Hacker Cinema
Porco Rosso
紅の豚
1992 · Film · 93 min
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
In Italy in the 1930s, sky pirates in biplanes terrorize wealthy cruise ships as they sail the Adriatic Sea. The only pilot brave enough to stop the scourge is the mysterious Porco Rosso, a former World War I flying ace who was somehow turned into a pig during the war. As he prepares to battle the pirate crew's American ace, Porco Rosso enlists the help of spunky girl mechanic Fio Piccolo and his longtime friend Madame Gina.
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24 comments on Hacker News
I can't recommend a specific order but...
If looking for "adventure" go with Laputa, Cagliostro, maybe Porco Rosso.
If looking for something "warm" go with Totoro, Kiki, Ponyo.
If looking for something more "fantastical" (probably also more complex) try Howl's, Spirited Away, Nausicaä, Mononoke.
If you are willing to consider a TV show, then Sherlock Hound is really fun and delightful in every possible way. The complete series is IIRC 26 episodes.
Also, there are some non-Miyazaki but still Ghibli films which you may want to consider too. Personally, I absolutely love Mimi wo Sumaseba and I can hear the sea, but these may well be a bit uninteresting for a 10 year old; better for a teen probably over 15 I'd guess. Pompoko is clearly recommended for your age bracket though, and it's fun too.
Finally, there's the question of Grave of the Fireflies. I think 15 is probably fine, 10... maybe. But in any case, be warned that it's a very sad story and I have very rarely met someone who could watch it without crying profusely.
Miyazaki's films are often more similar to the traditional four-part Kishōtenketsu[0] story structure rather than the more common three-act or Hero's Journey style. If you're not used to that structure you can find it boring or difficult to immerse yourself in. I love a lot of Miyazaki films and I think My Neighbour Totoro[1] is one of the finest movies ever created, but I can't just throw them on like I can most movies; if I'm not in the right mood for them I'll just get bored.
For a practical advice, I'd suggest watching either The Wind Rises (if you want strictly Miyazaki) or Only Yesterday (if any Ghibli is fine) next. Neither will have the strict conclusion that you are looking for, but they both are more "adult" films that are similar to Western dramas so you might find your brain is more accepting of that. At the very least you might find them more relatable than his other films and their child protagonists; I think The Wind Rises should speak well to any tech worker these days.
For less useful advice: it wasn't until I had an apartment high enough that I could see the skyline over the trees did I begin to understand why artists painted clouds the colors they did[2]. All art is holding a mirror up to nature, sometimes you gotta touch grass before you can get it.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kish%C5%8Dtenketsu
[1] Castle in the Sky and Porco Rosso are my favourite Ghibli films, but Totoro I think is the greatest children's movie of all time and one of the few films capable of reminding someone what being a child is really like. I never got into Spirited Away or Howls Moving Castle though.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Levitan_Evening_bells_1892.jpg
I swap back and forth between favorit movies. Every few days it may be Goodfellas. Some days it is The Room. But I always return to Kiki’s delivery service and Howls moving castle. Both are absolutely gorgeous and incredibly well told.
I also find myself quoting porco rosso a lot lately.
This a treasure trove of gorgeous lockscreen images. Very excited to put them into rotation.
Even the "Bad" bluth films are excellent. Rock a doodle do is a solid 8.5+/10 and I straight up think critics who leave that film with a bad rating are deluded.
Porco Rosso literally reuses music, animations, etc from his other films. I enjoyed the film because a fascist pig cassanova was a fascinating premise - but it's very much derivative.
I bench them against one another because my partner is obsessed with Miyazaki and finds Bluth films to be mundane in comparison. Miyazaki has far more cultural capital today than bluth - which is absurd since more Americans grew up watching the land before time than they did watching anything Miyazaki made.
I grew up with both Miyazaki and Bluth films.
I love Secret of NIMH, All Dogs Go To Heaven, etc. but let's not whitewash over history. He also did "A Troll in Central Park".
For every mediocre movie like Earthsea, there's also fantastic movies like Porco Rosso, Spirited Away, Naussica, etc - all of which I watched as a "kid".
They both had their highs and lows. Seems rather pointless to try and bench them against each other.
Porco Rosso is my favorite Ghibli/Miyazaki film.
