I’ve always loved animation, ever since I was a kid. Maybe it was because I loved the cartoons, but I still enjoy watching animated works. When it comes to studio Ghibli and the works of Hayao Miyazaki, I am entranced in the beautifully drawn images that pay so much attention to detail. Recently, over spring break, I had seen a newer movie by him called The Wind Rises. It’s an interesting story that tells the tale of a young boy who dreams to be a pilot, but can’t because of his poor eyesight. He instead grows up to design airplanes, but at this time, Japan is engulfed in the havoc of WWII. The film gives an interesting new perspective of the war, especially to Americans when considering it is told from a Japanese perspective about life in Japan at that time.
An aspect that I found very interesting was the use of sound in the film. Because the movie altogether is about aviation, there are a lot of scenes with planes and different aircraft. What is interesting about the film, is when we are shown different planes and aircraft, they make noises that you wouldn’t expect to hear. Rather than having the sound of a propeller recorded and dubbed to the image, Miyazaki decided to use people for sound effects. For example, the sound of a propellers engine is replaced by people making noises with their mouths in imitation. Considering how famous his films are internationally, it would be safe to assume that he has a large amount of funding. With that fact in mind, he had most likely decided to create a film using sound in that way for a stylistic effect.
Now to ask, "why he would choose to use the sounds of people rather than the machines themselves?" The way I interpreted it, is that Hayao wanted to present the planes in a way that made them seem alive. By using the sounds and voices of people, he was able to link the concept of a plane in flight to a living thing. Keeping this in mind is important when looking at the way in which the plane was drawn when flying. At many points the aircraft almost looked like birds when they were in the air. Hayao did this to try and show the planes in the same way that the main protagonist saw them, not as war machines but beautiful crafts that imitate life.
Personally, I thought The Wind Rises was a beautifully animated film that told such a compelling story of people living in a world of restrictions, and how they consistently soared above expectations. I loved it being a history major as well, because it told the story of civilian life in Japan during WWII from a Japanese perspective. It’s a looking at a past event through a lens that we normally don’t get to see as Americans. I highly recommend seeing the film if you love history or if you are a fan of Ghibli films.
