I always thought that his curse was a visual manifestation of survivor's guilt. How it affects everything, the way you see yourself, the world, and even the way the world sees you.
It's a good video, but I think he missed the mark. Especially considering who made the movie. -yes porco is having survivors guilt. But becoming a pig just because of guilt doesn't seem to be enough. That doesn't make him a pig. -what makes him a pig is most likely that he is/was one. Selfish, arrogant and a deserter. -I believe In The Movie it's heavily implied he deserted, hence y the government is after a bounty hunter. -so he's cursed for real flaws, not just self perceived flaws, and he becomes human again for a bit when he is truly fighting for something or someone rather than himself.
@@FirstnameLastname-yk2jsactually, having made a thesis on Hayao Miyazaky and having read his biography, i can 100% guarantee it’s survivor guilt. Something Hayao himself spoke about.
@@rebecca_rh And saying he's a deserter doesnt make much sense. The government is after him because they know he's an ace pilot and he refuses to fight for them, therefore if he won't fight for the fascist government they'd rather take him down. That part is pretty much explicitly stated. Plus, the government he supposedly "deserted" would be the government of ww1 italy, not fascist italy. Why would they care?
@@Melichor yes exactly he’s not a deserter, he just doesn’t want to fight another pointless war. That’s why he says “better a pig than a fascist”. Miyazaki has always been anti-war afterall
@@rebecca_rh Yeah, survivor's guilt is something that doesn't make sense to most people on the surface. To say that he most have done something like desert to feel that way is a slap in the face to anyone experiencing it.
This movie really showcases Miyazaki's love for planes and captures an almost Hemingway feeling on war. It's always been my favorite and is simultaneously beautiful and sad.
I think Miyazaki might have a more complicated relationship with planes than love. He depicts planes in many different ways in his movies, and many times through a lens of fondness and appreciation like here. However in movies like Howl's Moving Castle, the planes are the foreboding of doom in many ways than one. And not just planes, other flying things. He's talked about his relationship with planes during the war. In Laputa he shows both sides to this. The lovely pirate ship and Pazu's little plane are great! However the battleships and even Laputa itself are weapons of great destruction.
@@albertarason4502 I think its his way of showcasing the perversion of something beautiful into violence. The final scene in The Wind Rises encapsulates that to me as the creators watch the beauty they made go to their death in the name of the faceless machine that is war.
@@najarintheoverowrldermuge6568Plane engineer and designer. War profiteer has a different meaning, although his role in the devlopment of the zero is fairly important. Japanese society ended up under a military junta in a really weird and strange manner. It's the japanese colonial army in China who ended up progressively taking power in 1936. War profiters is adressed to capitalist and economical entities winning from the war. Mitsubishi or IG Farben are war profiteers.
Miyazaki wanted to make a movie that middle aged dads can enjoy after work while half asleep on the couch, that's why it has such a laid back tone despite the content subject.
My favorite part of the dream sequence in the movie is the subtle symbolism that is very easy to miss. Namely, that if you pay close attention to the plane propellers of the other pilots - they all stopped spinning. Porco's however, is still spinning, albeit slowly. It pretty much symbolizes their hearts. The ones of the other pilots, sadly, stopped beating, but not Porco's. Beautiful movie.
Interesting to note from that, the dream's visualization of the afterlife being above, in the "heavens", means that the effect of a dead engine/stopped propeller is inverse; Your engine not running causes you to ascend, not fall. A stellar surreal touch
As a pilot myself who has lost friends and seen people go, that scene has a personal edge to me that makes it more touching, its hard for me to watch it without tears in my eyes. It’s so beautiful and is a very thoughtful tribute to those who have lost their lives flying, whether it be in war or an aviation accident. They are always flying, with blue skies and tailwinds.
thank you for your service :( no matter what county youre from. risking your life for others and enduring the pain of losign others in the same fight is truly admirable :(
I've seen this movie when I was a little kid. My father built RC planes so I already had an interest for planes, but this scene just... Gave such a spiritual side to the art of flying and I completely gut hooked on aircrafts and flying
"Or maybe I'm dead, and alive as a pig. It's the same thing as hell." Personally I think that quote best encapsulates his most honest and straight to the point feelings about himself.
I’m an engineering student. I watched The Wind Rises before Porco Rocco. Seeing the scene where you could see all those beautiful planes fly up in the sky. It always made me feel awe at how majestic humans can be. To be so marvelous, we could touch the sky and become one below the clouds. To see the frames of different Prussian, Italian, British, and Weimar planes fly in unison in one single formation; it makes you feel proud that we made a dream become such a reality. In the backdrop of Fascist Italy or Imperial Japan. You feel betrayed when your creations are used to perpetuate misery and horridness over those who dont deserve it. Both movies are such beautiful tragedies, that make you feel guilty and betrayed but still proud that you made dreams come true. And engineers make dreams come true. Planes are beautiful dreams. They are not meant for war.
"Which would you choose? A world with pyramids or without?" "What do you mean?" "Humanity has always dreamt of flight, but that dream is cursed. My aircraft are destined to become tools for slaughter and destruction." "I know." "But still I choose a world with pyramids in it. Which world will you choose?" "I just want to create beautiful airplanes..." -Wind Rises Also it's speculated that the reason why so many of Miyzaki's movies are about flight is because his father was director at a company that produced parts for Japanese planes during WW2 :)
His curse, to me, is a projection of his guilt surviving the War. So for the most part people see him as he thinks himself as, a pig. But three people see him for who he really is and therefore see him as a human. Theo, Curtis and Gina. I say Gina because we know Gina loves him for who he is. I also like that Curtis also sees Porco as a human because he sees Porco's selfless character in the end. It shows Curtis respects and truly understands Porco at that moment in the end.
theres also something hidden in every film done by hayao miyazaki that has flying machines in it: his family owned a air plane factory during WWII and as a result hayao knows how airplanes work and due to that all of his planes and flying craft tend to actually be designed to work in a believable way.
You shouldve learned that one can only be marketed as owner. Do you want to act as if thats untrue? Now? Thanks for part of the value of your [reward] and thats the guy whos behavior can only be marketed as owner over. ‘[Pig] with a flying machine’
I love the little detail that, during the flashback of 'pilot heaven', his friend and all the other pilots' propellers are still, but Porco's is still faintly spinning.
