Porco Rossomight be an often forgotten film among theunparalleled repertoire from Hayao Miyazakiand Studio Ghibli in general. However, if there is truly a film made by Miyazaki for Miyazaki is this one. It might not be the greatest film, probably not even top 5 in most rankings of Miyazaki’s films, butPorco Rossogave him the opportunity to express and turn his taste into a story. Thus, giving the world a chance to see what the real Hayao Miyazaki enjoys more than anything.
Despite its 1992 release in Japan, Marco’s adventures didn’t arrive to the rest of the world until the early 2000s. Although it premiered in most countries between 1994 and 1996,Porco Rossodid much better in its DVD release than in the box-office. In a big part as consequence of the popularity Studio Ghibli gained with other films in the late 90s and early 00s likePrincess MononokeorSpirited Away, that served to promote andpraise all of their work form before. It was then thatPorco Rossowas recognized as a hidden gem within Miyazaki’s work. The importance this movie has for him, it’s felt only with the fact that he tried to make a sequel set in the Spanish Civil War, but unfortunately, the project never came to light.
RELATED:Why Miyazaki Made In Howl’s Moving Castle An Anti-War Movie
The Love For Aviation
It’s not by accident that almostevery film made by Miyazakifeatures at some point a flying machine, device, animal or even an entire island that carries a person through the sky. The dream of flying has accompanied humanity for a very long time, and even now that it has been almost a century since it was normalized, keeps being a huge passion for a lot of people. In the case of Ghibli’s co-founder, aviation was around since his childhood. His father worked as a Director for Miyazaki Airplane, a company owned by his uncle that was a big manufacturer of parts for the airplanes used during World War II. Although Miyazaki has always strongly rejected Japan’s implication in WWII, seeing this machines cut through the air awaked in him one of his biggest passions.
Most of Studio Ghibli’s filmsare originals, however,Porco Rossowas the product of the desire of working on one of his personal projects with his friends at the studio. The film is based onHikotei Jidai, a three-part manga written by Miyazaki himself in 1989. Set in Italy in the late 20s, the story focuses on Marco, a veteran pilot from WWI that has become a bounty hunter. The peculiarity of this is that the protagonist it’s a pig, literally. Something that is never actually explained and that can be interpreted as Marco’s vision of himself. After getting into a fight with a group of air pirates, they send an American pilot after him.
What makes it genuinely an ode to aviation is the impressiveattention to detail displayedby Miyazaki while writingPorco Rosso. The references to aircraft of the time and their designers can be found at every step. The Piccolo company is based on Caproni and Piaggio, two Italian aircraft manufacturers. Every plane show in the film is a representation of a real Italian plane of the time. His nemesis, Curtiss, is a reference to Glenn Hammond Curtiss, the aviation pioneer friend of the Wright Brothers. Multiple times the Schneider Cup, a mayor yearly seaplane race celebrated between 1913 and 1931, is mentioned with pilot names and even some details of the race’s course. Ghibli, not only the name of the studio, but also the name used for the engines inPorco Rosso, comes from the nickname given to the Caproni Ca.309, an Italian aircraft from WWII.
The small references could go on forever, from almost every character name, to the flight patterns of the seaplanes, to the tools and parts of the playing while he is getting it fixed or the flashbacks scenes.Porco Rossowas only possible thanks to the true love Miyazaki had for the topic which allowed him toput all the knowledge to workand give birth to the perfect reality-based fantasy. Fio, a big aircraft designer, and entrepreneur, feels at times like the person Miyazaki would have loved to be in another life, if he hadn’t chosen the path of animation.
Ideology And Powerful Message
He studied political science and economics and has always been involved in social commentary and many political debates. This aspect of the author has alwaysleft a mark on his work, always containing a part criticism to societal matters. Some repeated themes in his films are environmentalism and pacifism, but inPorco Rossowhat shines the most is the feminist discourse and anti-fascist spirit.
It’s fair to say that nothing that happens in a Miyazaki film does so by accident or as filler. Every scene, conversation, expression, secondary character has a reason to be. As the filmmaker often says, a good children movieshould also be enjoyable for adults.Porco Rossomight be Studio Ghibli’s film that leans the most towards an adult taste and understanding. Without forgetting its ultimate goal of being a fun plane fights movie, it delivers a powerful feminist message from the very first minute. A group of girls being hostages that seem in total control for the entirety of the scene instead of the classical desperate victim that calls for help, just brilliant.
Marco, the protagonist, often makes sexist comments and resembles a very traditional male role. However, any time his interactions with Fio or other female characters expose him and make him admit being in the wrong he appears to recover humanity for a split second, almost like his personality and attitude was the whole reason why he is seen as a pig. Regarding the female characters, as is usual,they are all strong and independent. The role inversion in the Piccolo shop, where an all-women team repairs the plane while Marco watches over the kid stands out for its intention: breaking down the stereotype of aircraft engineering being male-centered and highlighting female empowerment in times of war.
Despite being set in a time of economic depression and the rise of fascism,Porco Rossomanages to represent the joy of life and denies the fascist rule as a desire of the people as is like its nature and oppressive imposition. With all the hateful traits Marco possesses, he still had one of the most memorable lines, “I’d rather be a pig than a fascist”. The ambiguous end for him emphasizes once again that he wasn’t worthy of a happy ending. Instead,the cheerful and hopeful outcomeis for Fio Piccolo, who manages to create a successful aircraft manufacturer under her lead. Not a coincidence that Fio was the character that resembled Miyazaki’s dreams the most.