I think Studio Ghibli's 'secret sauce' is the "Kishōtenketsu" or four act structure that makes Studio Ghibli special:
1. Ki (Introduction) - Sets up characters and situation.
2. Shō (Development) - Expands the characters and fleshes them out.
3. Ten (Twist) - Introduces a new element or change.
4. Ketsu (Conclusion) - Shows the outcome and connections between elements.
In contrast Western films usually follow a three act structure:
1. Setup - Introduces the hero, often stepping into the unknown, and establishes the initial conflict and sets the stage for the story.
2. Confrontation - The hero faces mounting challenges and conflicts, often involving threats to innocent people or community. Stakes are raised and the story progresses to a conclusion.
3. Resolution - The story culminates in a climatic confrontation between the hero and the villain. Some sacrifice is usually paid, the hero triumphs, justice is served and order returns to the community.
I grew up on Disney and the three act structure, so when I experienced Studio Ghibli for the first time with Princess Mononoke it felt very different, fresh and more mature. While I don't necessarily love all of Studio Ghibli's catalogue, I do treasure Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Porco Rosso.
In the case of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, I highly recommend reading the manga over watching the Studio Ghibli anime.
I asked a frAInd what famous actors dubbed miyzazki movies:
"Spirited Away" (2001) - Daveigh Chase, Jason Marsden, and Susan Egan.
"Princess Mononoke" (1997) - Billy Crudup, Claire Danes, Minnie Driver, and Billy Bob Thornton.
"My Neighbor Totoro" (1988) - Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning.
"Howl's Moving Castle" (2004) - Christian Bale, Emily Mortimer, Jean Simmons, and Billy Crystal.
"Ponyo" (2008) - Cate Blanchett, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, and Liam Neeson.
"The Wind Rises" (2013) - Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci.
"Porco Rosso" (1992) - Michael Keaton and Cary Elwes.
"Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989) - Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, and Janeane Garofalo.
It’s interesting how my appreciation of the “minor” Miyazaki movies grew with times.
I genuinely believe both Spirited Away and Momonoke Hope are better films from a critical standpoint but Kiki’s Delivery Service, Porco Rosso and The Castle of Cagliostro are the ones I have rewatched the most.
Miyazaki really is a master of the adventure genre. All his movies are incredibly tight when it comes to the pacing and I think lighter plots allow this to really shine and make for incredibly breezy movies.
The two movies the author had never seen were two of my favorite films by Miyazaki that I watched in my formative years. Of course the acclaim always went to Nauiscaa, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke, but I've always adored Porco Rosso. The atmosphere of those tiny Adriatic islands and interwar Italian cities makes me nostalgic for a place I've never visited.
spirited away is amazing because of the chihiro's journey through the fantastical world of the kami, where she has to contend with not only her own present but generations past and all their virtue and vice. it's about the ever-present struggle to place oneself in a world built upon tradition and deference. this is a common theme in east asian tv and film, but miyazaki explores it in such an enveloping and actually rather gentle way, filled with symbolism and mysticism. the film's representation of coming of age seems to be external (overcoming spirits), but it's all about the girl's coming to terms with herself in relation to her parents and everyone who came before them. it's a blip in her life externally but internally, everything has changed. chihiro transforms in that little blip.
i haven't seen nausicaä yet, but all the ghibli films are great (except perhaps arrietty, as noted in a nearby comment). porco rosso was fun and more action oriented than most ghibli films. it's been a while since i've seen castle in the sky but it sits storywise between mononoke and howl's moving castle in my head.
Spirited away has a shiny fairground visuals but really dark undercurrents. Not my favorite even if technically is great. Mononoke is deliberately gross and confusing in some moments. Not for small children.
Ponyo or Totoro would rank much higher for me. Ponyo is really smart in many aspects. The Tomb of fireflies is a terrible and depressing black hole, but maybe a necessary experience. Porco rosso is the opposite, light and very enjoyable.
In any case this article is related clearly with the fact that Mononoke is again broadcasted in the movie theaters just this week.
Porco Rosso, The Wind Rises, My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki's Delivery Service. The Ghibli films keep me coming back.
I enjoy Ghiblis movies, and enjoyed Pom Poko, but I wouldn't put it in the same class as Spirited Away, maybe Porco Rosso (but I prefer Porco Rosso myself).
Porco Rosso, Howl's Moving Castle, My Neighbor Totoro, and Princess Mononoke are good. In fact, they're arguably some of his best.
