The Dreams of Hayao Miyazaki
By Claudina Yang
The Wind Rises marks the last of Hayao
Miyazaki’s long line of visual masterpieces in a career that has spanned over
six decades, and it is arguably his most important film. A biopic that follows
the fictionalized life of Jiro Horikoshi, the WWII airplane designer of the
deadly Zero fighter plane, it solidifies its place as a significant part in
both animation and in Japanese history. Embodying some of Miyazaki’s most
beloved themes, The Wind Rises is
perhaps Miyazaki’s most personal film, and at the heart of it, like in all of
his films, there lies the all-encompassing idea that beautiful dreams can
become a reality, and that creation comes from a number of fragments both good
and evil.
The
film surrounds one of Miyazaki’s favorite tropes: wind and flight, and it opens
with a series of dream sequences. Jiro Horikoshi is a young, near-sighted boy
who dreams of becoming a pilot. Due to his poor sight, he becomes an engineer
instead to build those beautiful machines he imagines for others. In his
dreams, Horikoshi encounters the famous Italian aircraft designer, Caproni, who
shows him the endless possibilities of “flying machines,” giving the young boy
a sense of how far he can stretch his imagination—just like the immense skies
he dreams about. The animation of this opening scene is gorgeous. The young
Horikoshi climbs onto his roof, and the paper airplane he made is
anthropomorphized into a bird, and as it comes to life, Jiro rides the fantasized
plane as it sails over the countryside of Japan.
There
are many essential elements that all Miyazaki films have, and this film
encompasses most of them. The first of these themes is anti-war. As Jiro grows
up and becomes a student at Tokyo University studying engineering, he notices
the upheaval happening around him. Jiro mourns that Japan is backwards. The
airplanes are still made of wood instead of metal, and Jiro believes that they
are 10-20 years behind in technology as compared with America and Germany. And
so Jiro is sent to Germany to work for Mitsubishi and to learn about airplane
technology to bring back to Japan. This all takes place during the 1920’s and
30’s leading up to the war. Political and economic tensions are high, and Miyazaki
renders this tension in a myriad of visual subtleties that is his trademark
style. In his depiction of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, instead of
simply showing the tremors of the city collapsing, he depicts red lines
streaking through the darkness. Much like the themes of his films, the
rendering of the animation itself is beauty from destruction. This leads us to
the main tension in the film between art and war, and the question of what creativity
means in the face of tragedy. It is a film about chasing dreams, but it also
explores the question of what happens when your dreams manifests itself into
weapons of war. What keeps me captivated in Miyazaki’s films, in addition to
the wondrous imagery, are the very questions and ideas he makes his viewers consider.
And that is why audiences often take away from his films a certain poignant
nostalgia. The Wind Rises is a story
of the absence of valuing things left behind, and how the traces of beautiful
things are imprinted into our memories like the remnants of war.
Jiro
struggles with moral qualms throughout the film when the flying machines he
dreamed of turn from colorful, beautiful birds into dark and ominous weapons of
destruction. All he wanted to do was to make beautiful things, but the result
of that conception helped to unleash horrible violence and devastation in
history. This example of the depth of human creation and possibility is one
that shows both the corruption of beauty and of human nature. However, amidst such tragedy, there is always
the element of hope in a Miyazaki picture. A character in the film says to
Jiro, “Life is wonderful isn’t it? The wind is rising. We must try to live on.”
Wind is used as a metaphor in every scene of the film, both metaphorically and
literally. Whether it’s the wind under the wings of the airplane keeping it
airborne, or the winds of change, or the breath of our life, Miyazaki shows us
that there is beauty and hope that exists.
Another
central theme to Miyazaki’s films is the absence of moral absolutes: “You must
see with eyes unclouded by hate. See the good in that which is evil, and the
evil in that which is good. Pledge yourself to neither side, but vow instead to
preserve the balance that exists between the two.” No character in any of
Miyazaki’s films is truly good or bad. His characters are real, susceptible to
change, flawed—human. In his film, Ponyo, the
wizard Fujimoto is an overprotective father who is willing to unleash a tsunami
on an entire town rather than figure out why his daughter has a desire to live
on the surface land. However, his
actions are ultimately driven by love. In Spirited
Away, the main heroine, Chihiro is swept away to a world where both good
and evil spirits and creatures dwell and coexist together. Although the worlds
Miyazaki creates are fantastically imagined, there are still disturbingly real
elements. His antagonist characters are often at the core good people who are
conflicted and have made bad decisions. In Princess Mononoke, the main “antagonist” destroys the forest for
industrial materials to make weapons, and does so with no concern for the life
of the animals or what it would mean for the future of the environment.
However, she is a character who is benevolent and sympathetic to the well being
of her people. The film ends not in a vanquishing of a certain common evil, but
a resolution between maintaining a balance between human progress and
preserving nature.
