MIYAZAKI TO RETIRE AS THE WIND RISES WARMLY MET AT VENICE

Hayao Miyazaki's The Wind Rises has screened at Venice and the critical response has been respectful. 'Few films this year will treat the eyes better' writes Oliver Lyttleton in his A- review in The Playlist, and Guy Lodge calls it a 'ravishing passion project' in HitFix. Among the British trades, Robbie Collin rewards the film with four out of five stars, and Xan Brooks in The Guardian isn't the only one to remark on the film's visual design, though his three star review is not among the most positive.

The film opened in Japan earlier this summer, and the reviews then were also strong. Christopher O'Keeffe is particularly exultant about the film in TwitchFilm, and Mark Schilling, writing in The Japan Times, was also very positive.

Now, I'm not sure how I feel about this, but Miyazaki is set to retire. The Wind Rises will be his final film. I'll take the word of Koji Hoshino, Studio Ghibli head, who reported the sad news at Venice. Maybe it's not so sad, since it's Miyazaki's life, and he may do with it whatever he wishes. Also, I'm enormously glad for the films he has gifted the world in the past 34 years. I'd love to be able to eagerly anticipate new Miyazaki films for many years to come, but if that's not to be, then so be it. Do remember, though: 16 years ago, he said the same thing, after Princess Mononoke. He returned to film four years later, with the greatest film ever made, Spirited Away, and has made three more films since, including The Wind Rises. So there's that...