thecages

Mieke lent me her copy of Miyazaki's Porco Rosso which we watched last night.
It is astonishingly well made and beautiful.


The script is fantastic, the characters well formed, the comedy is hillarious (especially the Air Pirates), the action thrilling.
The revelation of Porco's change is stunning - serene and mature.


[I have to stop myself now lest I praise Miyazaki into the deity that he so clearly does not want to be.]

Of his films that I've seen this one is not his masterpiece (that has to be Mononoke), but it is a virtuoso piece. It is entirely flawless.

The film adds another layer to Miyazaki's obsession with flying (as evidenced in Nausicaa, Kiki and others) - it's all about adventure and freedom.
The opening scene features a group of little school girls and their thrilled excitement at being abducted by real Air Pirates and flying in their monster plane.


It also (along with Kiki) shows how strongly his colour palette draws on the Mediterranean.
His work is stuffed with references to the Mediterranean and its influence can be seen in all his oceanscapes (think of Spirited Away).
Also check out the story behind the name of Studio Ghibli.

So run, don't walk, do whatever you have to to see this film!
But please don't watch it in English. Go for the Japanese or French versions.