor in one's occupation, one where battles are fought with skill and not with abused opportunity. Miyazaki probably wanted salarymen to question their loyalties to their companies, especially if these salarymen find no joy in their jobs. Porco does not abuse his skill as a pilot in the same way the pirates do, but rather, just enough to keep his independence. This contrasts with salarymen who are tied to their company and cannot act independently of it, since a group-work culture is so strong within it.
Hey Jenny and Sarah! :D Finally, a post from me! lol
1)There are several themes that repeat themselves through his films. For one, the theme of strong, independent women are constant. For example, the factory women in Milan are all females that can-and have proven to-live independently, without the constant assistance of men in their lives. Similar to these women are the working brothel women of Princess Mononoke. These women, like the factory women, work alongside the men in their work, or just as hard among themselves. and instead of wait on men to assist them, they take there care of their responsibilities with independence and perseverance.
Another, blatantly obvious theme is the theme of fly. In all of Miyazaki's flims, there is a theme of flight, or at least being in the sky. This theme has been prevalent through all of the films we've seen thus far: Kiki being a flying witch,) Totoro's floating ability, and, of course, the entire plot device used in Porco Rosso.
2) I believe, in a Miyazaki's point of view, to "fly" means to see the world above in it's entirety. Meaning, in my opinion, to see the world, and everything in it, clearly, and without jaded eyes. A world that extends beyond what one can simpley see. I think this is something Miyazaki establishes in all his films, especially considering the anti-war background he place within most, if not all of his movies.
3) I think some aspects of the film that was constructed with in order to appeal to the "businessman/salaryman" audience include with....with the simple idea of getting away from everything. Porco is a bounty hunter/plane for hire, giving him the ability to do whatever he want. I like to believe this fact gives the audience a hope for something better and pursue their own type of happiness.
Flight and the sacrifice of love for a greater purpose are two of the themes in Porco Rosso that can also be seen Miyazaki's other films. In Porco Rosso, Miyazaki's fascination with flight is reflected in Porco's own dependence on flight to keep him grounded, ironically. Although it initially seems like Porco only uses flight to make a living, we soon begin to understand that it is through flight that he retains both the innocence and human fallibility that seem to get lost behind his swine-like appearance. And in the end, Porco chooses neither Fio nor Gina to fly off into the sunset with him, but leaves them to cultivate a lifelong friendship together. Perhaps he knows that he will always have a heart for both of them and that they in turn will both have a heart for him, and that it is for the best that neither one of them are heartbroken but instead build a relationship between the two of them.
Similarly, in Nausicaa and Kiki's Delivery Service, flight serves as the means by which humans (through Nausicaa) are able to interact with nature and Kiki learns is not the only thing that makes her special. By being able to fly, Nausicaa is able to lead the insects back to the forest and get back to the valley in time to show humans nature the value of harmonious co-existence. When Kiki finds that she is losing her witch's powers, she initially loses confidence in herself, but by learning that her ability to fly doesn't define her and is something that she earns through her journey, she discovers that she has so much more to offer the world than just her ability to fly. As for the sacrifice of love, in Princess Mononoke, San and Ashitaka realize that they cannot be together despite their love for each other, because San must help restore stability to the nature of the forest and remain true to her convictions, and Ashitaka must help rebuild Irontown and ensure that they don't clash with nature again.
I think that in addition to making Porco Rosso for businessmen on long flights, Miyazaki also targeted this audience specifically to compel them to appreciate our ability to fly. The fact that these businessmen are on planes so often going from one place to another will inevitably make them view flight as nothing more than a means by which to get from point A to point B, and I think Miyazaki specifically targets this audience in order to both remind them of what a blessing this ability to do what humans could once never dream of doing really is, and relate the importance of counting our blessings on a more general level, because amidst the imperfections of this world, it really is a beautiful place.
3) When you think of the movie like aiming at salarymen, it's more than just hey look they fly planes and salarymen are on planes watching the movie! Haha.
A lot of the fittingness to the audience i think revolves around the tedium of their lives and the human propensity to construct ideals and romanticisms in their head. A salaryman has little opportunity to act on visions of honor and adventure, love and valour. Porco Rosso delivers that to them in a light hearted manner, it never panders but it gives people a heartfelt reminder of what is in all of us. The setting and story telling aim for a core audience quite a bit older than Totoro and even Mononoke in some ways. Even though the fantasy elements are pervasive (After all it stars an anthropomorphic pig), the real life setting, architecture and countries help it appeal to the middle aged worker (well of course the universal themes and emotions present in all his movies too). The blend of fantasy and reality make it very palatable for those who many not be traditionally attracted to fiction on the scale of Mononoke or Spirited.
