The Wind Rises

#6 - The Wind Rises

Released as one of the world's greatest animators Hayao Miyazaki's final film, The Wind Rises is a fictionalised biography of the aeroplane engineer Jiro Horikoshi before and during the Second World War.  It might not sound like an enthralling storyline, but yet again Studio Ghibli manage to turn the mundane into beautiful splendor.

The film is visually gorgeous and breathtaking at times, in terms of style and also subject matter. Touching upon the delicate relationship between Japan and Germany during the Second World War could have been a difficult and spiky topic, but not in the capable hands of Studio Ghibli.  The film's point of view is from those proud people wanting to help their country but conscious of the agenda they are helping to continue.  It comes across not as an apology but more of an explanation that there were still freedom-loving people at such a difficult time in world politics.

This was one of the most touching cinematic experiences I have had in a long time.  The beauty of Studio Ghibli is evident in every frame and whilst the Jiro isn't the most relatable as Spirited Away's Chihiro or Howl's Moving Castle's Grandma Sophie, his story is always interesting, especially when he is forced to help design planes for Nazi Germany, due to their wartime friendship with Japan.

Nearly every Studio Ghibli film has some kind of airplane or flying machine in them.  This is due to Hayao Miyazaki's own fascination with aerodynamics and planes.  So since this film is based off the life of an aeroplane engineer, you can truly feel all of Miyazaki's love and passion went into this project.  

This marks the end of an era in animation, and I highly recommend you searching out this film on DVD and all of his earlier work.  You will not be disappointed.