This
leads us to another prevalent theme in Miyazaki’s films, which is
environmentalism. Miyazaki is known for showing contempt for modern life and
the societal changes that have made us forget to value the things we have lost:
“Modern life is so thin and shallow and fake. I look forward to when developers
go bankrupt, Japan gets poorer and wild grasses take over.” His films
often emphasize the intangible nature and fragility of the environment, and provide
commentary on human development and pollution. In a Miyazaki picture you will
rarely see shiny cars or towering skyscrapers; his worlds are often built in
nature and magical realism. In the movie, My
Neighbor Totoro, two sisters seek refuge in the forest, and most of the
film presents pastoral imagery and the beautiful rippling greens of the forest
tress. In all of Miyazaki’s films, the forest is always a place of wonderment
and enchantment. In Princess Mononoke,
a myriad of magical creatures live in the forest: forest spirits, talking
gorillas and wolves, deer’s who have magical properties etc. The spirit of the
forest is not one that can be controlled or owned. These environmental themes
also appear in Castle in the Sky and Nausicaä of the Valley
of the Wind.
Along that same vein, water is also another central theme in many of Miyazaki's films. Many of his character are often cursed and on the verge of disintegrating or melting into water themselves, like the wicked witch in Howl's Moving Castle, the river water demon in Spirited Away, and the God-Warrior in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. This theme falls under the idea of nature as intangible and fluid, but also un-breaking and uncontrollable. In many of these films, water often represents the conflicts and contradictions between life and death, and between entrapment and freedom. The natural world is threatened by the human lifestyle and vice versa. In each film, the conflicts between the natural way of life and the man-made destruction of culture, tradition, land, and resources often act as one of the central quandaries for the protagonists. Battle scenes and ecological destruction are often paramount images to a Miyazaki film, meant to promote environmental awareness and to show the consequences of human development.
Along that same vein, water is also another central theme in many of Miyazaki's films. Many of his character are often cursed and on the verge of disintegrating or melting into water themselves, like the wicked witch in Howl's Moving Castle, the river water demon in Spirited Away, and the God-Warrior in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. This theme falls under the idea of nature as intangible and fluid, but also un-breaking and uncontrollable. In many of these films, water often represents the conflicts and contradictions between life and death, and between entrapment and freedom. The natural world is threatened by the human lifestyle and vice versa. In each film, the conflicts between the natural way of life and the man-made destruction of culture, tradition, land, and resources often act as one of the central quandaries for the protagonists. Battle scenes and ecological destruction are often paramount images to a Miyazaki film, meant to promote environmental awareness and to show the consequences of human development.
The
themes of flight and pacifism also appear in many of Miyazaki’s film. These two
themes often go hand in hand. What Miyazaki often wants to depict in his films is
the joy of liberation—freedom. Although many of his films are centered on the
natural world, Miyazaki is also fascinated by the workings of heavy machinery,
specifically airplanes. And it seems evident that flight has also provided him with
a metaphor for several of the storylines in much of his work, both literally
and metaphorically. In Porco Rosso,
the protagonist is a WW1 Fighter ace with the head of a pig. Like in The Wind Rises, Porco Rosso pays homage
to early aviation. The entire film is focused on aviation and aerial combat, as
well as the connection between flight and the afterlife and the feeling of
liberation. His film, Castle In The Sky, takes
place entirely on a floating city in the sky. Kiki in Kiki’s Delivery Service is a witch who rides her broomstick, and
Howl in Howl’s Moving Castle lives in
a walking machine and is also a wizard who can fly. Haku, a character from Spirited Away can also turn into a
flying dragon. Every film in which this theme appears, flight scenes gain
almost as much screen time as the protagonist characters themselves, and these
scenes are always lovingly rendered. Many of Miyazaki’s films are so
personalized in the sense that his own fascination and awe for flight is
present in many of his pictures. The wonder of defying gravity never gets old
for him or for us.
Another
great thing about Miyazaki’s films is that even if many of them have very overt
political messages, all of his protagonists are essentially lovers and not fighters.
Jiro Horikoshi, the real-life person whom the protagonist in The Wind Rises is fictionalized after
was a gentle man who originally only ever intended to create something
beautiful. And the film itself focuses on Horikoshi’s life as a regular person
with moral struggles rather than power and destruction. The film received some
backlash in that some critics wondered why Miyazaki would heroize and make his
protagonist an engineer who created one of the most deadly weapons of war.
