52 Movies: Week 15, Porco Rosso (Red Pig)

Several months ago on the suggestion of a friend, I began to watch movies from Studio Ghibli. He recommended that I watch them in the order they were produced, and since that is my nature anyway, I have done so when I could even though it has become evident that there seems to be no real reason to do so.

So, when I got to Porco Rosso, I watched it—even though it was about a man who was a pig who flew a plane. I had absolutely no desire to watch this movie, but, as you will have guessed since I am writing this post, before very long, I was very engaged in the movie. It was surprisingly easy to get used to the main character being an anthropomorphic pig. He's taken very seriously as a character, so the viewer accepts him.

Porco Rosso entered World War I as Marco Pagot, an ace fighter pilot, and having been cursed along the way, returned home as a pig. As the movie opens we find him relaxing in a reclining lawn chair on a deserted island in the Adriatic. He is now a bounty hunter. He hunts “air pirates” who prey on ocean liners, kidnapping children and stealing whatever valuables the boats are carrying. His first job is to capture a group of pirates who have robbed an ocean liner of gold, and kidnapped 15 little school girls. Now, usually a story about pirates kidnapping school girls would be horrifying, but these pirates are softies where little girls are concerned and the girls ride roughshod over them. In general, for pirates these guys aren't a bad bunch. In apposition to Porco's seriousness, the pirates are always comedic. The head pirate bears a distinct resemblance to Popeye's Bluto.

When Porco wants to have a good meal, he heads for the Hotel Adriano. The proprietress of the hotel is the beautiful Gina, four-time widow of fighter pilots. Gina's voice is as beautiful as she is, and all the pirates who frequent her restaurant are in love with her including the new guy on the block, American Donald Curtis. She is in love with Porco, and waiting for his curse to be broken, but knowing that he is a pig, he doesn't encourage her.

Porco's plane is in really bad condition, so he takes it to Milan (where he is wanted for desertion) to his mechanic, Piccolo. Under protest from Porco, his airplane is re-designed and re-built under the direction of Piccolo's young granddaughter, Fio, aided by a bevy of old grandmothers. Porco is not happy with all this female help, but all the men have moved on. When the work is done, Fio goes along with Porco to help keep the plane running. It is from their conversation that we learn (sort of) of how Porco became a pig.

He tells Fio about a mystical experience that he had during a battle in which all the other pilots are killed. He sees them all ascending to another place, and we somehow come to understand that he turned into a pig because, well, he is a pig. All the other pilots from both sides gave their lives for the cause, and yet he survives. He is a selfish pig, which, looking back on the story up to this point, we can clearly see.

Two things surprised me about this scene. One was that the movie was not just an entertaining story, but that it was about something serious. The other was the complete western-ness of this scene. His vision of the pilots ascending into the heavens has an almost Christian feel to it. And this is true not just of one scene in one movie, but of many of the Studio Ghibli films. All the characters in this film are western. At one point in the movie they say an almost Christian grace over their meal—of course, they are Italian. But I just wonder why the Japanese creators of the Studio Ghibli films have chosen this western milieu so often. I wish I had time to do some reading about them.

The American versions of the Ghibli films are produced by Disney, and so the voice-actors are very good, and frequently well-known. In this movie, Porco is voice by Michael Keaton, Donald Curtis by Cary Elwes, and Piccolo by David Ogden Steirs. In Howl's Moving Castle, which we watched yesterday, one of the actors was Lauren Bacall!

As I have indicated before, the mood in Porco Rosso is sometimes very serious, and sometimes almost slapstick, the slapstick being more comic relief than the center of the film. In the end, it seemed to me that Porco Rosso was a kind of combination between Casablanca and Beauty and the Beast, with glimpses of some other movies, too—The Quiet Man comes to mind.