1. One obvious theme would be female empowerment. Fio proves to be a very strong-willed, smart girl/woman (her age is ambiguous) who proves to Marco that she can indeed design a plane. Even the women at the Piccolo company are able to carry out all the work on their own and create an outstanding product of a plane.
Another one of Miyazaki’s commentaries is an anti-war theme, common in Nausicaa to Princess Mononoke to even modern-day Howl’s. Here, he uses Marco as one of the sole few who are against the fascist army and government. Even Marco’s style of fighting, which is to destroy only the engine and disengage flight, is very peaceful. Miyazaki is probably saying that humanity always seems to turn to war. He uses Marco to try to prove that that isn’t always the answer.
2. Almost all the main characters in Miyazaki’s movies seem to be incredibly skilled at flying such as Nausicaa, Kiki, and in this case, Porco. To Miyazaki, the meaning of flying is to have freedom. Flying is a sort of physical freedom that represents an emotional freedom and free will. To fly means being able to make your own decisions based on your thoughts and your feelings rather than the collective society or other strong influences.
3. The movie is definitely an escapist movie for salarymen. Since salarymen are stuck in the monotony of a 9-5 job in an office, Porco Rosso offers the story of a self-made man, Marco, who doesn’t follow any rules but his own. He makes his money in a very heroic way as a bounty hunter. He even has a woman who waits for him and loves him. Although it could be considered escapism, Miyazaki may also be trying to tell these salarymen to not get stuck in the humdrum life of a salaryman and aspire for greater things.
1)The interesting theme that I saw in this movie was that people become 'pigs' when they grow up. This aspect was also seen in Spirited Away as an extension of Porco Rosso(Chihiro's parents became pigs after eating a huge amount of foods).Therefore, we better interpret that he is not casted spell but he cursed himself to be a pig because he is guilty. The scene that he mumbled that "good fellows always die" proves the suggestion that he felt guilty from surviving when Berlini died. Miyazaki brings an aspect how a sense of guilty makes adults turned into ugly creatrues.
2.adult pilots, war, conflicts, blue sky and endless ocean. These are all elements that relate to flying. They sound very unfamiliar to one another in some sense. However, Miyazaki ties those elements up at the end as Marco mentions "Pilots all have pure and transparent hearts because blue ocean and sky cleans their minds up always." Through this quote, Miyazaki suggests that humanity cannot be thrown away even if adlts are corrupted in many ways. He suggests that somehow, the humanity coud be conserved in different ways- for example, flying up on the sky can help in this phrase.
3)I think this film was constructed for salarymen. If this film was played to children, they won't see anything beyond a pig that was casted spell. However, to adults- especially salarymen, this film can be a great perception to realize what status they are in the society. Or it can also appeal as a nostalgia.
1) I'm sure many people have already mentioned it, but one recurring theme throughout Miyazaki's films is the strength of women. He normally portrays women out of their social construct, which would be their stereotype of being weak and delegated to housework. In "porco russo", the women are the ones who builds his plane, and fio designs it for him as well. Also, when sticky situations arise, it is the women (fio and gina) who come to the rescue and resolve the mess.
2) Miyazaki is obsessed with flight. His obsession is clearly seen through the theme of "fighter planes" in "porco russo". I think what planes or flight related objects mean to Miyazaki is that it allows him to reach new heights and to see things from various perspectives. Using this idea, he proposes the idea that a heaven of some sort might even be a ring planes and their respective pilots. In the air, one isn't limited by signs, roads, or restrictions anymore, which is something his films represent; there are no limits and his films are filled with fantastical elements that aren't commonly seen.
3) Salary men, as stated, dedicated their lives to a single company after they have joined it. Although they may not enjoy every aspect of the company life, they still put in their efforts to help the company continue. Porco, in his weird manners, still honors and lives his life in a way he wants to. Although in different settings, I'm sure the salary men can relate and attest to the dedication and perseverance it takes to stick to something.
Being able to fly gives the character some sort of freedom. A way to escape their everyday roles in society and to just be themselves. Naussica leaves her princess duties to scrounge around the toxic forests, Totoro takes the girls to unimaginable heights and places, Kiki fulfills her dream of discovering her perfect city, and Porco escapes laws and finds a vacation cove. Although each of the characters experience flight through different means and "technology", flight means the same thing to them. Flight gives them an advantage in their life, and benefits them at some point in the movie. Miyazaki uses flight as a way to save lives, instill amazement, and bring hope to people. There are drawbacks, but nothing can surpass the beauty of pure and free flight. Being able to fly allots the pilot power- weather they want to use it in a good or bad way. The characters also gain a sense of spectacularness and fantasy that may otherwise be unattainable to other normal humans. Porco even experiences a spiritual and life-changing event while flying.
Flight was also used in a very theatrical manner in Porco Russo. When pirates attacked, the cruise-ish ship put on a show with their on-board protector planes and pilots. The battle over Fio became a spectacle to pirates and civilians alike.
