The Wind Rises

The Wind Rises – Jiro Horikoshi dreams of airplanes. Very poor eyesight has barred him from ever being a pilot, and so he hones his attention on learning how to design and build aircraft. Inspired by a fishbone, his designs become integral to a new fighter plane desperately needed by the Japanese Air Force for their war effort in World War II. How will Jiro reconcile that his beautiful dreams will be used for destruction?

The Wind Rises (2013) – Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Rating: PG

Running Length: 126 mins

Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, Martin Short (English Dub)

Genre: Drama

REVIEW: ‘THE WIND RISES’

The Wind Rises is based on the life of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the Zero fighter planes used by the Japanese Air Force in World War II. Taking a fictionalised look at his life allows the movie to cover a range of themes, from anti-war sentiment, the inferiority complex of the Japanese armed forces, and pride in technical achievement despite what it may be used for.

A line of dialogue used throughout the movie is that “airplanes are beautiful dreams”. Jiro is a very stoic character whose only real interest is a fascination with flight, and trying to create the best airplane he can. The movie does cover warmongering and fighting to a certain extent, but it’s main focus is a man dedicated to his craft. And, in a metaphorical sense, the painstaking care taken to create planes is synonymous with the painstaking care required to create animation. From surface level through to nuts and bolts, The Wind Rises is a thoughtful and carefully crafted movie.

As beautiful and honed as The Wind Rises is, it’s biographical nature means that for the most part this is a movie grounded in reality. Dream sequences aside, there is little of the rich storytelling that marked most of Hayao Miyazaki’s career. This isn’t a fantastical romp or charming children’s classic. Even appreciating the unquestionable artistry on display, The Wind Rises is a movie that can’t quite decide where its going. The journey of invention of the Zero airplane is engaging, but as soon as we swerve into love story there is a loss of momentum which results in the last act running out of steam. The movie may be wrapped up in symbolism and metaphor, but from a casual audience enjoyment point of view it won’t be your go-to Ghibli movie.

CONTENT: IS ‘THE WIND RISES’ SUITABE FOR CHILDREN?

A scary looking black bomb is silhouetted amongst undefined creatures. Someone’s airplane is destroyed by them but the person quickly wakes up just as they begin to fall, showing this to be a dream. This sequence lasts around a minute but may scare little children.

Bullies pick on a child. A boy saves the subject of the bullying by performing a judo throw on one of them.

During a dream sequence, characters climb onto the wingspan of an airplane that is airborne. There is a very brief shot of airplanes on fire in the dark, bombing a nearby city. Dialogue states that, “most of them won’t return”.

An earthquake strikes. The ground is scene to roll up and down like a carpet, causing houses and buildings to topple. There is widespread destruction. In the aftermath a baby can be heard crying in the distance. Characters shout that the boiler on a crashed train is about to explode. People flee in fear. A woman is described to have suffered a broken leg but whilst she winces in pain there is no visible injury. Many buildings are on fire and there are people on the roofs, watching. People are pushing roughly through other people in order to move down the streets although there is no shouting. A temple collapses near a group who scatter out of the way.

A test pilot is flying a new prototype airplane. Due to the speed stresses, the plane tears itself apart. There is a brief moment where it seems like the pilot may have been killed, but a parachute is seen shortly after the plane breaks up.

An adult takes pity on apparently starving children. He buys some sponge cake and tries to give it to one. The younger child looks tempted but their older sibling is more cautious and runs away, dragging them behind. We mention this scene as it is clear that the adult is trying to do good, but it may suggest that you should trust adults trying to give you sweet things in the street.

There is lots and lots (and LOTS) of smoking in The Wind Rises. Almost every character smokes, and smokes frequently.

A character mentions that a woman’s mother died of TB, and that she has it too.

Whilst in Germany our characters see that the Secret Police are following them.

There is reference to a ‘lung haemorrhage’. A woman coughs and the scene cuts to the canvas she was painting on. Blood pours over it from the cough. She claps her hand over her mouth but blood still drips through. The only sound in this scene is gentle piano music, making it a sad tone.

One character writes a letter to another whilst on a train. Tears drip down their face and on to the letter.

Two characters get married. As they get ready for bed and lie on their futon, the woman says, ‘come here’ and pulls the man to her. They turn the lights out and the scene cuts. It is implied that they are intimate.

The wife leaves her home to go a sanatorium in order to try rest and recover from serious illness. Another character cries when they realise that this has happened.

CAN I SEE A CLIP?

VERDICT: IS ‘THE WIND RISES’ FOR KIDS?

The Wind Rises is a movie about an adult and for adults, with little to hook in children. One can stroke one’s chin and enjoy the craftmanship on display, but once the plot moves into a love story with one of the most paper thin female characters in Ghibli’s cannon then the plot loses it’s grip on you. This is a film to be appreciated with a quality drink and thoughtful mind, rather than slapped on for simple entertainment. From a pure content point of view, we would say that The Wind Rises is suitable for all ages with the proviso that there is some upset and sickness. However, the movie is likely to be of little interest to children under 10 years old.

• Violence: 0/5
• Emotional Distress: 2/5 (characters deal with disease and death of loved ones)
• Fear Factor: 1/5 (minor scary part within a dream at the start)
• Sexual Content: 1/5 (implied intimacy)
• Bad Language: 0/5
• Dialogue: 2/5 (reference to sickness and disease)
• Other notes: Deals with themes of craftmanship, fascism, how dedication to your art means neglecting those around you, coping with serious illness, and justifying the use of your intelligence
• WARNING – Contains constant smoking of cigarettes with no mention of the poor health effects (as was normal for the time period)

Words by Mike Record