Kurenai no Buta
"The Crimson Pig"
Porco Rosso

Date: Wed, 06 Feb 2002 21:30:22 -0800
From: Majo no Kiki
Subject: Porco Rosso

Okay, that's it, I can't stand it!

Let's show Porco Rosso next week on wednesday!

I think there's two big problems with homemade pizza: 1) we end up with too many ingredients 2) pizzas get made too slowly.

To that, I'm gonna try this solution:

Don't bring ingredients, bring $5.  This should be more than sufficient for me to buy everything we need.  Five bucks for dinner and a movie -- cheapest date around! :)

Also, I'll start baking the pizzas right away.  I doubt I'll finish all of them, so you can still help top one.

I'm also going to set a timer so we START ON TIME DAMNIT.  I sure love making a big party out of showings [oh, you figured it out, huh? :) ] but I also feel bad that we end up starting so late that people have to leave before the movie! :..(  That's just plain wrong.  So we're going to make a great effort to be timely this time.  Help me out here. :)

Okay, on to the movie.

Porco Rosso is an Italian air-boat pilot and bounty hunter.  He crosses an American pilot, Donald Curtis, who's working for a group of pirates.  Curtis falls for Porco's dearest friend, Gina, the owner of the Adriano inn -- the local hang out.  This only adds to Porco's annoyance as Curtis relentlessly challenges him to fight him.

It's got flying pirates, love, war, spectacular shots of the islands of the Mediteranian, and a shiny candy-red plane against a dazzling blue Italian sky.

My heart is already pounding!

Points for the pirate that says, "of *course* [kidnap all of the school girls]!  We wouldn't want to separate them from their friends!"

Also, watch for my voice to crack while I get weepy during the Gina/Porco flashback scene. :)

Porco Rosso is nearly equal to me to Kiki on all levels -- art design, character design, but most importantly pacing and tightness of story.  Everything in the story is necessary, nothing drags.

Here's some info from nausicaa.net on the manga [which I have not yet read]:

>[Hikoutei Jidai (The Age of the Flying Boat)]
>Manga by Hayao Miyazaki
>
>[Hikoutei Jidai Cover]
>
>"Hikoutei Jidai" is a 15 page all watercolor manga, which the animated film
>"Porco Rosso" is based on. It was serialized in Model Graphix, a monthly
>magazine about scale models, as a part of Miyazaki's "Zassou Note" series.
>Like other mangas in this series, "Hikoutei Jidai " is a manifestation of
>his love for old planes. It's filled with planes from 1920s (heavily
>modified by Miyazaki), technical details about them, and men (good-hearted
>and silly) who love these planes.
>
>Compared to the anime version, the manga is much lighter and sillier (in a
>good sense). Other than being a "retired Italian Air Force pilot", Porco's
>past is not in the story, so there is no conflict with the fascist
>government, although the rise of fascism and the sentiment against it are
>mentioned. Gina doesn't appear at all, and Porco is basically a happy guy.
>Still, the basic story line and its charm are carried over into the anime.
>
>In the air battle scene between Porco and Donald Chuck (Curtis in the anime
>version), Miyazaki wrote; "If this were animation, I might be able to convey
>the grandeur of this life-or-death battle. But this is a comic. I have no
>choice but to rely on the imagination of you, good readers." No one knew at
>that time, that we were going to be able to see this scene on the big screen
>as the animated movie "Porco Rosso".

As always, more info on nausicaa.net: http://nausicaa.net/miyazaki/porco/

Miyazaki always draws himself as a pig in his sketchbook.  So the character is entirely his own creation.

Summary:

What: Kurenai no Buta, aka Crimson Pig, aka Porco Rosso
When: Next wednesday, Feb. 13
    6 if you want to help
    7 to eat
    8 SHARP for the movie
Where: our place in Point Richmond, let me know if you need directions
How: on Japanese LD with me reading a script aloud
Why: so I can whimper over the excellent music by Joe Hisaishi

Hope it's not too close to that mushy heart-day for people to show up!

See you there!

Kiki