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Plot
Marco Pagot, an Italian aviator, seaplane master, and First World War hero who unexpectedly acquired the traits of a pig after the war, is today known as "Porco." Pagot continues his acrobatics maneuvers aboard his red seaplane as a bounty hunter and is careful not to have anything to do with wars and the fascist regime after abandoning the Aeronautica and his beloved Gina. He has essentially retired to a small island in the Adriatic Sea.
Pagot, who had already survived in the war by a miracle in an episode in which he was the only one to get out alive, finds himself, albeit perhaps somewhat reluctantly, in an aerial fight with the American pilot Donald Curtis, but he nonetheless gets his skin back home despite being shot down.
He meets Fio Piccolo, the 17-year-old granddaughter of Porco's favorite mechanic and a young aero-engineering genius, after traveling to Milan to fix his aircraft. As long as there are no fascists or pirates on the ocean or the air, she will get to work and go with "Porco" to exact her vengeance.
Why you should watch it?
The director follows a model of narration that can be found in many, if not all, of his works to narrate these "places" that are important to him: fluidity in the unfolding of events, few and quick twists to keep the viewer's attention on a story that would otherwise proceed with a singular calmness.
The most impressive aspect of Porco Rosso is how well it handles multiple stories inside a single larger narrative, giving each main character—not only Porco Rosso Pagot—a prominent place. Donald Curtis and the "Mamma Aiuto" gang are essentially harmless antagonists in Studio Ghibli's sixth film, but instead they play complementary roles without the presence of a traditional "villain" (a character who is almost entirely absent from Miyazaki's works); the movie's only real foe, if one were to satisfy this kind of curiosity, is not a person but the fascist dictatorship.
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With "Porco Rosso" (Red Pig), Hayao Miyazaki continues to explore some of his most cherished ideas (flight, war, the female figure), which will eventually lead him, in 2013, to the ultimate synthesis of "Si alza il vento" (check my review of this movie at the following link:
Airplanes have always been important in the life of the Japanese director and the origins of this "obsession" can be traced back to Miyazaki's own biography. During World War II, Miyazaki Airplane, a company that produced parts for the building of light "Zero" fighters, was run by his father, the aeronautical engineer Katsuji Miyazaki. The Maestro has always been influenced by war although growing up far from its horrors.
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In contrast to Jir, the main character of Si alza il vento, who succumbs to the war trap and becomes an alienated essence in it, Marco Pagot (Porco Rosso's true identity), who is unavoidably still traumatized in spirit and face by the experience of the First World War, categorically refuses to belong to it, in honor of the freedom offered to him by the vastness of the sky;
In fact, following the failure of a mission, he contracted the "Curse of the Pig" that rendered him inhuman in comparison to other people, even though he is still attractive to some (this is an example of Miyazaki's typical irony). This curse also prevented him from falling in love with Madame Gina, the elegant and affectionate owner of the Hotel Adriano, the Adriatic rendezvous point for seaplane pilots. He tells his former colleague Arturo Ferrarin, Major of the Regia Areonautica, who notifies him covertly of the approach of the punitive squadrons of Mussolini's party, "Rather than become a fascist, it is preferable to remain a pig."
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It is no coincidence that the meeting occurs in the pitch-black of a theater as a cartoon with somewhat Disney-esque elements (those of the very early years in black and white) and an evil pig-pilot at its center is being screened;
This brief citation highlights Miyazaki's apparent distancing from the House of Mickey Mouse, which has always "trivialized" the concepts of Good and Evil, as well as his complete rejection of those ruthless totalitarian policies that twist art to suit their propagandistic agendas, implying the idea of an enemy that must be put down simply because it is different and impossible to tame.
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Conclusion
Overall, "Porco Rosso" is a fantastic title that skillfully switches between the comic-dramatic genres while remaining appropriate for any demographic. It is a tale that highlights both the positive and negative traits of the male gender as well as the traditional grandeur of the female soul found in Miyazaki's works.
A movie with a strong anti-war message, that I strongly suggest to anyone.
Rating
My personal vote is:
8.5/10
