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The Wind Rises
A sweeping historical drama blending childhood dreams and tragic romance, where the ethereal beauty of flight clashes with the looming shadow of war and the bittersweet fragility of a fading life.
The Wind Rises
The Wind Rises

風立ちぬ

"We must live."

20 July 2013 Japan 126 min 7.8 (3,227)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Cast: Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Masahiko Nishimura, Stephen Alpert

Drama Animation War History Romance The Ambiguity of Creation The Ethos of Living (Le Vent Se Lève) Obsession vs. Human Connection Historical Determinism and Responsibility
Budget: $30,000,000
Box Office: $117,932,401

The Wind Rises — Movie Quotes

Memorable Quotes

Le vent se lève!... Il faut tenter de vivre!
— Jiro/Naoko (quoting Paul Valéry)

Context

First quoted when Jiro and Naoko meet as adults, setting the tone for their relationship and the film's philosophy.

Meaning

The central mantra of the film: the wind is rising, we must try to live. It signifies the necessity of finding the will to exist and create despite the looming storm.

Airplanes are beautiful, cursed dreams, waiting for the sky to swallow them up.
— Giovanni Caproni

Context

Spoken to Jiro in a dream to prepare him for the reality of his career.

Meaning

Articulates the film's core conflict: the inherent tragedy of creation when it is divorced from its ultimate impact on the world.

Which would you choose: a world with pyramids or a world without?
— Giovanni Caproni

Context

Caproni uses this metaphor to help Jiro justify his pursuit of engineering excellence during wartime.

Meaning

A rhetorical question asking if the creation of monumental human achievements is worth the suffering and cost required to build them.

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