How do you write a movie about an idealistic genius engineer, who just wanted to make things that fly because he’s in love with the idea of flight, but set the film in the years before World War II and make your idealistic character Japanese? I was going to post the English dub trailer but it didn’t do the movie justice. This longer Japanese language trailer almost gives away too much. I didn’t know what to expect with this movie, given Miyazaki’s tendency to employ supernatural elements into his stories. I love hearing, almost experiencing, the story of what it was like to live in Japan from the 1920s, through the war years without a Western-filter and without both glorifying war or demonizing anyone (except maybe the Germans..). This is not a fairy tale or legend. It’s similar in tone to Grave of the Fireflies (1988) and requires a lot of reflection to think about the scope and spirit of this beautiful story. Enjoy.
Sources:
- The Wind Rises Trailer | Festival 2013 posted by TIFF Originals (Toronto Film Festival) (2013-08-14), https://youtu.be/RzSpDgiF5y8?si=JjJVV_5_2QVOa64M, retrieved 2023-08-31.
- The Wind rises – Official Trailer posted by Madman Films (2013-12-12), https://youtu.be/RzSpDgiF5y8?si=JjJVV_5_2QVOa64M, retrieved 2023-08-31.
- The Wind Rises (2013) – Limited Edition Steelbook [Blu-ray + DVD] by Hayao Miyazaki, https://amzn.to/47Vw8vM
- Grave of the Fireflies (1988), https://amzn.to/44Cb1fk