I like to think Marco has both been lifted of the curse but also not, its a scar that will remain and he'll fall back to old thought patterns, sometimes he'll have days as a human, sometimes he'll be a pig
The story of his time in the war that also reveals the origin of the curse was one of the best moments in animation to me. Along with it being beautifully done, it explained Porcos curse without saying it. It helped solidify it as one of my top favorite animated movies.
When I was younger, my brother would watch the same movie over and over and over and OVER AND OVER AND OVER EVERY DAY, and it would ruin those movies for me because they're burned into my head. Porco Rosso was one of those movies, but somehow that one never got old. What a good movie that had to be, huh?
This review nails it. There are Ghibli movies that I think are artistically superior to Porco Rosso, but if I had to choose watching just one flick in this world to pick myself up in a tough situation, this would be it. In a very different way, just like an Ozu movie, it's a masterpiece in its simplicity.
I had absolutely no idea what Porco Rosso was about before I watched this. This sounds like a delightfully and melancholy film. Slayed the video as always!
I appreciated how despite being known as a womanizer Porco is actually very consistently see either rejecting advances or actually being really kind towards women. He has all the grandmas he's friends with, his top priority for giving Fio the job is that she doesn't overwork herself, and he never goes after Gina after his friend dies. I think it's very important that the scene after Porco whispers to the lady at the bar, he's immediately seen eating alone awaiting Gina. Even if he actually is a womanizer that is only in the 'tell' part of the story where Miyazaki very deliberately 'shows' us what he really thinks.
Porco Rosso is personally one of my most favorite movies of hayao miyazaki's work. It's very anti-war, and how amazingly beautiful the animation is at that time. The music, the plane designs, and the story of Marco's past. Fun fact, The Wind Rises, has the same airplane graveyard that you see when marco is telling his backstory. You see it again in the wind rises at the very end of the movie.
I also liked that the whole message of the movie is cleverly disguised with one of the oldest premises to a saying: "When pigs fly" It's meant to mean something that is certain to never happen, but in the context of the movie it basically defines Marco by being a literal pig who flies. I always thought the message of that was that he was already achieving the impossible and that he was the only one missing the point by being so hard on himself (all the other characters we see him interact with know he's a good person, from the reporters, to Gina, Ferrarin still helping him even years after the War, Piccolo being willing to help him with the plane even though he was short on money and ultimately Fio, who, unlike the others, doesn't really have history with Marco but is able to tell he's a good person regardless).
3 місяці тому+15
At the end of the film, Fio says he never saw Porco again. But she says she becomes friends with Gina and in the final scene she is flying over her friend's hotel. If you look carefully at the corner of the island, you can see a red plane docked next to Gina's private garden. Maybe Fio never saw Porco again because Porco no longer exists. Marco yes.
Porco Rosso is one of my all time favorite comfort movies, and this was a fantastic analysis of it! Like most ghibli movies it does an incredible job to build up the world, the state of said world and show how people around the protagonist live their lives in it without having to point them out directly. Its so funny, the aerial combat scenes are fantastic, and its beautifully wholesome and somber! Definitely reccomend it!
I just want to say I appreciate this video, I had always wondered why I loved Porco Rosso and as someone with survivor's guilt, PTSD and maladaptive behaviors you have articulated what I could never put into words. Thank you!
9:27 thank you … … Live Action is a bizarre curse of the cinematic landscape. Animation has been, and will always be the best device for eccentric storytellings. Watership Down is probably the best example, but there are so many others.
I watched Porco Rosso multiple times as I grew up, at first I thought the plot doesn't make any sense but it's still a pretty wonderful visual treat. As I grew older and experience a little more of life, loss, guilt, failure, it makes me sadder every time I rewatch it. You've done a beautiful breakdown of the film, that's exactly how I feel about this masterpiece.
I'm glad that someone else was able to put into words how I felt about this movie. Its not often that's men's self image or body image is the subject of a film and I think it really spoke to me at an important time. Proco Rosso is very special and I'm glad I'm not alone in *why* I like it.
Porco Rosso is in my top 10 movies and I've gone so far as to make a D&D character heavily inspired by Porco himself. I feel it's gone underappreciated thanks to its peers, despite how different it is from other Miyazaki movies.
I like to think that Marco did eventually break the curse. Not because of some fairytale twist or anything as Fio thought could work. But more because of the entire events as they unfolded. A lot of stuff happened in the timespan of the movie. From the rise of fascism, the general fights, another war brewing in the background, the literal dogfights between pirates and hunters and of course the kerfuffle between him and basically everyone else. Its like a full climax by the end of the story. He does end up beating his oponent but with that he has also finally beaten himself. He has proven to himself that he is capable of standing up for someone else and not letting them down again. Knows that he was forgiven a long time ago as he was told in the final fight, and knows that he has family, even if not directly related in Fio and her own. He is no longer really alone or on his own. And it feels like he knows that.
When I was a teenager when I first saw this movie I fell in love with it and as I’ve gotten older I appreciate so much more about it. It’s a bit amusing that I still enjoy this movie so much over 15 years later that I actually paid money to see it in theaters a couple months back
I watched this movie for the first time with my Italian family. My grandpa was a pilot and airplane engineer and would travel up and down the Adriatic, from Turkey all the way back to Udine where my aunt was born. I was a kid, I just watched it once and thought, "This is just like my grandpa. Planes and adventure." I watched it again on my 16th birthday. I'm glad my grandpa wasn't Porco.
Seeing the thematic similarities definitely helps me understand why they chose to adapt Howl the way they did. Sophie and Marco have very similar curse themes that i feel enrich each other as you understand the other
Such a great film. The dream sequence stuck with me ever since I first watched this movie, and is by far the most profound moment in any Studio Ghibli movie for me.
I haven't watched Porco Rosso in a long time... At the time I didn't really understand it... I just enjoyed the movie... Hearing your observations, i realize it is probably a movie i need to watch now... given my current mental state and self view.
You hit the nail onthe head with this one. Porco Rosso has become one of my favorite movies over the years and its great to finally see a well made analysis on it. That flashback scene always puts tears in my eyes.
That scene also wrecks me. This isn't my favorite Miyazaki film; that would be Princess Mononoke. But this one is a bit deeper than it seems. Yes, it isn't on the same level as a couple of other Miyazaki films, but it's quite good. You can imagine that crazy line of planes as representative of all the deaths in WWI. You can't see the start of the plane line, nor the end. It just smacks you in the heart. Thanks for the video.
