THE WIND RISES – The Review

In the first few months of 2014 animated feature films seem to be setting the box office ablaze. THE LEGO MOVIE has reigned at number one for the past three weekends while a holdover from last year, FROZEN hovers in the top ten after becoming the highest grossing animated feature of all time. Both  employ state of the art computer technology to give them a fully rounded three-dimensional look (even without the stereo-optic specs). But what of hand-drawn animation? Sure, it’s used for television on popular shows like “Spongebob Squarepants” and “Adventure Time” along with commercials and short subjects. The Disney Studios made history with their traditional-drawn features beginning with the Snow White story in the 1930’s. Then Pixar arrived in 1994 with the first TOY STORY and established a new look for feature animation. Almost all new features were made with the new tech, although Disney attempted to revive the classic look with 2009’s THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG to mixed results. But overseas the traditional 2D animated feature film is thriving, especially in Japan thanks to their master of animation art (often called “Japan’s Disney”), Hayao Miyazaki. He has said that his latest work, THE WIND RISES, will be his final animated feature. It’s been breaking box office records in his homeland and has already won several movie awards. And this Sunday it is vying for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, along with another foreign-made 2D film ERNEST AND CELESTINE (Miyazaki took the Oscar in 2002 for SPIRITED AWAY). And what is the subject of his pre-retirement project? A fairy tale fantasy? A revered folk tale? No, this film is a rarity. It’s a biography set within the last 100 years and gives us a unique insight into his country’s troubled past.

THE WIND RISES tells the story of aviation designer Jiro Horikoshi. We meet him as a ten year-old with his head (or really his brain) in the clouds. He daydreams about the aircraft of the early twentieth century. A sympathetic teacher gives him an English magazine concerning an Italian airplane maker and Jiro dreams of meeting the famed Caproni who will become a fantasy mentor through the years, greeting him with, “Japanese boy!”. Years later on a disastrous train ride to college (an earthquake strikes), Jiro meets a young woman named Nahoko. After college, Jiro and his pal Honjo are hired by the Mitsubishi company to design fighter planes for the military (Jiro’s eyesight prevents him from being a pilot). The two young men are even sent to Germany in order to study their aircrafts, but Japan’s ally is not thrilled about sharing their design secrets. After their return, Jiro checks into a resort where he re-unites with Nahoko. The two fall in love, their romance complicated by his job demands and her struggle with tuberculosis. The country continues its march toward World War II as Jiro completes his designs for the A6M fighter aircraft that would become known as the prefered kamikaze weapon, the “zero'”.

For what may be his big screen last bow, Miyazaki has pulled out all the visual stops to make a breathtakingly beautiful work of cinematic artistry. But as gorgeous as WIND is, he never neglects the human element. Perhaps the story of Jiro’s desires and dreams struck a chord with the film maker. Speaking of dreams, the film literally soars showing us Jiro’s fantasies of flight with the flamboyant, gregarious Caproni. The two walk across the wings of Caproni’s elaborate creations without a care. They’re almost castles of the air. But his main goal is not destruction from above, but transportation with a celebratory zeal. Passengers seem to pop out of every orifice of the airship, all of them laughing and cavorting. Back  on the ground, Miyazaki masterfully depicts the terror of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake that ranks among the best recreations of the Hollywood 1970’s disaster epics. People and homes, along with the lengthy commuter train, are buffetted and shifted about by the angry Earth while flames spring forth at random. It’s harrowing and breath-taking. After witnessing Nature’s fury, Miyazaki shows us her beauty much later at the lush resort that serves as the blissful backdrop for Jiro and Nahoko’s love affair, particularly when the two are caught in an unexpected rain shower while waling through the luscious forest. At the resort’s restaurant we’re treated to some superb character animation via the odd, lovable German tourist Castorp who befriends Jiro. The animation team also showcases their skills during the scenes of the flying tests of Jiro’s prototype planes. The support frames and wings strain against the mighty air currents as they climb toward the heavens. Adding much to these sequences is the unusual use of sounds. It appears that human voices, perhaps full choruses are providing the sounds of engines and winds (even the earthquake rumblings) giving the story a more organic feel than clanging metal and snapping wood. The only missteps in this stunning work may be the two comic relief characters: Jiro’s blustery boss Kurokawa and his excitable sister Kayo. The seem a bit too cartoon-ish next to many of the realistic backdrops (Kayo’s mouth almost swallows her head like a typical “anime” teen girl when upset). But these are minor speed-bumps in this magnificent movie journey through history.

In many markets filmgoers will have the option of viewing the film in its original Japanese language supplanted by English subtitles (oh, there’s a few lines in French, Italian, and German too) or in an English-dubbed version. I’ve been able to view both versions and the story doesn’t lose a thing with the use of Anglo vocals. The whole dubbing process for foreign animation has improved by leaps and bounds since the days of TV’s “Speed Racer” cartoons where the English voices were quickly trying to match the rapid mouths giving the show a sense of goofy camp. The all-star US cast provides great vocal performances with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as the brainy, passionate Jiro. Standouts are Martin Short as the hot-tempered Kurokawa and director Werner Herzog who brings the right touch of whimsy to Castorp (inspired casting!). A quick bit of warning to parents, because of the period setting Jiro and his pals smoke quite a bit, but kudos to the Disney company (the film’s US distributor) for not doing a digital alteration (years ago, Pecos Bill’s cigs were erased for a home video release). Which version doesn’t matter all that much. The important thing is to see this masterwork on the big screen. This tale of a boy who dreams of flight is the inspiring topper of a career of one of the greatest artists in cinema’s history. I imagine that like Jiro, Miyazaki’s dreams have all come true. And who knows how many other dreamers have been inspired. Thanks for planting the seeds, Mr. M.

4.5 Out of 5

THE WIND RISES opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas (dubbed version) and the Tivoli Theatre (subtitled version)