But my favorites will always be Kiki's Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, and Whisper of the Heart. They may not be Miyzaki at his best, but they were the films that I loved the most.
The Wind Rises may also join the latter category. Either way, it's a really good film.
Finally, it should be noted that Kaze Ni Naru from The Cat Returns is possibly one of my favorite songs from any anime, ever. And I watch a lot of anime.
Suffice to say it's up on the list with A Cruel Angel's Thesis, and Tank. For you anime fans who know what that means, yes, it's that good, IMHO. YMMV.
The animation (esp. flying) was great (as always with Miyazaki / Ghibli), but I thought as a serious film it was ...lacking. Somewhere in the uncomfortable zone of not being a total mess, but not very great either?
The ending was beautiful, in a way, (especially if you've seen Porco Rosso), but on the other hand, Miyazaki had to have a character to spell out loud and clear the whole central ethical dilemma (airplanes are beautiful and the fighter airplanes are the most beautiful things, but they are used as horrible weapons of war). But then what he was doing with the whole preceding two hours if there must be a monologue at the end? It didn't feel like a sign of good storytelling. The other main thing was the romance, which ... eh.
But sure, it's still an interesting film.
But I'd also say Nausicaä (the manga, haven't seen the film) is more interesting take on some of the same questions, if you notice that Miyazaki tells an anti-war story, yet he is clearly in love with the airships whenever he draws them. The gunship battles look awesome, which in a sense, is also a problem.
I thought it was going to be named after "Porco Rosso" (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=855), to be honest. Talking about "Porco Rosso", I got to briefly visit Trieste for the first time ever this summer, Miyazaki and his fellow animators really did a very good job of portraying everything about the city, from the beautiful light to the Austro-Hungarian buildings from downtown. I had only seen the movie once, about 10 years ago, but I had a strong deja-vu feeling as I was visiting the Trieste waterfront, from where the first ever commercial Italian airplane took off in the early '20s.
though not sci-fi, but check out hiyao miyazaki's anime, really well done and he has this way of never portraying characters as bad, everyone is good, very consistent across all his movies, princess mononoke, porco rosso, my neighbor totoro, etc
There was a touching scene in this movie inspired by a short story [1] by Roald Dahl, author of wonderful children's books and adult short stories, who also took part in WW2 as a fighter pilot. It was strange coming across the short story having seen Porco Rosso several years earlier and immediately realizing the connection.
[1] http://www.roalddahlfans.com/shortstories/they.php
While Porco Rosso has a good female character in Fio, the lead is male, so that's another.
Basically, while there's a lot of excellent female characters in Ghibli films, there are still a number of their films with male leads.
Not so strange. It's just an art piece and there is lots more of that kind of thing out there. Look into early 20th century surrealism for instance. Watch the film Un Chien Andalou.
It would be more interesting if it was not trying to be a knockoff of the Voynich manuscript.
Also, some anime is like this, for instance Porco Rosso and The Wings of Honneamise. Both of them take place in alternate realities.
I thought Porco Rosso was sad compared to Totoro or Mononoke. My friends who liked other Miyazaki movies didn't like Porco Rosso.
My young son loves Studio Ghibli films. Nearly all the main characters Kiki, Chihiro, Ponyo, Arrietty, Satsuke and Mei etc are girls. He is a bit young for Mononoke and hasn't seen Nausicaä. About the only one he doesn't like is Porco Rosso. Role models are important but I don't know that all our kids heroes and game characters have to be same sex.
He recommends Princess Mononoke.
It's that fact alone that makes me take his review into consideration. If you haven't seen Princess Mononoke, I'd highly recommend it. Actually, I'd recommend all the Studio Ghibli films. My wife and I have the entire collection, and are in the middle of watching the last one we haven't watched yet, Porco Rosso (which is so far, fantastic). "These" are the kinds of animations I, personally, want to watch.
- Visually stunning, without the need for CG.
- Not overwhelming, ie: Not too spastic or overwhelming, commercial-esque, scene switching.
- No overly annoying characters.
- Original content.
You can find the entire Studio Ghibli series online at your favorite Bay of Pirates, but, I'd recommend you actually buy them all, as they are simply amazing. (My Neighbor Totoro is the kid friendliest, and the others aren't necessarily). My apologies if this wasn't specific to Avatar, but I'm just about to finish all of Studio Ghibli's works, and am simply amazed at these films. Fantastic.