Touchstone and Beyond: “The Wind Rises” is a Magnificent Tale of Hopes and Dreams

Marquee Attraction: The Wind Rises

Release Date: February 23, 2014

Budget: $30 million

Domestic Box Office Gross: $313,751

Worldwide Box Office Gross: $136,865,366

Plot Synopsis

Jiro dreams of planes and flying. In his dreams as a boy, he meets with famed Italian aeronautical designer Caproni who inspires the child to continue to follow his heart. As he grows older, Jiro takes a job at a Japanese company in 1927 where they design airplanes. The sky is the proverbial limit for the brilliant young man.

With his good friend Honjo, Jiro finds himself diving deep into the joy of designing planes that will allow people to fly anywhere. Sent to Germany to learn about the Nazi advancements in bomber design, Jiro and Honjo meet a reluctant Reich that is struggling to share their latest bomber designs with the Japanese engineers.

The dream of designing the best and newest plane coincides with Japan’s war in China, and the world’s push to global war. While at the same time his company and country approach world conflict, Jiro meets Nahoko, someone who he saved during the Great Kanto Earthquake, and they fall in love and marry.

Life is difficult, and as Jiro’s design for a lighter, faster airplane comes to fruition, the health of his beloved Nahoko is threatened.

Standing Ovation

The film is a masterpiece. From the animation to the story, and to the transitions from the years covered, The Wind Rises is a perfect film in many ways. It seamlessly passes through decades of history, while focusing on the dreams of one man.

The North American voice cast, which is the version of the film I watched, is astounding. They all inhabit their parts with a skill that helps to build the story for an English audience, while maintaining the brilliance of Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki’s work.

Time for the Hook

There is nothing that could not be liked about this film.

Bit Part Player

Werner Herzog as the voice of Castorp is an amusing and wonderful choice. The distinctive sound of Herzog’s cadences makes the character even more memorable.

Did You Know?

Best Quotable Line

Caproni sums up the feelings about creation when he delivers this line to Jiro near the end of the film. “Airplanes are beautiful, cursed dreams waiting for the sky to swallow them up."

Bill’s Hot Take

Studio Ghibli puts many animated films to shame with their style, story, and depth. The Wind Rises is a superior film to many recent animated blockbusters.

Casting Call (English Version)

Production Team:

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

Produced by Studio Ghibli / Nippon Television Network / Touchstone Pictures (Distribution Only)

Written by Hayao Miyazaki

My Critical Response

{Snub-Skip this Film, Lifeboat Award-Desperate for Something to Watch, Commuter Comforter-A Perfect Film for Any Device, Jaw Dropper- You Must Watch This Film on a Big Screen, Rosebud Award- This Film is Cinema.}

Having never seen a Studio Ghibli film I had no idea what to expect. To say that I found this film mesmerizing is an understatement. The Wind Rises manages to take traditional animation and build a story that is compelling, lengthy, and narratively strong, while compacting a wide range of emotions that will connect with any viewer.

The script is so well done, that the character development is far superior to many contemporary blockbusters. From the opening moments to the last scenes, viewers are entranced by the story, and that is the secret to the success of the studio and Hayao Miyazaki.

The Wind Rises gets my Rosebud Award. This is cinema, and movie lovers need to see this film.

Coming Soon

Next week a look back at the Julie Taymor adaptation of the Shakespeare play, The Tempest.