1. The most important theme is definitely anti-war, anti-Fascism. After Miyazaki had go through chaotic war time, I think, he got depressed by how humans have changed throughout the war. Therefore, his anti-war idea shows up in many of his films. Another theme is the empowerment of women characters. This theme also emphasized throughout many of his films. In Porco Rosso, women mostly had done everything. Also, the theme of flights presented the same as his other movies.
As a filmmaker, by emphasizing similar themes throughout his movies, I think, Miyazaki tried to influence humans to change the humanity. The humanity of being in the war continuously during Miyazaki’s young adulthood probably influenced him the most to make movies with these themes. Moreover, urbanization also made him pretty upset. I think that Miyazaki had done great job by portraying the same themes over and over because it makes Miyazaki distinctive from others.
In other movies, namely Nausicaa, Laputa, Kiki's Delivery Service, the protagonists fly in realistically impossible ways: we haven't invested Nausicaa's kite yet; we don't have Sheeta's magical; and no one has figured out how to fly on a bloom. But, in Porco Rosso, the protagonist just flies on the airplane. We can do that if we get trained properly. In the movie Porco says, "A pig's gotta fly." I'm not sure if this is the best translation as he's more like "a pig that doesn't fly is just an (ordinary) pig." From this we see that flying is what completes Porco. He knows flying the most important thing to him. He doesn't let anyone or anything else get in the way between him and flying, which is why he refuses to rejoin the air force. He follows his passion, and he does so freely. This is a clear message for the busy depressed salaryman in Japan.
1 Porco Rosso is packed with many of Miyazaki's motifs with the noticeable absence of environmentalism.
The strength and superiority of women is throughout the whole movies---Gina mesmerizes the pirates, saves Porco Rosso from the air force and helps him win the fight, Fio designs his plane, saves him from being killed by the ambush of pirates and turns him back into a human etc etc.
War is present as a ravager of the human spirit causing guilt in Porco Rosso as well as trauma.
The impotence of men is also present, with Porco's transformation into a pig as well as in the buffoonery and foolishness of all the pirates and pilots.
These recurrence of motifs/themes are the result of Miyazaki's continued belief in that the foolishness of men is the cause of much of the world's evils, a foolishness that is both worthy of pity and condemnation. Their salvation lies in women or rather in embrace of the essences of good women; their wisdom, optimism and ability to summon courage when it truly matters. In many ways, Porco Rosso is a capstone to Miyazaki's previous work in that his movies after wards never address these issues as clearly or as thoroughly as Porco Rosso and his earlier films did.
Right off the bat I see that Miyazaki has carried over his theme/motif of empowering women or giving women strong characters. He uses both Fio and the Piccolo women for this motif, as just a 17 year old girl becomes the engineer and mechanic that rebuilds Porco's plane, as well as becoming his flying companion for the second half of the trip. Miyazaki always likes to show elements of flight in his movies, and Porco Rosso is definitely not an exception. Miyazaki's combat scenes in the air are extraordinary, as well as showing the dynamics that go into building and shaping a plane. He really captures this through his animation, bringing us up into the clouds with him to witness the fighting of Porco Rosso with pirates and Curtis. He also focuses on transformations, as Porco is human but appears to everyone to be a pig. This is also in Howl's and Spirited Away, as well as Princess Mononoke.
As you mentioned in the original post, Miyazaki loves pigs and airplanes, and Porco Rosso is a movie about...pigs and airplanes. It's interesting to see how these two motifs are both similar and different in Porco Rosso from how they are in other films. In Spirited Away, pigs represent greed and mindless self-indulgence, and Chihiro's parents are turned to pigs by Yubaba because of these very traits. Porco Rosso, too, is magically transformed from a human into a pig, but in a different way from Chihiro's parents. While Chihiro's parents become "actual" pigs, Porco Rosso retains his human mind, his ability to speak, and his ability to fly a plane. He also continues to wear clothing and sunglasses; in other words, he is more of a pig-man than a full pig. This is also evident in the way that Gina continues to be in love with him despite his porcine appearance.
As for the planes, Porco Rosso's red aircraft is similar, in movement if not exactly in appearance, to the flying machines used by Nausicaa and by the pirates in Castle in the Sky. All are small, light-looking aircrafts rather than large industrial airships, which in Miyazaki are (generally) reserved for the "villains"--like the armies in Howl's Moving Castle.
1) I read some articles about "Porco Rosso," and Miyazaki says in the article that the characters in this story know and establish their own position in the society, and this story is come into existance because those kind of characters acts based on their own will and responsibility. Moreover, he says that this movie is not for people who wants to get some inspiration to find what they want to do. From these comments, I can imagine he wants to express what he thinks it is cool and mature through this film, and that is living based on your own will and responsibility.
