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Critique of "HERO"
I rented the 2 Asian movies recommended in our syllabus this weekend: "Hero" and "Farewell my Concubine". Of the two, I enjoyed "Hero" the most. It was produced by Quentin Tarantino, whose movies I really like, but this film will surprise you if you are familiar with his work. "Hero" demonstrates restraint when it comes to the use of violence but is a true action film.
Lots of really good historical references in this film, and I can see how you could use this film to good effect in the classroom. It is set in the time of the Qin Unification and makes reference to such historical facts as the standardization of the writing system, tied together strips of bamboo that served as books, the use of horses and chariot riding, the crossbow, and iron weaponry in warfare.
The movie has a great deal of depth to it and the reading that we are currently doing is ideal for interpreting various aspects of the film. The director states that it took him 2 years to write the script and you can see why. The basic storyline is told repeatedly within the film but from different perspectives and interpretations of the events. These multiple perspectives give reference to the legalist school of thought as exemplified by the ruler, the confucist stress on disciplining one's behavior as exemplified by the assassin's code, and the discusssion amongst the various assassins that makes reference to the Daoist ideals of having the goverment work for the good of the people.
There is a strong female role in this film with plenty of exploration of the ideas of yin and yang, feminine and masculine, receptive and assertive, weak and strong. There is also a stark use of color throughout the film which may be reference to the "six gi "(see page 38 in our text: East Asia; A Cultural, Social, and Political History.
All together I would highly recommend the film to the members of our class. I can also say that this film, or segments from it, would really help to bring the curriculum to life in the classroom. [Edit by="dkelly on Feb 24, 4:21:55 PM"][/Edit]
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