Orlando Lens
Hayao Miyazaki has left a legacy of quality filmmaking that is nearly beyond reproach. As a director-for-hire in the seventies and certainly since he began making his own films in the 80s and into the founding of Studio Ghibli with Isao Takahata, Miyazaki has positioned himself as a signature talent with a sumptuous visual style and a willingness to paint shades of grey into the kind of fantasy stories that Disney makes cut-and-dry good-and-evil affairs. I defy you watch Miyazaki's previous film, Ponyo, and tell me who the villain is. All the characters, even those who are at odds with each other, have specific real motivations that make their decisions and the troubles they face reasonable and engrossing. Miyazaki's previous mastering of the subtleties of character motivation are what make his most recent--and supposedly final--film, The Wind Rises, so maddening. The main character of the film, Jiro Hirokoshi, is a real person, though most of the film is fictionalized (and based partially on a short novel by Hori Tatsuo). Jiro Hirokoshi was a airplane designer whose greatest achievement was the Japanese Zero, a warplane that made Japan's very destructive war efforts against Asia and America in the mid-20th century possible. There is so much interesting grey area to traverse in such a character, but in The Wind Rises, Miyazaki steadfastly refuses to truly confront his main character's culpability in a horrific, real history.
The Wind Rises opens today at many area multiplexes. Rated PG-13 for some disturbing images and smoking. Run time 2 hours 6 minutes.
By Nicholas Ware
Instead, Miyazaki paints Hirokoshi more as an artist than a craftsman. Through dream sequences featuring the Italian airplane designer Giovanni Caproni, Hirokoshi expresses simply the wish to make something beautiful, with that beautiful thing being an airplane. They even have a sequence in which Hirokoshi mentions that a plane could be made lighter and more maneuverable by removing the guns. But these are simply slights-of-hand to avoid Hirokoshi ever having to engage with the war effort to which he is obviously contributing.
The other occlusion is his love story with Nahoko, a girl he first meets during the Great Kanto Earthquake in the film's most gripping sequence. Years later they reconcile at a country resort, and their love manages to be cute and believable without ever feeling real. We know Jiro is a good guy because characters in the movie constantly tell us that he is. We know he and Nahoko love each other because they say it--and quickly. It unfortunately is a lot of tell without much show, and perhaps explains why so few of Miyazaki's films include adult romances.
The Wind Rises is worth watching. But it has the dubious honor of being the film Miyazaki film that I left the theater not loving. Too many opportunities were missed, too many elements fell flat. Visually beautiful and, as usual, competently acted by the well-known English voice cast (including Joseph Gordon-Levitt, John Krasinski, and Werner Herzog), The Wind Rises nevertheless leaves a bit to be desired. It's a disappointing send-off for Miyazaki if it is indeed his final film.
The Wind Rises opens today at many area multiplexes. Rated PG-13 for some disturbing images and smoking. Run time 2 hours 6 minutes.