flight…
… the airplane became
a weapon in World War I.
After the war, pilot after pilot
died flying the mail.
But others waited
to take their place.
One of them was
Saint-Exupery, age 26.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery
was born in 1900…
… to an aristocratic French family.
He dreamed of flying,
and became a French army pilot.
But an accident
ended his service.
He refused to give up flying,
and became a mail pilot.
His writings are based
on his experiences as a pilot.
In «The Little Prince» a pilot
meets a mysterious boy…
… after crash-landing
in the desert.
Saint-Exupery volunteered
to fly in World War II.
In 1944, he disappeared
over the Mediterranean.
He was only 44 years old.
Saint-Exupery was a pilot,
but his real achievement…
... was the literature
he created about pilots.
He had a huge impact
on other writers…
…like Mermoz and Guillaumet.
In «Wind, Sand and Stars»
he left wonderful descriptions -
- of airplanes, weather,
the sky itself...
…and the bond between pilots
and people on the ground.
I think it was an
amazing achievement.
It's completely different
from «The Little Prince»
I read it many times
as a student.
«Wind, Sand and Stars»
is Miyazaki's favorite book.
Henri Guillaumet: survived
a crash in the Andes.
Jean Mermoz: disappeared
over the Atlantic.
Through his accounts
of these colleagues…
… Saint-Exupery depicts
the dignity of man.
It's impossible to see
what Saint-Exupery saw.
The buildings have changed,
there are more cars.
We can't relive
the tension he felt.
There's nothing
we can do about that.
But there's something
I really like about him.
It's how he inspires you…
…to push yourself
further and further.
Like when a gazelle
is being chased by a lion.
It has to jump
for its very life.
That’s when it really
becomes a gazelle.
These days, we're
supposed to reduce stress.
We're told to live
moderately and enjoy life.
But you can't do
that all the time.
Sometimes you have to use
120% of your capacity.
Without those moments…
...you can't
achieve anything.
Saint-Exupery piloted
a small biplane…
… the Breguet 14.
The Breguet
is a favorite of Miyazaki's.
This plane is similar
to the Breguet 14.
lt's a 1930s Stearman, modified
to resemble a Breguet.
It appeared in a French
documentary on Saint-Exupery.
Shall we start?
Here's an opportunity to see
what the Breguet was like.
What an antique.
There are some differences
from the original Breguet.
Amazing.
Miyazaki names it
the «faux Breguet»
This thing is full of holes.
You can see the ground.
The pilot, Jean-Pierre
Lafille, is 65.
He's been flying
since he was a teenager.
The mail pilots used
this very runway.
Miyazaki wants to
see what it was like.
Now Miyazaki knows first-hand…
… what Saint-Exupery saw.
You're floating in the air.
You can see old ladies
chatting in the street.
You see everything
from this kind of plane.
It makes you miss
being on the ground.. .
…but it gives you
a different perspective.
That's what's special about flying.
It’s not an abstract idea.
It’s very immediate.
You see a roof and wonder
who's underneath.
The offices of Latecoere,
where Saint-Exupery worked…
…used to be here,
just off the runway.
Latecoere later became
Aeropostale.
The company symbolized
the golden age of airmail.
Latecoere's routes
extended to Africa…
…and even across
the Atlantic to South America.
Latecoere was
the pride of France.
But long-distance flying
was dangerous -
- more than 120 people
lost their lives in accidents.
From this window,
Saint-Exupery's boss…
… watched his fliers
take off and land.
He took off
from right over there!
Are you going to
sketch the view?
No - I like to
look and remember.
I’m not good with cameras.
It's better to get someone
else to take photos.
So, you're trying to memorize… ?
I'm looking at the rain…
...and imagining what
it was like to stand here…
...and wait for the pilots
returning