Written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki from his manga, Kaze Tachinu (The Wind Rises) is a fictionalized bio-pic about the life of Jiro Horikoshi as he was the man that designed the Mitsubishi A5M and its successor A6M Zero that played a key part in World War II. The film is a more dream-like portrait about Horikoshi’s life with some dramatic embellishments while not deviating too much from the real-life story. For the American-dubbed version of the film that is supervised by Gary Rydstrom, the voice cast includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, William H. Macy, Elijah Wood, Stanley Tucci, Mae Whitman, Mandy Patinkin, Jennifer Grey, and Werner Herzog. Kaze Tachinu is a mesmerizing film from Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki.
The film is fictionalized bio-pic about the life of Jiro Horikoshi that is presented in a dream-like fashion where it goes from Horikoshi as a young boy to becoming the man who would design the Mitsubishi A5M and its successor the A6M Zero that would become the key planes used in World War II. With a mixture of reality and a dream-like world, the film plays into Horikoshi’s desire to create the ultimate airplane that can endure wind resistance and not be intimidated by the advanced technology of other countries. Even as Horikishi (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) seeks the advice of the famed Italian plane designer Giovanni Battista Caproni (Stanley Tucci) in his dreams. Through Hayao Miyazaki’s screenplay, the film does have a conventional narrative in terms of structure that plays to Horikoshi’s life but he infuses with bits of surrealism and dreamy textures to make it much more interesting.
Notably as the film plays into key events that would mark Horikoshi’s development from his encounter at the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake as well as his trip to Germany to see how the Germans created their airplanes. These moments would drive Horikoshi to see if he can create a war plane for Japan that would define them as they endure the Great Depression and such. While there would be some failures along the way, Hirokoshi would eventually find more inspiration when he re-meets Naoko (Emily Blunt) whom he had met years ago during a train ride with her sister where they encountered the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. His relationship with Naoko would prove to be a major catalyst to Horikoshi’s development as a man and as an engineer where he would try to balance both roles and later deal with his what he’s achieved.
Miyazaki’s direction is definitely dazzling in the way he creates Japan in the early half of the 20th Century as it’s a world that is trying to catch up with the modern world. Especially as he infuses bits of surrealism into the dream sequences that Horikoshi would have as it features some vast scenes of planes flying around and all sorts of things. Notably in the designs of the planes and how imaginative they look as it plays to what Horikoshi would want to create. The look of Japan from its different backgrounds of mountains, forests, and cities are presented with such great detail as there’s aspects in the background that are just as mesmerizing to look at. Even in the design of the characters which have all of the quintessential elements that is expected in Miyazaki’s work as an animator.
With the aid of cinematographer Atsushi Okui to help in the lighting where much of the animation is in 2-D hand drawn animated style with some computer-based animation for some of the backgrounds. Miyazaki creates something that is truly rich in scope but also infuse it with such artistry in the way the planes are flown as well as the way nature is presented as if it has the feel of a live-action film. Even in some of the compositions and camera work where it has a sense of action but also some drama and humor that just adds to the beauty of the film. Overall, Miyazki creates a truly evocative and sensational film about a dreamer who would create one of the greatest designs for a plane despite the fact that it’s being used as an instrument of war
Editor Takeshi Seyama does amazing work with the film‘s editing in its approach to rhythm for some of its action scenes as well as the dream sequences as it features lots of jump-cuts and disjointed rhythmic cuts to play into that sense of surrealism. Sound designer Koji Kasamatsu and sound editor Gwendolyn Yates Whittle (for its English version) do fantastic work with the sound in creating some of the sound effects used in the film with Whittle providing some low sound textures for some of the English dialogue as background textures. The film’s music by Joe Hisaishi is brilliant for its mixture of lush orchestral pieces with some playful and offbeat music driven by accordions and string instruments.
For the film’s English-language version, the cast includes some contributions from Elijah Wood as a co-worker of Horikoshi, Jennifer Grey as Mrs. Kurokawa, Darren Criss as another worker in Katayama, Mandy Patinkin as one of Horikoshi’s top bosses, Mae Whitman as Horikoshi’s sister Kayo, Zach Callison as the young Horikoshi, William H. Macy as Naoko’s father, Edie Merman as Horikoshi’s mother, and Werner Herzog in a superb voice performance as a German tourist Horikoshi meets in a retreat in the famed Magic Mountains in Japan. Martin Short is very funny as the comical boss Mr. Kurokawa who provides some humor as well as some guidance for Horikoshi while Stanley Tucci is brilliant as the famed Italian plane designer Giovanni Battista Caproni as Tucci sports an Italian accent as he displays warmth and humor into the role of the man who would guide Horikoshi.
