A brief description
It
is post World War I when off the coast of Italy, pirates in sea planes threaten
to plunder the riches of any hapless passenger ship in the Adriatic Sea.
Only one man . . . er pig, ah . . . pilot can stop them, Porco Rosso.
Porco Rosso, also known as Marco by his friends, is a bounty hunter who
pilots a sea-fighter plane in his ever vigilant effort to thwart the escapades
of the treacherous, but lovable, pirates. It is not explained why or how
Porco Rosso was cursed and was changed into humanistic pig-form, nor does
it play any important part of the story. The rest of the humans in the story
accept Porco with complete indifference to his pig curse. In addition
to his adversarial relationship with the pirates, Porco has a relationship
with the beautiful Gina, a hotel and restaurant owner who's business
is situated on an island frequented by all the daring pilots of the Adriatic
Sea. The relationship between Gina and Porco is remains somewhat of a mystery.
The audience is kept guessing if Porco has any romantic intentions for Gina.
This movie is also known by its alternate title: The Crimson Pig.
My impression
"What! A movie that has the main character as a Pig?" That's what I said to myself. When I first heard about this movie, I didn't take it too seriously. "Sounds stupid," I said. Then I saw Porco Rosso. Boy was I wrong! Porco Rosso is an excellent movie, and it is one of my favorite Miyazaki movies.
Porco Rosso has the elements of an adventure movie, breathtaking flying scenes and air-to-air combat of World War I fighter planes. And it is a comedy too. The bungling antics of the air pirates are quite amusing from the beginning of the movie when they kidnap fifteen school girls and cram them all inside their plane, then try to take on Porco Rosso in an aerial battle with fifteen kids crawling all over the plane.
A character to watch for if Fio, a fifteen-year-old tomboy who is the granddaughter of the aircraft manufacturer who rebuilds Porco's plane after it is nearly destroyed after being shot down. Fio is the chief engineer and mechanic for Porco's plane during its restoration. She also has the knack for talking endlessly without taking a breath.
If there's one message I got from this movie, and I'm certain Miyazaki never intended it, it is the message that one can never be judged by their appearance, the content of one's character is what makes others love, respect, or admire a person. Porco Rosso is a seriously underrated, must see movie, a real gem in the world of Anime.
For an excellent in depth view of Porco Rosso check out Satya Palani's Porco Rosso web site.
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