Miyazaki responded that with regards to the invention of the Zero itself, it "represented
one of the few things we Japanese could be proud of – they were a truly
formidable presence, and so were the pilots who flew them." In Princess Mononoke, Prince Ashitaka’s
refusal to take sides and to promote hate between humans and nature and
themselves is clear. In Howls’ Moving
Castle, Howl’s contempt for the war and his refusal to join is also
apparent. When he finally does participate, he uses his magic not to destroy,
but to provide distraction and to protect the people. Nausicaä of the Valley
of the Wind also focuses on
depicting the aftermath of war in a post-apocalyptic environment, where
remnants of the old civilization remain. Although war remains a common trope in
many of his films, Miyazaki’s main message is to show that what he is concerned
with isn’t necessarily about what happens on the battlefield or even its
outcome, but instead, he means to depict the plight of the human condition, and
to show that from hatred, there exists so many things that are worth living
for.
Perhaps one of the greatest features Miyazaki
showcases in his films is the breaking through of traditional gender stereotypes, and
to provide positive messages, making his films a delight for both children and
adults alike. Having The Wind Rises feature a male as its protagonist is
an outlier for a Miyazaki film. Most of his films feature the main
protagonist as a woman. Most of Miyazaki’s leading women are badass, hard-nosed
heroines who break through all gender barriers and norms. They are tough,
smart, and don’t conform to societal expectations. Princess Mononoke is a wolf
princess who represents the voice of the spirit of the forest and sees it as
her duty to protect her kingdom. In Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Nausicaä fearlessly dodges bullets and flies
her own airplane. Chihiro braves the evil creatures of the spirit world and is
the one who breaks the curse put on Haku. Miyazaki’s attitude towards women is
also apparent in the way he portrays women at work. In Princess Mononoke,
the town and machinery is entirely operated by women. Porco Rosso and Spirited
Away also feature all female factories. Back off, Frozen, the
feminist ship already sailed a long time ago with all of the Miyazaki movies
from the very beginning.
I think what also makes Miyazaki’s films
particularly moving is its theme on the value of childhood. Just like Pixar's Toy
Story 3 pulled at my heartstrings when Andy played with his toys for the
very last time, Miyazaki’s films make us face the complex emotions we have
towards growing up. In My Neighbor
Totoro, only the children can see the spirits of the forest, and so
Miyazaki emphasizes the connection children have with the natural world and
with their beliefs and value in magic and imagination. The ending of Spirited Away is also particularly
melancholic. When Chihiro looks back towards the riverbed where she entered the
spirit world and tells her parents that she will be all right, it is
essentially a goodbye. A goodbye to childhood and to the things left behind.
One can never mistake any other animated
movie for being a Miyazaki film. He has created and spearheaded a niche in
animation that will always be his and his alone. His work has completely shaped
so much of the way animation is rendered and perceived today. I think it is
fairly easy to see why Miyazaki’s films have become so loved by children and
adults alike. The stunning animation captures the attention of all ages, but
the films also contain themes and messages that cannot often be understood or appreciated with one single viewing. The stunning details of a
Miyazaki film, both visually and in terms of content, are overwhelming and
awe-inspiring. Each film is a work of art. I remember watching Miyazaki films
growing up and being completely enthralled by the beautiful imagery and world
building, but then realizing that only as in an adult could I fully appreciate
the breadth of Miyazaki’s stories and visions. For Miyazaki, animation has
never been exclusively intended for one demographic. It has always been
something that could be shared and appreciated by all. This idea of animation
as a competitor for more traditional media and genres is also starting to be
prevalent in the appearance and rising popularity of such adult TV shows like Archer
and Bob’s Burgers. Furthermore, in much of movie making today, the level
of popularity and how well animation is received has traditionally relied on
the level of CG technology and 3-D animation. However, almost every frame in a
Miyazaki movie is drafted by hand. What makes a Miyazaki film so impressive is
not correlated with the technological advances of the way motion pictures are
rendered today. Instead, it is his particular brand of artistry and passion
towards capturing the human spirit that makes his films so breathtaking, meaningful,
and significant.
Hayao Miyazaki films tell us that all of the
best stories are still ones of love and hope, and every film he has made has
proven to be an open love letter to animation. Miyazaki makes films not only to
entertain, but also to share with us adventures and truths about the world, all
the while giving us some of the best images seen in moving pictures. Miyazaki
has truly solidified his spot as a true artist and innovator of animation. At
last, Miyazaki has made films that tell us despite what happens in the world,
“it is good to be alive.” At one part in The Wind Rises, a character looks up into the sky and says,
“Airplanes are beautiful, cursed dreams…waiting for the sky to swallow them
up.” Miyazaki’s films are hauntingly beautiful dreams, too. A fitting end for a
humble master with a limitless, quicksilver imagination, the dreams of Hayao
Miyazaki will be dearly missed.
Claudina,
ReplyDeleteAn inspiring and passionate overview of Miyazaki's films, alert to their political force and their eerie beauty. You choose to focus mainly on the themes, but you suggest the visual abundance and extraordinary--and rare--techniques behind the movies. A fine introduction to the work of this great artist.