Hayao Miyazaki’s Hidden Gem
Ghibli Month — Chapter 7: Porco Rosso
Director — Hayao Miyazaki
Year of Release — 1992
Language — English
How Many Times Watched? — 3 times
Rating — ★★★★
This is a Good Watch. A genuinely funny and underrated film that’s a riot to watch, but by no means an essential classic.
Originally meant to be a short in-flight film for Japan Airlines, Porco Rosso grew into a feature-length film that sits nicely right in the middle of Hayao Miyazaki’s oeuvre. While often forgotten when talking about the Miyazaki classics, Porco Rosso is a solid film that merits wider recognition. Now I’m not saying that this belongs up next to the greats, but Porco Rosso has a lot going for it that makes it a memorable and fun experience.
This film has no right being so good. It’s about an ex-WWI fighter pilot turned freelance bounty hunter. He is the best seaplane pilot throughout the whole Adriatic Sea, feared by all the air-pirates. Oh, and did I mention he’s a pig? For some unknown reason, Marco Pagot (Rossolini in America) was turned into a pig and goes by Porco Rosso, Italian for Crimson Pig.
One day, all the pirates team up with the best American pilot, Donald Curtis, to kill Porco. But Porco does not care about their plan. He does not care about anything or anyone for that matter. What does he have to care about besides his one-of-a-kind seaplane? He’s a pig and pigs don’t belong, according to him.
Porco Rosso is a great time. It is a genuinely good time and easily Miyazaki’s funniest movie. I find myself laughing out loud throughout the whole film, and I’m not one known to laugh out loud much. You’ll be hard-pressed to find yourself not laughing at some of the visual gags and one-liners littered throughout.
The opening scene of the film shows the Mamma Aiuto Gang stealing loads of treasure and taking 15 little girls hostage as collateral. When one asks why they couldn’t have just taken one or two of the girls, the leader responds, “It’s not nice to separate them from their friends.” Which, obviously. Should have known that. But those little girls are some of the cutest things you’ll see all year. They are running around the plane, playing with the gold, asking about the guns, and making fun of the pirates.
When Porco comes to the rescue, they all start diving into the water. When one of the pirates tells them that it’s not safe, one responds saying, “Don’t worry. We all belong to a swimming club. Watch this,” and proceeds to dive in. They are adorable and hilarious and completely steal the show. What an incredible opening.
It takes a strong screenplay to make a good comedy anime because of the animation process. They are generally animated first then the dialogue is recorded. It doesn’t allow for the expression of the actor or any sort of ad-libbing and working off the other actors as is seen in live-action comedy. It is clear Miyazaki’s screenplay was handled with care. There are just so many little blink-and-you-miss-it jokes that tie the whole film together really well. It wouldn’t be the same without them.
There’s a scene when pirates are attacking a cruise liner, but the cruise learned their lesson and have two security planes on board at all time. When telling the passengers they’re safe, the PA system announces the two planes as if they are boxing all-stars entering the fight. The whole crowd cheers as the pilots wave at their adoring fans. This is a relatively small detail in the grand scheme of the scene, but without it, the scene would be lacking. It is this attention to the little details that make Porco Rosso a genuinely funny film.
The story is rather simple, but it never feels like anything is missing. It is a well-known fact that Miyazaki loves planes and everything to do with flight, and this is the first of his films that truly makes it the main event. He even placed a little nod to the studio’s namesake with Porco having an Italian Ghibli engine in his seaplane. It’s fitting that a film meant to be watched on a plane is all about planes and was created by a man that loves planes. It was really the perfect job for Miyazaki. He was even able to intelligently get his anti-war themes into it.
Porco Rosso is truly a film for everyone. It has everything anyone could ever want: great characters (Fio’s the best), a fun story, strong comedy, and don’t even get me started on that ending. Without spoiling the story, the grand finale is an event, and I mean event, that needs to be seen to be believed. It is a true spectacle. It’ll have you sitting on the edge of your seat and even crying laughing. Easily one of the best Miyazaki finales.
Some people may not be as charmed by Porco Rosso as I am, but I think the issue is all in expectations. Porco Rosso will never be the first Studio Ghibli film anyone sees. The majority of people will start with something like Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, or My Neighbor Totoro. All classics and great places to start, but Porco Rosso is nothing like them, and really not much like the rest of Studio Ghibli’s filmography. It can be kind of startling when you are expectations are that of Spirited Away. But that doesn’t make this a bad film. You just need to know what to expect: a great and unexpected comedy about a bounty hunting pig. Nothing too wild or fantastical. Just sit back and have a good laugh.
Oh, and Michael Keaton plays Porco. It’s fantastic.
Best Quotes
“Show more ambition! You’re a pirate!”
“His grandma’s cousin was Italian.”
“Face it, I’m a pig.”
“If you make money from war, you’re scum. If you can’t make money from bounty hunting, you’re an idiot.”
“Thank you for trusting a woman.”
“Just looking at her makes me tired.”
“I’d rather be a pig than a fascist.”
“And you know, my butt is bigger than it looks.”
“What is that, Shakespeare?” “No, it’s Porco.”