John Krasinski is excellent as the voice of Horikoshi’s close colleague Kiro Honjo who aids Horikoshi in some of the designs as he would create his own planes that would also revolutionize planes in Japan. Emily Blunt is wonderful as Naoko as this woman who Horikoshi would meet early on as a young girl and later as a woman who would provide an inspiration and drive for Horikoshi after some of the failures he had to deal with. Finally, there’s Joseph Gordon-Levitt doing fantastic voice work as Jiro Horikoshi as this young man who dreams of designing an airplane that would define Japan in all of its glory though he is aware of what they’re being used for as he hopes they can provide some meaning into his life.
Kaze Tachinu is a remarkable film from Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki. It’s a film that is filled with rich images and a captivating story that manages to be wondrous as well as somber for what Jiro Horikoshi wanted to make. While it has some dark elements, it is balanced by the themes of being a dreamer which makes the story far more engaging. If this film is to become Miyazaki’s final contribution to cinema, he at least goes out with a winner. In the end, Kaze Tachinu is a phenomenal film from Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli.
Hayao Miyazaki Films: (The Castle of Cagliostro) - (Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind) - (Castle in the Sky) - My Neighbor Totoro - Kiki’s Delivery Service - (Porco Rosso) - Princess Mononoke - Spirited Away - (Howl’s Moving Castle) - (Ponyo) - (The Boy and the Heron)
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Rob Reiner and written by William Goldman from his own novel, The Princess Bride is the story about a young woman who is devastated by the loss of a stable boy she fell in love with as she is set to marry a prince only to be kidnapped and later meets a mysterious pirate. While the main narrative is set in medieval times in a fictional country called Florin, the film is largely told in present time as it’s a story read by a man to his flu-ridden grandson. Starring Cary Elwes, Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Andre the Giant, Wallace Shawn, Chris Sarandon, Christopher Guest, Fred Savage, and Peter Falk as the grandfather. The Princess Bride is a remarkable film from Rob Reiner.
The film is a genre-bender where it has adventure, comedy, drama, and romance which revolves around a soon-to-be princess and the stable boy she loved who was later supposedly killed by a notorious pirate. Upon being kidnapped by criminals who are hired to start a war for the prince she’s to marry, she later encounters the notorious pirate who supposedly had killed her true love. It’s a film that has a simple and unique premise but with characters that subvert the idea of caricatures as many of them aren’t exactly what they seem they are. All of which is told by a man reading a book to his grandson (Fred Savage) who is bed-ridden with an illness.
What makes the story so unique is the way William Goldman creates a script with characters and dialogue that doesn’t play into the conventions of a typical romantic-adventure. Especially as the protagonists in Buttercup (Robin Wright) and Westley (Cary Elwes) are atypical of what is expected in the roles of a damsel-in-distress/love interest and hero, respectively. What Westley and Buttercup have is true love that is shattered when Westley seeks to find fortune on a ship only to have that ship attacked by the infamous pirate known as the Dread Pirate Roberts. For Buttercup, Westley’s supposed death was the end for her as she reluctantly gets engaged to Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) who only wants her for his royal stature and later use her as a pawn to start a war with a rivaling country with the help of a trio of criminals.
The trio themselves deviate from what is expected in an adventure story as the master swordsman Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) is a kind man who is seeking for a six-fingered man who killed his father many years ago. The other two is a gentle and strong giant named Fezzik (Andre the Giant) with a gift for rhyming and a Sicilian mastermind named Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) who is a cruel taskmaster that constantly insults Inigo and Fezzik. Add the presence of Prince Humperdinck and his second-in-command Count Rugen (Christopher Guest), they become the kind of forces that Westley and Buttercup have to deal with as the grandfather tells his grandson this unique story where the grandson deals with the constant details about kissing as well as what he might thinks happen in the story. Instead, Goldman’s script has this sense of language and narrative that is very engaging but also that is very funny. Even in some of the dialogue that is playful and also very witty over the situations that occur.