So sorry to be this guy, specially since the video was so interesting and well made, but I can't help to feel disappointed by the English voice of Porco. The French one has such a different vibe is absolutely perfect for the character and to me it makes the movie at least 10 times better. Thank you for the video
the third act is the best for me cuz its not trying to be a generic movie or fairytale at that point (although with a couple subtle fairytale hints), its just two male pilots being men, its a dick measuring contest in he sky, who is the best pilot, ending with their guns jamming, too which they respond by throwing literal garbage on eachother and using revolvers, a homage to early WWI air combat, afterwhich they land and just have a boxing match, indicating that it was never about killing the other, just an ordinary dick measuring contest XD after which Curtiss reveals that Porco was the winner all along when he tells him Gina is still waiting for him no matter what and this is all just a sharade to keep some of his image up
Happened to watch a documentary about Schneider Trophy. It blew my mind, but should've not come as surprise (as Miyazaki truly is the king of aviation nerds), that Porco's plane is loosely based after Macchi M.33 and Curtis flies Curtiss R3C-2. Both actual Schneider Trophy racers.
It's not even that alternate, other than the colors of the flags and so on. Those weird double-hulled sea planes at the end? Real. (Savoia S55) And Piccolo's factory is a real place, except it's in Turin, not Milan. Look up Nando Groppo.
Something pointed out by STEVEM in his video on Porco Rosso is that making Porco a Pig might have been intentional symbolism to his position on the state of Italy in the film. "Red Pig" could have been an insult slung by fascists to those who didn't support the Regime, but then again the the symbolism could mean a lot of things.
I love the vibe of the movie, ever since I watched as a kid. I live in an area relatively close Italy and the whole place and time of the movie is so unique and fun, especially for anime. The inter war period the background shots of the sea and Italian contry sides, the animation that fits so well. Feels like drinking an espresso really early in the morning on the eastern Italian coast.
The plot is dead simple because it's based off a 15 page manga by Miyazaki. The story and the film by extension, by Miyazaki's own words, was for tired, middled-aged salarymen. And that really explains everything.
I remember I saw this movie back when netflix was a disk order website and this was the first netflix movie my brother evert showed me. It will always hold a special place in my heart
Great video! As an italian im very happy to see a character like Marco being dissected as a character, i personally find this movie extremely relaxing because it reminds me of my life in italy and how it was for my family back in the day. Veterans of the first world war (and to a certain extent the second too) pretty much came back home in shambles because of the war, and if you've read some italian history you can tell some people were DETERMINED to serve their pretty much newly formed country despite the lack of strong leadership, and they did to their expenses despite the half-loss half-win it turned out to be. Even to this day, many stories are lost because most veterans didn't start talking about the war until later down their lives and because of the remorse of seeing people dying and not being them instead. This puts it into even more perspective: imagine how traumatizing must it have been to see your friends dying instead of you, and despite this sacrifice still turning out in a phyrric victory and a promise to do better next time. As for the potrayal of the characters buying important materials in an old underground most likely-illegal workshop yeah: it is kind of funny from an outsider view, but it's pretty much a reality that many people have lived through in small italian towns back in the day, be it for lack of government support, simplicity or just simple self-sufficiency, even more so for guns and cartridges, which im sure were as much of a luxury as they are today both burocratically and for expenses. It might sound all very jarring and stressfull, but there's a certain comfortness in seeing what could be considered as a very lighthearted adventure represented in such a sad context, it makes you feel hopefull that even if things were bad both in the past, present and future life truly is worth living in the end, for the little things we experience. As for the sexual connotations, i don't think they're necessarily supposed to be sexual in nature, or atleast not made for sexual purposes. During those times it was taken for granted that in order to have the hand of someone you love you'd have had to ask the lover's family first, and for every other needs the brothels were a state-financed thing i've heard. In any case, those talks i feel were more playfull and in context than anything, but these are my two cents.
Your discussion of, “how the curse works,” here reminds me of how curses work in the Witcher series. In the Witcher basically anyone can inadvertently manifest a curse if they have a strong enough emotion directed at a particular target (as long as there’s a certain level of dramatic irony involved lol).
I have never seen this movie until a few months ago when my friend recommended it. Now it’s one of my favorite Ghibli Films. You broke it down beautifully.
I LOVE this movie so much. What an excellent analysis! And well, I think Fío saying “They never caught up to Porco” plus his plane being at the Hotel Adriano implies that he transformed back into Marco, though we never get to see it. You can’t catch up with a man who no longer exists (and who is the Ace of the Adriatic).
Self image is a consistant theme for ghibli, porco and his curse, sofie and her curse, sen and her curse, kiki and her burnout (which is like a curse), etc.
I loved the way you explained it, covers everything. Porco Rosso is underrated and it's one of the movies that changes a lot when you rewatch it as an adult. It's definitely one of my favorites. It's very eloquent and gives you JUST the right amount of information to make the movie flow.
This is one of my favourite movies as well. However there's more to the ambiguity of the curse being lifted when Fio manages to give Porco a very quick kiss as she leaves on the plane during the ending. Kurtis turns to him whilst Porco's face is obstructed and says 'Hey your face! C'mon let me see it' as if to suggest that the curse was lifted either via the kiss or the experience allowing him to forgive himself.