According to Wikipedia, and this is the sort of thing I think you might be able to trust Wikipedia for, Porco Rosso was the highest grossing film in Japan in 1992. And, of the 15 highest grossing films in Japan, 8 are Studio Ghibli. This seemed rather strange to me, but then I remembered looking at a list of the highest grossing films in the United States a few years ago, and more than half of them were just this kind of film, the kind that you can take your children to, but which also have another layer that adults can enjoy. Looking at the top ten list for 2015, two are cartoons, and four others are the sort of adventure films that appeal to both children and adults. It makes one wonder why movie studios seem so bent on producing sex-filled movies about people with vacuous lives.

Not only did I surprise myself by enjoying Porco Rosso the first time around, I found it just as good on the second viewing. It's not going to become a movie that I watch every year, but I might get it from Netflix again so that my grandchildren can watch it. And if I do, I'm sure I'll sit down and watch it with them.

—Janet Cupo has been commenting on this blog for about as long as it's existed, and has her own excellent blog at The Three Prayers.

Comments

[Janet]

I forgot this was going to happen.

AMDG

[Mac]

Like clockwork. Though not the most accurate clock.

[Craig]

This is one of the Studio Ghibli films I've not seen. I saw the pig and thought, for some reason, that it probably wasn't very good. I guess it just goes to show.

Janet, do you think this one would be suitable for children of all ages (or, to be more specific, for children aged 5-7)?

[Mac]

On the face of it, just looking at the graphics and hearing a bit about them, these don't sound like movies I would like much. But so many of you do that I should try one, at least.

[Janet]

I don't think I'd choose this one for my first one. I'm trying to think of which one would be good.

AMDG

[Janet]

Craig,
I can't think of anything that would be unsuitable for children that age. I'm thinking there are parts they will like better than others. Paul might be a better judge of that than I am since he still has young children, and his have seen it.

AMDG

[Paul]

It was the second Studio Ghibli film I bought, after Princess Mononoke. Somebody in the Japanese department at the university where I was working at the time recommended it to me specifically as a film for little girls (his little daughters loved it). My daughters were about 3 and 6 at the time, and showed no interest in it at all. They responded much more favourably to Kiki's Delivery Service and The Cat Returns. The younger one is now 13 and recently watched it with real engagement (but her older brother is currently studying aeronautical engineering, which might account for some of that).

[Rob G]

The first Ghibli film that I saw was Spirited Away, and I'd say it remains my favorite, except perhaps for Princess Kaguya, which is a different sort of thing, really -- more impressionistic than the others. Princess Mononoke and The Wind Rises are also quite good.

I vastly prefer the subtitled versions over the English-language ones.

[Janet]

I've never even seen the subtitled versions available anywhere. I have a hard enough time finding the English ones.

AMDG

[Rob G]

I just have the regular DVD's and it's one of the menu options on the ones I have, or have seen.

[Janet]

Maybe I'm just dense.

AMDG

[Rob G]

It's one of those things that you probably wouldn't know was there unless you looked. The market focus is on the English language version for an Anglo audience. The subtitled versions are considered extras.

[Janet]

I brought one here to watch while we were on vacation, but it's Blue Ray and the DVD player isn't.

AMDG

[Rob G]

I have a Three Stooges DVD on which one of the extra features is a dubbed version -- in Portuguese. No Spanish, no French. Just Portuguese.

[Paul]

Big in Brazil?

[Mac]

Years ago I often heard that Jerry Lewis, widely considered not very funny in this country, was a big favorite in France. If true I guess that would have been an older generation.

[Rob G]

That's what I wondered about. But why sell it that way in the States? Unless Brazil is on the same DVD platform that we are.

I must say, it is kind of a hoot to watch.

[Janet]

What I think is a hoot is that way that many products that you buy today have warnings written on them in 10 or more languages. The whole product is covered with writing. The beginning of Porco Rosso is like that. There's a little synopsis of the current situation that scrolls across the screen, clicking like ticker-tape, in many languages, some of the languages--Chinese for example--going backward.

AMDG

[Marianne]

Didn't the French critics mostly go gaga over Jerry Lewis only after he became a director? An auteur, which they've got a thing for.

