The Wind Rises 2013

     This film is fiction but based on the life of Jiro Horikoshi.  Jiro is a young man living in Japan and he’s very interested in airplanes, flying them and designing them.  He would very much like to fly but he has nearsighted vision so instead he flies them in his dreams.  His inspiration is the famous Italian aeronautical designer Caproni.  He devotes himself to his studies and gains a reputation as a genius in the aeronautical field.  A major Japanese engineering company hires him in 1927 to immediately begin airplane designs for them.  The major events in Jiro’s life are shown, the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the Great Depression, the tuberculosis epidemic and the entrance of Japan into war.

     This is very good and uses what may have been slightly boring information and presenting it in a very relatable format.  It’s very interesting and you can really experience Jiro’s life and appreciate him as a person.  You also see Japan and the people from a different side than usually featured.  4* (I really liked this movie)

126 min, Animation directed by Hayao Miyazaki with the voices of Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Masahiko Nishimura, Mansai Nomura, Jun Kunimura, Mirai Shida, Shinobu Otake.

Note:  Imdb 7.8 out of 10, 89% critic 85% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Roger Ebert 3*.

Special Note:  Director Hayao Miyazaki is 73 years old and he announced this film will be his last.  Nominated for an Oscar in 2014 for Best Animated Feature Film but lost to Frozen.