Rob Reiner’s direction is very simple and understated at times but also full of whimsy that adds to the unconventional presentation of the story. Much of the film is shot in locations in Britain and Ireland in the countryside and castles where Reiner uses a lot of wide shots to play into the beauty of those locations along with some amazing shots of Westley and Buttercup kissing against the sunlight. There’s also some great use of medium shots and close-ups to play into the sense of drama and humor in the film as Reiner. Especially in the latter where it is very offbeat in the presentation that includes an albino (Mel Smith) who doesn’t play to the conventions of an assistant torturer and a clergyman (Peter Cook) who can’t pronounce “R”s and “L”s.
The sense of adventure includes an amazing sword duel between the mysterious Dread Pirate Roberts and Inigo where there’s an air of respect in the duel between the two which is different between the eventual duel that Inigo would have with the man who killed his father. There’s also moments of suspense such as the duel between Vizzini and Roberts where it’s a battle of wits. Much of the compositions that Reiner creates for these scenes and in the scenes between the grandfather and grandson are quite simple as he is going more for performances rather than gimmicks and such. Overall, Reiner crafts a very sensational and lively film about true love, sword fighting, and thrills told from a grandfather to his grandson.
Cinematographer Adrian Biddle does excellent work with the film‘s gorgeous look for many of its daytime exterior scenes to display a natural look while using some lighting schemes for some of the interior scenes. Editor Robert Leighton does superb work with the editing where it is straightforward while using some rhythmic cuts for some of the film‘s action and suspenseful moments. Production designer Norman Garwood, with set decorator Maggie Gray and supervising art director Keith Pain, does brilliant work with the set pieces from the look of the castle interiors as well as the look of the Cliffs of Insanity.
Costume designer Phyllis Dalton does wonderful work with the costumes from the dresses that Buttercup wears as well as the clothes of Count Rugen and Prince Humperdinck. Makeup designer Peter Montagna does great work with the look of a couple of characters Fezzik and Inigo meets to help aid them for the climax. Sound editor Lon Bender does terrific work with the sound in some of the film‘s sound effects as well as some of the tone of the locations. The film’s music by Mark Knopfler is fantastic for its enchanting and touching score that features a lot of plaintive guitars and a mixture of playful orchestral music with old-school folk music while the song Storybook Love is a lovely song co-written by Knopfler and its singer Willy DeVille.
The casting by Janet Hirsheson and Jane Jenkins is incredible as it features some notable small role from Betsy Brantley as the boy’s mother, Willoughby Gray and Anne Dyson as the king and queen of Florin, Margery Mason as an ancient booer, Mel Smith as the quirky albino, Peter Cook in a hilarious performance as the clergyman, Billy Crystal as the miracle man Miracle Max, Carol Kane as Max’s wife Valerie, Fred Savage in a terrific performance as the grandson, and Peter Falk in a brilliant performance as the grandfather reading the story. Christopher Guest is excellent as the very dark yet calm Count Rugen who is proven to be a master of torturer with a machine that sucks life out of a person. Chris Sarandon is superb as Prince Humperdinck as this cowardice prince who tries to create plans to start a war against a rival country while not being able to fool Buttercup. Wallace Shawn is amazing as the very cunning and intelligent Vizzini who masterminds the kidnapping as he constantly says “inconceivable” whenever some things he planned don’t work.
Andre the Giant is fantastic as the gentle giant Fezzik as he has some of the best lines while proving that he’s a giant with a nice heart. Mandy Patinkin is brilliant as Inigo Montoya as a master swordsman who is trying to find the man that killed his father many years ago while being a key player into storming the castle in the film’s climax. In her film debut, Robin Wright is great as Buttercup as this young woman who reluctantly becomes engaged to a cruel prince as she deals with lost love as she proves to be someone that defies the convention of a princess. Finally, there’s Cary Elwes in a marvelous performance as Westley as this man of such kindness and generosity who truly loves Buttercup while also being a man of great skill as well as bringing in some witty banter.
The Princess Bride is a phenomenal film from Rob Reiner. Thanks to a top-notch ensemble cast, William Goldman’s witty screenplay, and Mark Knopfler’s lush score. It’s a film that has something for everyone and more. Especially as it bends genres and make it something of its own. In the end, The Princess Bride is an outstanding film from Rob Reiner.
Rob Reiner Films: This is Spinal Tap - (The Sure Thing) - (Stand By Me) - (When Harry Met Sally) - (Misery) - (A Few Good Men) - North - (The American President) - (Ghosts of Mississippi) - (The Story of Us) - (Alex & Emma) - (Rumor Has It…) - (The Bucket List) - (Flipped) - (The Magic of Belle Isle)
© thevoid99 2014
