The Wind Rises

By: Brendan Dehelean, Emma Spadaro,and Wilson Guo

The topic for our group was Technology, Power, and Protest and the film assigned to the topic was Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises(2013). The film tells the story of Jiro Horikoshi, an aspiring aeronautical

engineer in 1920’s Japan. He first dreams of being a pilot, but decides to design them instead due to his nearsightedness. His dreams are then consumed of building beautiful airplanes, and soon finds himself

working as an engineer for the Mitsubishi Company. The film follows the journey of Jiro pursuing his dream, falling in love with the beautiful but tragically ill Nahoko, and dealing with the realization that his

beautiful lifelong work of the AM6 Zero will be used as a war machine, instead of for pure enjoyment. Throughout the film Jiro struggles within himself of resisting the technological advancement happening in Japan due to the Western influence, but also being grateful for it due to it allowing his dream to come

true with the updated modernized materials.

The following people made this presentation:Wilson Guo ~ Biographical Film and Technical Aspects of the Film slides, provided video clips, Discussion QuestionsEmma Spadaro ~ Overview and Cultural Aspects slides, Discussion QuestionsBrendan Dehelean ~ Theme and Storyline/Characterization slides, Discussion Questions

Overview

One main cultural aspect of The Wind Rises is the strong idea of tradition in Japan.This can be seen in the beginning of the film with the presence of traditional clothing and lifestyle in the town Jiro lives in. This changes in some ways as the film progresses, as seen with the the characters changing the way they dress, as well modern technology coming to Japan and the strong Western influence. However, there are signs of resistance to modernism in Japan in order to keep the traditional ways. This can been seen with Jiro and his idea of creating planes for beauty, and not metal war machines.

Cultural Aspects

Another cultural aspect is the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923. This earthquake resulted in the rebuilding of Tokyo and surrounding areas with a new modern network of roads, trains, and multiple public parks, throwing Japan further into the global modernization.

Cultural Aspects

The Tuberculosis epidemic in Japan is another cultural influence for the film. Additionally, director Hayao Miyazaki based the character of Jiro’s fiancee, Nahoko, off of the 1937 story The Wind Has Risen by Tatsuo Hori. The story is of Hori’s life experience with his fiancee who suffers from tuberculosis and is in a sanitorium in Nagano, Japan. The overall epidemic began in the 1800’s with the introduction of urban crowding due to the Industrial Revolution. The epidemic continued to claim Japanese lives until after WW2 with the arrival of antibiotic therapy.

Cultural Aspects

The Mitsubishi AM6 Zero, which is overall what the film is focused on is deemed as “one of the few things Japan can be proud of” - Hayao Miyazaki

Cultural Aspects

A biographical film dramatizes the life story of an individual. Distinct characteristic of biographical films include:

1. It shows only certain parts of an individual's life (usually the most historically important years)

2. Maybe exaggerated or inaccurate but tends to stay true to the overall main plot and theme

3. Usually played by an actor of similar qualities (besides animated versions)

Biographical Film

Biographical Film

The film starts by depicting Jiro Horikoshi as a child, the years in which his goals of becoming a pilot was born. After realizing he cannot fly planes due to his nearsightedness, he meets an italian airplane designer named Gianni Caproni in his dreams. He then goes to Tokyo University to become an aeronautical engineer. The Wind Rises skips from him deciding to become an aeronautical engineer in his childhood years to his early adulthood years as a college student.

The film is fictional and so certain parts are exaggerated or fictional. For example, Mr. Caproni and Jiro Horikoshi are both real historical figures, but their relationship was only developed in his dream and not in his actual life. Jiro Horikoshi’s also did not have a younger sister but an older brother. Moreover, his wife did not have tuberculosis in real life. These elements are incorporated into the film in order to create a more interesting story for the viewers.

Biographical Film

In the case of The Wind Rises, Jiro Horikoshi is played by an animated character that accurately resembles features of the actual Jiro. (Ex: His glasses)

Biographical Film

The Wind Rises is a very interesting story that starts off in 1918. A young boy by the name of Jiro Horikoshi longs to become a pilot but realizes that he couldn't fly do to his near sightedness. Even though Jiro couldn't fly planes, he still had the drive to be around them. This causes Jiro to become an excellent aircraft designer and ultimately allows him to produce a plane called the A6M Zero that proved to be Japan’s greatest plane created for World War II.The story put a great emphasis on the disaster and effects of what the war did to Japan and the outcome of it.

Storyline and Characterization

Jiro’s personality unfolds throughout the story to reveal a man who is shy but also very caring. An example of Jiro’s caring behavior can be seen when he saves Naoko’s maid. He shows compassion and love towards the maid by carrying her to Naoko’s home. Jiro’s caring behavior can also be seen in the way he acts around people, he is respectful and he shows this through his courtesy in bowing when greeting anyone. Jiro’s shyness can be seen when he meets face to face with Naoko, she tells him who she was and he immediately develops this shyness. He later conquerors this shyness and tells her how he feels.

Storyline and Characterization

Director: Hayao MiyazakiProducer: Toshio SuzukiReleased: July 20th, 2013Country of Origin: Japan

The Wind Rises is an animated film that was created as a tribute to the life of an aeronautical engineer named Jiro Horikoshi

Technical Aspects of The Film

Jiro’s love for his craft can be seen by his drive to produce an airplane that can fly and perform extraordinarily. Jiro’s love for planes is shown through the dreams he continues to have throughout his life and using his dreams he perfect his designs. His love for planes causes him to be one of the best aircraft designers in Japan.

How the Major Theme of Love Unfolds

The love and support from Jiro’s wife(Naoko) ultimately allowed him to complete his life’s work of finishing the A6M Zero. Jiro’s wife was his anchor and he ultimately needed her to give him the strength he needed to finish the plane. Her love for Jiro can be seen by her actions to get well and ultimately in the end to leave him, so Jiro wouldn't witness her death.

How the Major Theme of Love Unfolds

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_TrwCwNlgu2eDR3aW5fVFBYSTg/view?usp=sharing

Or

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG-GoaV6iQ8&feature=youtu.be

Video Clip