I haven’t seen the boy and the heron but porco has been my favorite film by gibli and can watch it on repeat. Painted my bike “an obnoxious red” just like his plane ❤️🩹
I've always struggled with interpreting this movie, this video does an amazing job of cutting right to the poignant and valuable story and message. Fantastic work!
i love youtube randomly recommending me smaller channels. Its always really interesting to hear a nice well done analysis of something I've enjoyed. Studio Ghibli and more specifically Miyazakis movies are probably my absolute favorite pieces of art for the combination of the old school art style, the light easy and well done primary story and most importantly the deeper more in depth secondary story thats just under the surface. Although i have to say "Princess Mononoke" is probably still my favorite because of all the tones of grey the characters have, Porco Rosse is without a doubt in my top favorites as well
I genuinely love this movie, it actually took me by surprised when i watched turning into one of my favorite Ghibli movies, since the tittle and description gives a more light hearted silly vibes, the plotwist comes when you put attention to the subtlety the movie shows. Like he presents himself as a confident chill badass and even tricky pig, but in clever scenes, he is pretty sad and kinda hateful to himself. The fact that there is no magic but more of a physical manifestation about how Porco looks himself despite being so lucky for surviving that last combat is so clever All characters are very likeable yet have the right amount of deepness for them to not feel flat, im also glad Miyazaki never does sequels because the charm comes to being unique movies
Refusing faschism can explain it. The women arent seen as pigs because they are women. Porco is a soldier and a man, so he is seen as a pig (you can see similar things in present wars like ukrain for example where men are forced into war). The man in the cinema is a faschist himself and therefore isnt seen as a pig by society. Porco isnt cursed he is just seen as a pig - the others dont have the same social position. After the fight when it is implied that he may be human it is not that he is transformed but that the people see him differently - imo porco isnt a pig, he is just seen as one and therefore portrayed as one.
A nice touch was putting the opposing forces in the same airplane. And yes, the Italians did fly aircraft based on an Austrian design. That battle was entirely believable on that point. Once again, Miyazaki's aircraft are spot on.
I love this movie for the same exact reasons. The movie really spoke to me and reminded me about all the regret I've faced in my life and was one of the things that helped me look past it. But my favourite Movie (all types of movie) of all time will be "Castle in the Sky". It is the right mix of adventure, mysticism, love/friendship and sillyness. It reminds me of how you could sometimes see the world as a child... have adventures and be happy even in times of hardship.. Trying to see the world through Pazus eyes is like lifting a heavy veil.
Fun detail: early potato masher style grenades were more like flash-bangs than the fragmentation grenades we commonly associate with grenades today--so that scene is weirdly more plausible than I initially expected.
I feel the exact same way about this film as it was expressed in the beginning of the video. But I will say this short film is the most perfect, most simple and expressive one out of all his films. It’s the last of it’s kind and that saddens me greatly. We’re capable of taking risks and creating these again but greed has finally won and taken over. Every single one of his movies are a treasure of cinema.
I saw this movie last year as part of Ghiblifest. At the end as the credits rolled, the audience APPLAUDED! I haven't seen that happen in years. It was that good a movie.
A lot of his films have questions that are never answered, not even implied, but those things are things that don’t really matter to the story. Like in Totoro, you don’t get a whole lot of information about the mother. But you don’t really need to know anything other than she is sick so you don’t get much more information than simply if she is sick. And the kids being the main characters, they wouldn’t have that information either.
this video was great, porco rosso has always been my favorite Ghibli movie ever since i could remember for reasons im not even entirely sure of to this day, and yet i rarely see anyone speak about it or even know it when the topic of Ghibli movies comes around, thank you for shedding light on this childhood gem of mine
waughhh i love this essay!!!! this movie is so dear to me for the reasons you shared in this video! You have so much passion for sharing it too which i appreciate all the more
I watched this video while eating a sandwich. I did not expect to cry while eat a sandwich because Ive such a great memory for movies and this one of my all-time favorites. Great video
Fantastic video on one of my favorite Ghibli movies. I also wanted to thank you for including captions on your video. They're rare for channels under 500k but I really appreciate them!!!
granted - Porco Rosso is very meloncholic. But Grave of the Fireflies is pure trauma. . . I had to watch it in school as a kid in Japan and needless to say. . . I cannot even hear the soundtrack without stopping dead in my tracks and getting pulled into a deep, dark feeling of total loss. . . I still joke around when I get the candies and make a smile. . . and watch everyone around me just droop. . . you know its a shared feeling.
I think that one question was answered in this movie - how to lift his curse? After his fight with Curtis his face reverts to normal, meaning he has forgotten for a split second about his curse (or rather survivals guilt). Maybe he finally thought that he became useful as a pilot because he had fought for somebody he truly cares about and admires (he didnt want for Curtis to marry Fio)
Your point about how the animation works is so spot on. Think about even with live action mixed like Who Framed Roger Rabbit and how we just go with it. Yeah, toons are real, and can interact with humans! Sure!
I always thought that his curse was a visual manifestation of survivor's guilt.
How it affects everything, the way you see yourself, the world, and even the way the world sees you.
It's a good video, but I think he missed the mark. Especially considering who made the movie.
-yes porco is having survivors guilt. But becoming a pig just because of guilt doesn't seem to be enough. That doesn't make him a pig.
-what makes him a pig is most likely that he is/was one. Selfish, arrogant and a deserter.
-I believe In The Movie it's heavily implied he deserted, hence y the government is after a bounty hunter.
-so he's cursed for real flaws, not just self perceived flaws, and he becomes human again for a bit when he is truly fighting for something or someone rather than himself.
@@FirstnameLastname-yk2jsactually, having made a thesis on Hayao Miyazaky and having read his biography, i can 100% guarantee it’s survivor guilt.
Something Hayao himself spoke about.
@@rebecca_rh And saying he's a deserter doesnt make much sense. The government is after him because they know he's an ace pilot and he refuses to fight for them, therefore if he won't fight for the fascist government they'd rather take him down. That part is pretty much explicitly stated. Plus, the government he supposedly "deserted" would be the government of ww1 italy, not fascist italy. Why would they care?
@@Melichor yes exactly he’s not a deserter, he just doesn’t want to fight another pointless war. That’s why he says “better a pig than a fascist”. Miyazaki has always been anti-war afterall
@@rebecca_rh Yeah, survivor's guilt is something that doesn't make sense to most people on the surface. To say that he most have done something like desert to feel that way is a slap in the face to anyone experiencing it.
This movie really showcases Miyazaki's love for planes and captures an almost Hemingway feeling on war. It's always been my favorite and is simultaneously beautiful and sad.
I think Miyazaki might have a more complicated relationship with planes than love. He depicts planes in many different ways in his movies, and many times through a lens of fondness and appreciation like here. However in movies like Howl's Moving Castle, the planes are the foreboding of doom in many ways than one. And not just planes, other flying things. He's talked about his relationship with planes during the war.
In Laputa he shows both sides to this. The lovely pirate ship and Pazu's little plane are great! However the battleships and even Laputa itself are weapons of great destruction.