1. I think that Miyazaki is showing the values of an old generation deterring, either for good, i.e. sexism, or for bad, i.e. the respect of the fallen dead in wars and the value of love. In Porco Rosso, there is a motif that people are capable of more than what another person perceives them as, such as in sexism and Porco Rosso having a “human” side.
2. Why flight? Flight is a double-edged sword: Flight allows freedom, yet this freedom comes with isolation. To be able to fly symbolizes how a person is capable of making his or her decision, however there is no guidance for where a person can fly, however, this journey is done alone.
3. Miyazaki made this movie to an audience that is controlled and constricted in life, businessmen (and on airplanes going to meetings of all things). He wanted to give his audience a new rebirth of liveliness and to provide commentary on how things of today and in the past have drastically changed.
-Michael Iseri
1. Miyazaki seems to like putting women (and girls!) in non-conventional roles. In Porco Rosso, we have Fio and the other women doing repairs on Porco's plane. In Princess Mononoke, there is San attacking Irontown, Lady Eboshi leading Irontown, and the Irontown ladies obviously standing on par (and sometimes even over the men. And of course there is Nausicaa, who saves the world. These days, seeing women/girls taking charge or doing things that they don't 'traditionally' do isn't all that revolutionary--but it still needs to be done. When something is taken for granted, it loses its value. Miyazaki creates recognizably traditional settings where female subservience was the cultural norm, then has the women take non-traditional roles, and portrays them in an admirable light even as other (usually male) characters question the appropriateness of their actions. By doing this, Miyazaki conveys that women shouldn't be confined to social expectations--no matter what society says.
I think most people have already made the point that this movie is meant to be a kind of escapism for salarymen in Japan. Another point I would like to bring up in how Miyazaki achieves this is that Porco Rosso answers to no one but himself. He is not a attack dog for the military and he doesn't have to work with other scoundrels who are looking how to profit at the misery of others. He is allowed to stand on his own with his own honor, something that a salaryman beholden to the corporate culture that sustains him probably feels unable to do.
Reading these articles, or knowing what Miyazaki's target audience was for this movie, how do you think he constructed it? What are some aspects of the film that you notice that might have been conceived because of the target audience for the film?
Have fun posting!
Miyazaki constructed this film to challenge the salary man and question his position as someone following a system blindly. His audience is made of people who do not really have any space to personalize their interests, work ethics, and not even their desks! They just don't have any room to make the the work they do meaningful. There is no drive except for money.
Porco's choice to become a pig, and be okay with it, is something outstanding for a salaryman. To choose something for yourself that would stick out like a sore thumb is inconceivable. Porco's life of caring for others, despite going against the traditions, makes him admirable. His story forces us to look beyond superficial, strucutural barriers to value what is more important than a salary.
Some themes present in Porco Rosso that Miyazaki seems to have borrowed from earlier productions are the presence of strong women, an emphasis on the wonder of human flight, anti-war sentiments, and, specifically for the setting Miyazaki chooses, commentary on the trend in increasing internationality of the Japanese population.
As for flight specifically, Miyazaki just loves the whole idea of it. Clearly. In Nausicaä, the insects and those humans traveling through the forest, as well as the military, are given the desirable power of flight. In Totoro, Catbus and Totoro can fly through different methods, and bring characters from the film with them. Kiki is certainly one capable of flying, one of many witches in her film, and saves, with flight, a boy attached to a blimp—a boy who happens to be obsessed with building a functional human-powered airplane. All these symbols of flight are symbols of optimism, symbols, as they have always been, of the power of the human spirit. Flight is a way to view singularly the evils of masculinity, war, and monetary desire, and a way to magnify both character flaws and positives in those involved in the action of the flight.
One theme is strong women. Women built Porco's plane. Also, Gina warns Porco and the others that the goverenment is coming. As for humanity, I think that Miyazaki is pessimistic about humanity but at the same time has hope that it will get better. Porco mentions that Fio gives him hope in humanity.
I think that flight is kind of equivalent to freedom. Humans are bound to earth so flight is a way to break those binds. It's almost as if its going against the norm or what is commonly done. Also, flight can mean technological advancement. Its interesting because Miyazaki's view of flight is opposite from that of other cultuers such as the Greeks. In Greek mythology, since flight is not something native to humans it is something that shouldn't be done or else there will be consequences. Miyazaki views of flight on the other hand are positive.
In the article about salarymen, it seemed as if the salarymen didn't enjoy their job and found it more of a burden. They're are tied to their company and thus do not have the freedom to act as they wish. I think this ties into flight because it represents freedom. Also, Porco enjoys flying and doing what he does so the movie could indirectly be telling salarymen that they should do what they enjoy doing the most.
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