[Mac]

I don't know, I just remember reading that they liked him. Didn't know he was a director, actually.

[Rob G]

I remember that about France and Lewis also. When I was a kid I thought that the Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis comedies were okay, but I didn't like his later solo work much at all. The last Jerry Lewis movie I watched was 'Hardly Working.' It came out when I was in college and a bunch of us went to see it. It was dreadful, so bad that I actually felt sorry for Lewis.

[Mac]

Any of those comedies I ever saw were when I was a child, and I don't remember a thing about them except a vague impression that Jerry Lewis's comedy was very exaggerated--lots of yelling, face-making, etc.

[Paul]

Commander of the Legion of Honour. I remember it being in the papers; and me being mystified about who he even was.

[Mac]

Wow.

[Paul]

Or actually mainly being surprised that he wasn't the same person as Jerry Lee Lewis.

[Mac]

The latter is the greater artist.

[Mac]

Probably.

[Janet]

JLL is from Nesbit, MS, where I regularly pass a sign that says, "Nesbit, MS, home of Jerry Lee "The Killer" Lewis.

I often wonder what people, who don't know who Lewis is, think when they see that sign.

AMDG

[Mac]

If that even happens.

[Janet]

I'm asking my descendants if they know. Of course, they have all seen the sign.

AMDG

[Janet]

Well, I'm pretty sure there are at least 5 that don't know.

AMDG

[Mac]

Shocking.

[Janet]

Now we'll find out about the ones that are over 7.

So far, of the grown children:

Oldest knew.

Third who has owned more guitars than computers in his life knew someone who played with Lewis.

Youngest thought he was a wrestler.

I guess it's easy to confuse Jerry the Killer Lewis and Jerry the King Lawler.

AMDG

[Janet]

Apparently when my oldest granddaughter saw the sign she asked Bill, "Who would want to live in such a place?"

AMDG

[Mac]

Under 7, or for that matter under 16 or so, don't count. Good for Third.

[Janet]

Why do you get to make the rules? It's just that age that that sign would scare to death. ;-) I think Tess was probably 7 or 8 when she said that.

AMDG

[Mac]

I meant that they can't be held responsible for the fact that they don't know who JLL is, as they have not yet attained the age of wisdom. Being scared by "home of 'The Killer'" is quite understandable.

[Janet]

I was thinking, "Oh good! Movie day!" But then, no.

AMDG

[Mac]

Speaking of which, we are in danger of running dry. This week and next week are covered, but after that...?

Not that I'm nagging those who contribute. When I was growing up in the Methodist church, we had a minister who frequently, in his sermons, denounced people who don't go to church. Which of course was only heard by the people who did go, and who got pretty tired of hearing that. So I'm not hinting that those of you who have already made several contributions need to get busy.

[Paul]

I was at a funeral this morning where the priest officiating said that our health is the most precious thing we possess, and when it is gone we have lost the ultimate good. The deceased's decline and suffering must have been a terrible blow to him and to his family. Who do, however, have the comfort of knowing that he received good palliative care. A little later he drew our attention to the crucifix "A sign of our sympathy for all those who are suffering." And at the end of his sermon he said that love conquers death, because even though the deceased is no more, our love for him continues.

I can't help wondering why a priest who can deliver such a funeral sermon is actually still a priest. The pay can't be great.

[Janet]

I always thought the ability to call down God from Heaven on command was pretty good pay--among other things.

AMDG

[Mac]

"...wondering why a priest who can deliver such a funeral sermon is actually still a priest."

I've wondered that so many times over the past 35 years or so.

[Janet]

Oh, that's funny. I wasn't paying much attention and didn't really read what he said until your comment made it clear I'd overlooked something.

I just came back from a funeral where we had a great homily. I'm always grateful for my boss.

AMDG

[Janet]

Well, there's going to be an estate sale at Jerry Lee's house tomorrow. Who would miss that?

AMDG

[Mac]

Let us know what you buy.

[Dougie]

Everyone has seen this before incredible!