@@albertarason4502 I think its his way of showcasing the perversion of something beautiful into violence. The final scene in The Wind Rises encapsulates that to me as the creators watch the beauty they made go to their death in the name of the faceless machine that is war.
His father was a war profiteer and worked on planes so he's very connected to them.
@@najarintheoverowrldermuge6568Plane engineer and designer. War profiteer has a different meaning, although his role in the devlopment of the zero is fairly important.
Japanese society ended up under a military junta in a really weird and strange manner. It's the japanese colonial army in China who ended up progressively taking power in 1936.
War profiters is adressed to capitalist and economical entities winning from the war. Mitsubishi or IG Farben are war profiteers.
@@marcbuisson2463 the man literally owned factories that made and sold plane and plane parts for the war. He's represented in the new movie
Miyazaki wanted to make a movie that middle aged dads can enjoy after work while half asleep on the couch, that's why it has such a laid back tone despite the content subject.
IIRC the movie was commissioned by an airline that wanted a film businessmen would want to watch on a long airplane flight.
Dad must be in the [wrong] drugs.
@@bunk95what? Lmao
alarming to me as a teenager who made pasta and sat alone to watch it and relax, I am a middle aged dad now.
my dad is a bit of an aviation nerd and im a ghibli nerd, my mum is also italian so this film it literally perfect for us!
My favorite part of the dream sequence in the movie is the subtle symbolism that is very easy to miss. Namely, that if you pay close attention to the plane propellers of the other pilots - they all stopped spinning. Porco's however, is still spinning, albeit slowly. It pretty much symbolizes their hearts. The ones of the other pilots, sadly, stopped beating, but not Porco's. Beautiful movie.
Interesting to note from that, the dream's visualization of the afterlife being above, in the "heavens", means that the effect of a dead engine/stopped propeller is inverse; Your engine not running causes you to ascend, not fall. A stellar surreal touch
also, his friend is plane number 1 he marries Gina first she marries another pilot later husband #2 and marco's plane is number 3
Aaaaah, here comes the tears again
As a pilot myself who has lost friends and seen people go, that scene has a personal edge to me that makes it more touching, its hard for me to watch it without tears in my eyes. It’s so beautiful and is a very thoughtful tribute to those who have lost their lives flying, whether it be in war or an aviation accident. They are always flying, with blue skies and tailwinds.
thank you for your service :( no matter what county youre from. risking your life for others and enduring the pain of losign others in the same fight is truly admirable :(
is it worth it being a pilot because i wanna be one too but om afraid to take the first step...
@@tobiasstergaard6662 If you're going to be a pilot be a commercial pilot, not a military one. It's not worth tainting your soul
I've seen this movie when I was a little kid. My father built RC planes so I already had an interest for planes, but this scene just... Gave such a spiritual side to the art of flying and I completely gut hooked on aircrafts and flying
thank you for your guidances@@Dell-ol6hb
"Or maybe I'm dead, and alive as a pig. It's the same thing as hell."
Personally I think that quote best encapsulates his most honest and straight to the point feelings about himself.
I’m an engineering student. I watched The Wind Rises before Porco Rocco.
Seeing the scene where you could see all those beautiful planes fly up in the sky. It always made me feel awe at how majestic humans can be.
To be so marvelous, we could touch the sky and become one below the clouds.
To see the frames of different Prussian, Italian, British, and Weimar planes fly in unison in one single formation; it makes you feel proud that we made a dream become such a reality.
In the backdrop of Fascist Italy or Imperial Japan. You feel betrayed when your creations are used to perpetuate misery and horridness over those who dont deserve it.
Both movies are such beautiful tragedies, that make you feel guilty and betrayed but still proud that you made dreams come true. And engineers make dreams come true.
Planes are beautiful dreams. They are not meant for war.
"Which would you choose? A world with pyramids or without?"
"What do you mean?"
"Humanity has always dreamt of flight, but that dream is cursed. My aircraft are destined to become tools for slaughter and destruction."
"I know."
"But still I choose a world with pyramids in it. Which world will you choose?"
"I just want to create beautiful airplanes..." -Wind Rises
Also it's speculated that the reason why so many of Miyzaki's movies are about flight is because his father was director at a company that produced parts for Japanese planes during WW2 :)
His curse, to me, is a projection of his guilt surviving the War. So for the most part people see him as he thinks himself as, a pig. But three people see him for who he really is and therefore see him as a human. Theo, Curtis and Gina. I say Gina because we know Gina loves him for who he is. I also like that Curtis also sees Porco as a human because he sees Porco's selfless character in the end. It shows Curtis respects and truly understands Porco at that moment in the end.
theres also something hidden in every film done by hayao miyazaki that has flying machines in it: his family owned a air plane factory during WWII and as a result hayao knows how airplanes work and due to that all of his planes and flying craft tend to actually be designed to work in a believable way.
You shouldve learned that one can only be marketed as owner. Do you want to act as if thats untrue? Now?
Thanks for part of the value of your [reward] and thats the guy whos behavior can only be marketed as owner over.
‘[Pig] with a flying machine’
yeah the planes in this look really nice, the blue plane near the beginning of the video looking very similar to a cr.32 for example
@@bunk95what?
As someone into aviation I love the aesthetics of this movie. Porco's plane is based off the Macchi M.33
@@potatolord9715 seems like Schizo talk to me
I love the little detail that, during the flashback of 'pilot heaven', his friend and all the other pilots' propellers are still, but Porco's is still faintly spinning.
I like to think Marco has both been lifted of the curse but also not, its a scar that will remain and he'll fall back to old thought patterns, sometimes he'll have days as a human, sometimes he'll be a pig
"This wound will never fully heal. He will carry it for the rest of his life"
The story of his time in the war that also reveals the origin of the curse was one of the best moments in animation to me. Along with it being beautifully done, it explained Porcos curse without saying it. It helped solidify it as one of my top favorite animated movies.
For me it was also a story of someone dealing with complex ptsd and how when the trauma is released slowly, he turns to his own self again
When I was younger, my brother would watch the same movie over and over and over and OVER AND OVER AND OVER EVERY DAY, and it would ruin those movies for me because they're burned into my head. Porco Rosso was one of those movies, but somehow that one never got old. What a good movie that had to be, huh?
To put it simply, a movie subtly showed us, "I am a monster. But before that, I found out that I was also a man."
This review nails it. There are Ghibli movies that I think are artistically superior to Porco Rosso, but if I had to choose watching just one flick in this world to pick myself up in a tough situation, this would be it. In a very different way, just like an Ozu movie, it's a masterpiece in its simplicity.
I had absolutely no idea what Porco Rosso was about before I watched this. This sounds like a delightfully and melancholy film. Slayed the video as always!
Give it a try, it's the best Miyazaki film in my opinion
I appreciated how despite being known as a womanizer Porco is actually very consistently see either rejecting advances or actually being really kind towards women. He has all the grandmas he's friends with, his top priority for giving Fio the job is that she doesn't overwork herself, and he never goes after Gina after his friend dies. I think it's very important that the scene after Porco whispers to the lady at the bar, he's immediately seen eating alone awaiting Gina. Even if he actually is a womanizer that is only in the 'tell' part of the story where Miyazaki very deliberately 'shows' us what he really thinks.
Porco Rosso is personally one of my most favorite movies of hayao miyazaki's work. It's very anti-war, and how amazingly beautiful the animation is at that time. The music, the plane designs, and the story of Marco's past. Fun fact, The Wind Rises, has the same airplane graveyard that you see when marco is telling his backstory. You see it again in the wind rises at the very end of the movie.
I am unbelievably sorry that a film breakdown as good as this is as underrated as it is. Your talents need way more recognition
I also liked that the whole message of the movie is cleverly disguised with one of the oldest premises to a saying: "When pigs fly"
It's meant to mean something that is certain to never happen, but in the context of the movie it basically defines Marco by being a literal pig who flies.
I always thought the message of that was that he was already achieving the impossible and that he was the only one missing the point by being so hard on himself (all the other characters we see him interact with know he's a good person, from the reporters, to Gina, Ferrarin still helping him even years after the War, Piccolo being willing to help him with the plane even though he was short on money and ultimately Fio, who, unlike the others, doesn't really have history with Marco but is able to tell he's a good person regardless).
At the end of the film, Fio says he never saw Porco again. But she says she becomes friends with Gina and in the final scene she is flying over her friend's hotel. If you look carefully at the corner of the island, you can see a red plane docked next to Gina's private garden. Maybe Fio never saw Porco again because Porco no longer exists. Marco yes.
Or porco looks different and never tells her
@@saltysmoke 😄
I cry like a little girl during the planes in heaven scene. Im not sorry.
survivals guilt is a hell of a thing
To this day, I'd like to believe that he finally took on Gina's bet some time after the dogfight.
Porco Rosso is one of my all time favorite comfort movies, and this was a fantastic analysis of it! Like most ghibli movies it does an incredible job to build up the world, the state of said world and show how people around the protagonist live their lives in it without having to point them out directly. Its so funny, the aerial combat scenes are fantastic, and its beautifully wholesome and somber! Definitely reccomend it!
I just want to say I appreciate this video, I had always wondered why I loved Porco Rosso and as someone with survivor's guilt, PTSD and maladaptive behaviors you have articulated what I could never put into words. Thank you!
TY!
9:27 thank you …
… Live Action is a bizarre curse of the cinematic landscape.
Animation has been, and will always be the best device for eccentric storytellings.
Watership Down is probably the best example, but there are so many others.
Survivor's Guilt and PTSD
“The real reason she does it is that she believes he’s a good person who’s worth fighting for” I really loved this part
I watched Porco Rosso multiple times as I grew up, at first I thought the plot doesn't make any sense but it's still a pretty wonderful visual treat. As I grew older and experience a little more of life, loss, guilt, failure, it makes me sadder every time I rewatch it. You've done a beautiful breakdown of the film, that's exactly how I feel about this masterpiece.
One person once said, "Even a flawed Ghibli film is still A Tier."
Earwig and the Witch:
Sorry Goro, but Ghibli and 3D don't mixed well.......
@@annoying_HK_guywe don't talk about that one.
The scene where Fio sees him as Marco is one of my favourites in any movie, ever.
I'm glad that someone else was able to put into words how I felt about this movie. Its not often that's men's self image or body image is the subject of a film and I think it really spoke to me at an important time. Proco Rosso is very special and I'm glad I'm not alone in *why* I like it.
Porco Rosso is in my top 10 movies and I've gone so far as to make a D&D character heavily inspired by Porco himself. I feel it's gone underappreciated thanks to its peers, despite how different it is from other Miyazaki movies.
Porco's always been my favourite Ghibli movie.
I'm glad to see others get the same value I receive from it.
I’m with you on that. Porco Rosso has a special place in my heart, it’s sentimental to me. This movie was beautifully done.
I like to think that Marco did eventually break the curse. Not because of some fairytale twist or anything as Fio thought could work. But more because of the entire events as they unfolded. A lot of stuff happened in the timespan of the movie. From the rise of fascism, the general fights, another war brewing in the background, the literal dogfights between pirates and hunters and of course the kerfuffle between him and basically everyone else. Its like a full climax by the end of the story. He does end up beating his oponent but with that he has also finally beaten himself. He has proven to himself that he is capable of standing up for someone else and not letting them down again. Knows that he was forgiven a long time ago as he was told in the final fight, and knows that he has family, even if not directly related in Fio and her own.
He is no longer really alone or on his own. And it feels like he knows that.
I loved seeing this in theaters. It blends realistic drama with more lighthearted themes, without tonal dissonance.
When I was a teenager when I first saw this movie I fell in love with it and as I’ve gotten older I appreciate so much more about it. It’s a bit amusing that I still enjoy this movie so much over 15 years later that I actually paid money to see it in theaters a couple months back
I watched this movie for the first time with my Italian family. My grandpa was a pilot and airplane engineer and would travel up and down the Adriatic, from Turkey all the way back to Udine where my aunt was born. I was a kid, I just watched it once and thought, "This is just like my grandpa. Planes and adventure."
I watched it again on my 16th birthday. I'm glad my grandpa wasn't Porco.
Seeing the thematic similarities definitely helps me understand why they chose to adapt Howl the way they did. Sophie and Marco have very similar curse themes that i feel enrich each other as you understand the other
Such a great film. The dream sequence stuck with me ever since I first watched this movie, and is by far the most profound moment in any Studio Ghibli movie for me.
I haven't watched Porco Rosso in a long time... At the time I didn't really understand it... I just enjoyed the movie... Hearing your observations, i realize it is probably a movie i need to watch now... given my current mental state and self view.
You hit the nail onthe head with this one. Porco Rosso has become one of my favorite movies over the years and its great to finally see a well made analysis on it. That flashback scene always puts tears in my eyes.
I can watch porco rosso on repeat. One of my top favourites.
That scene also wrecks me. This isn't my favorite Miyazaki film; that would be Princess Mononoke. But this one is a bit deeper than it seems. Yes, it isn't on the same level as a couple of other Miyazaki films, but it's quite good. You can imagine that crazy line of planes as representative of all the deaths in WWI. You can't see the start of the plane line, nor the end. It just smacks you in the heart. Thanks for the video.
I could have written that comment as it is exactly how I feel.
So sorry to be this guy, specially since the video was so interesting and well made, but I can't help to feel disappointed by the English voice of Porco. The French one has such a different vibe is absolutely perfect for the character and to me it makes the movie at least 10 times better. Thank you for the video
Agree! Jean Reno did the french version, if I recall correctly- would have made a hell of a marco in his younger years too!
the third act is the best for me cuz its not trying to be a generic movie or fairytale at that point (although with a couple subtle fairytale hints), its just two male pilots being men, its a dick measuring contest in he sky, who is the best pilot, ending with their guns jamming, too which they respond by throwing literal garbage on eachother and using revolvers, a homage to early WWI air combat, afterwhich they land and just have a boxing match, indicating that it was never about killing the other, just an ordinary dick measuring contest XD after which Curtiss reveals that Porco was the winner all along when he tells him Gina is still waiting for him no matter what and this is all just a sharade to keep some of his image up
Happened to watch a documentary about Schneider Trophy. It blew my mind, but should've not come as surprise (as Miyazaki truly is the king of aviation nerds), that Porco's plane is loosely based after Macchi M.33 and Curtis flies Curtiss R3C-2. Both actual Schneider Trophy racers.
The backdrop of alternate history italy is really cool.
It's not even that alternate, other than the colors of the flags and so on. Those weird double-hulled sea planes at the end? Real. (Savoia S55) And Piccolo's factory is a real place, except it's in Turin, not Milan. Look up Nando Groppo.
Something pointed out by STEVEM in his video on Porco Rosso is that making Porco a Pig might have been intentional symbolism to his position on the state of Italy in the film. "Red Pig" could have been an insult slung by fascists to those who didn't support the Regime, but then again the the symbolism could mean a lot of things.
I love the vibe of the movie, ever since I watched as a kid. I live in an area relatively close Italy and the whole place and time of the movie is so unique and fun, especially for anime. The inter war period the background shots of the sea and Italian contry sides, the animation that fits so well. Feels like drinking an espresso really early in the morning on the eastern Italian coast.
I don't think enough people realise that Porco Rosso is a love letter to the Mediterranean region from Miyazaki.
Ghibli is a kind of warm wind in the Mediterranean region, so yep
The plot is dead simple because it's based off a 15 page manga by Miyazaki. The story and the film by extension, by Miyazaki's own words, was for tired, middled-aged salarymen.
And that really explains everything.
I remember I saw this movie back when netflix was a disk order website and this was the first netflix movie my brother evert showed me. It will always hold a special place in my heart
I love Porco Rosso. I think it's perfect, because there is nothing you can remove from it.
Great video! As an italian im very happy to see a character like Marco being dissected as a character, i personally find this movie extremely relaxing because it reminds me of my life in italy and how it was for my family back in the day.
Veterans of the first world war (and to a certain extent the second too) pretty much came back home in shambles because of the war, and if you've read some italian history you can tell some people were DETERMINED to serve their pretty much newly formed country despite the lack of strong leadership, and they did to their expenses despite the half-loss half-win it turned out to be. Even to this day, many stories are lost because most veterans didn't start talking about the war until later down their lives and because of the remorse of seeing people dying and not being them instead.
This puts it into even more perspective: imagine how traumatizing must it have been to see your friends dying instead of you, and despite this sacrifice still turning out in a phyrric victory and a promise to do better next time.
As for the potrayal of the characters buying important materials in an old underground most likely-illegal workshop yeah: it is kind of funny from an outsider view, but it's pretty much a reality that many people have lived through in small italian towns back in the day, be it for lack of government support, simplicity or just simple self-sufficiency, even more so for guns and cartridges, which im sure were as much of a luxury as they are today both burocratically and for expenses.
It might sound all very jarring and stressfull, but there's a certain comfortness in seeing what could be considered as a very lighthearted adventure represented in such a sad context, it makes you feel hopefull that even if things were bad both in the past, present and future life truly is worth living in the end, for the little things we experience.
As for the sexual connotations, i don't think they're necessarily supposed to be sexual in nature, or atleast not made for sexual purposes. During those times it was taken for granted that in order to have the hand of someone you love you'd have had to ask the lover's family first, and for every other needs the brothels were a state-financed thing i've heard.
In any case, those talks i feel were more playfull and in context than anything, but these are my two cents.
Your discussion of, “how the curse works,” here reminds me of how curses work in the Witcher series. In the Witcher basically anyone can inadvertently manifest a curse if they have a strong enough emotion directed at a particular target (as long as there’s a certain level of dramatic irony involved lol).
I have never seen this movie until a few months ago when my friend recommended it. Now it’s one of my favorite Ghibli Films. You broke it down beautifully.
I LOVE this movie so much. What an excellent analysis! And well, I think Fío saying “They never caught up to Porco” plus his plane being at the Hotel Adriano implies that he transformed back into Marco, though we never get to see it. You can’t catch up with a man who no longer exists (and who is the Ace of the Adriatic).
Self image is a consistant theme for ghibli, porco and his curse, sofie and her curse, sen and her curse, kiki and her burnout (which is like a curse), etc.
i watched this again recently and felt "damn, he just like me" after the scene with fio and porco in the lamplight
I loved the way you explained it, covers everything. Porco Rosso is underrated and it's one of the movies that changes a lot when you rewatch it as an adult. It's definitely one of my favorites. It's very eloquent and gives you JUST the right amount of information to make the movie flow.
This is one of my favourite movies as well. However there's more to the ambiguity of the curse being lifted when Fio manages to give Porco a very quick kiss as she leaves on the plane during the ending. Kurtis turns to him whilst Porco's face is obstructed and says 'Hey your face! C'mon let me see it' as if to suggest that the curse was lifted either via the kiss or the experience allowing him to forgive himself.
I haven’t seen the boy and the heron but porco has been my favorite film by gibli and can watch it on repeat. Painted my bike “an obnoxious red” just like his plane ❤️🩹
This is one of the best and underrated studio Ghibli movies ever
Ever
I've always struggled with interpreting this movie, this video does an amazing job of cutting right to the poignant and valuable story and message. Fantastic work!
i love youtube randomly recommending me smaller channels. Its always really interesting to hear a nice well done analysis of something I've enjoyed.
Studio Ghibli and more specifically Miyazakis movies are probably my absolute favorite pieces of art for the combination of the old school art style, the light easy and well done primary story and most importantly the deeper more in depth secondary story thats just under the surface. Although i have to say "Princess Mononoke" is probably still my favorite because of all the tones of grey the characters have, Porco Rosse is without a doubt in my top favorites as well
I genuinely love this movie, it actually took me by surprised when i watched turning into one of my favorite Ghibli movies, since the tittle and description gives a more light hearted silly vibes, the plotwist comes when you put attention to the subtlety the movie shows. Like he presents himself as a confident chill badass and even tricky pig, but in clever scenes, he is pretty sad and kinda hateful to himself. The fact that there is no magic but more of a physical manifestation about how Porco looks himself despite being so lucky for surviving that last combat is so clever
All characters are very likeable yet have the right amount of deepness for them to not feel flat, im also glad Miyazaki never does sequels because the charm comes to being unique movies
Refusing faschism can explain it. The women arent seen as pigs because they are women. Porco is a soldier and a man, so he is seen as a pig (you can see similar things in present wars like ukrain for example where men are forced into war). The man in the cinema is a faschist himself and therefore isnt seen as a pig by society. Porco isnt cursed he is just seen as a pig - the others dont have the same social position. After the fight when it is implied that he may be human it is not that he is transformed but that the people see him differently - imo porco isnt a pig, he is just seen as one and therefore portrayed as one.
A nice touch was putting the opposing forces in the same airplane.
And yes, the Italians did fly aircraft based on an Austrian design. That battle was entirely believable on that point.
Once again, Miyazaki's aircraft are spot on.
I love this movie for the same exact reasons. The movie really spoke to me and reminded me about all the regret I've faced in my life and was one of the things that helped me look past it.
But my favourite Movie (all types of movie) of all time will be "Castle in the Sky". It is the right mix of adventure, mysticism, love/friendship and sillyness. It reminds me of how you could sometimes see the world as a child... have adventures and be happy even in times of hardship.. Trying to see the world through Pazus eyes is like lifting a heavy veil.
The story still shines in your recap, thank you.
Fun detail: early potato masher style grenades were more like flash-bangs than the fragmentation grenades we commonly associate with grenades today--so that scene is weirdly more plausible than I initially expected.
I feel the exact same way about this film as it was expressed in the beginning of the video. But I will say this short film is the most perfect, most simple and expressive one out of all his films. It’s the last of it’s kind and that saddens me greatly. We’re capable of taking risks and creating these again but greed has finally won and taken over. Every single one of his movies are a treasure of cinema.
I always thought this movie was under rated. thanks for this.
Great write up of my favorite film thank you
I saw this movie last year as part of Ghiblifest. At the end as the credits rolled, the audience APPLAUDED! I haven't seen that happen in years. It was that good a movie.
A lot of his films have questions that are never answered, not even implied, but those things are things that don’t really matter to the story. Like in Totoro, you don’t get a whole lot of information about the mother. But you don’t really need to know anything other than she is sick so you don’t get much more information than simply if she is sick. And the kids being the main characters, they wouldn’t have that information either.
man you noticed everything that others didn't, i love this movie
This is the best Porco video on here and my favorite Miyazaki movie.
this video was great, porco rosso has always been my favorite Ghibli movie ever since i could remember for reasons im not even entirely sure of to this day, and yet i rarely see anyone speak about it or even know it when the topic of Ghibli movies comes around, thank you for shedding light on this childhood gem of mine
bro that dogfight scene actually KILLS ME
waughhh i love this essay!!!! this movie is so dear to me for the reasons you shared in this video! You have so much passion for sharing it too which i appreciate all the more
From my love for this movie I developed a love for the sky. Thanks Marco
In case you didnt know, original Japanese title was 紅の豚 "Red Swine (pig)".
very well articulated points and expertly constructed, 10/10 video man i loved every second
I watched this video while eating a sandwich. I did not expect to cry while eat a sandwich because Ive such a great memory for movies and this one of my all-time favorites. Great video
Fantastic video on one of my favorite Ghibli movies. I also wanted to thank you for including captions on your video. They're rare for channels under 500k but I really appreciate them!!!
This was beautiful thanks for making it
PR rules, one of my fav movies
granted - Porco Rosso is very meloncholic.
But Grave of the Fireflies is pure trauma. . . I had to watch it in school as a kid in Japan and needless to say. . . I cannot even hear the soundtrack without stopping dead in my tracks and getting pulled into a deep, dark feeling of total loss. . . I still joke around when I get the candies and make a smile. . . and watch everyone around me just droop. . . you know its a shared feeling.
I hear you. That movie destroyed me.
I'm a simple man, I see an analyzation of one of my favourite films, I watch and subscribe
I think that one question was answered in this movie - how to lift his curse? After his fight with Curtis his face reverts to normal, meaning he has forgotten for a split second about his curse (or rather survivals guilt).
Maybe he finally thought that he became useful as a pilot because he had fought for somebody he truly cares about and admires (he didnt want for Curtis to marry Fio)
watching this RECAP made me cry. I bet watching this movie would leave me weeping on the floor in a puddle of my own tears.
i love this movie so much
great video. i love this movie and even have a tattoo of porco. I really resonated with the themes you brought up
this is too accurate to how i feel about my life on a daily basis
I just realized something the preparlers could be a representation of how porko's heart still beated during the heaven sceen
Your point about how the animation works is so spot on. Think about even with live action mixed like Who Framed Roger Rabbit and how we just go with it. Yeah, toons are real, and can interact with humans! Sure!
Great reference! Love that movie!