Review of Hero

[Jennifer Chang]

I really enjoyed the opportunity to watch a Chinese film because I had been looking for some really great feature films to show my students while studying Ancient China. Now that I have access to the forum, I have a plethora of resources and materials that I can use! 

 

While looking for a movie that could somehow be related to my Ancient China unit, I wanted to make sure it had realistic depictions of what life wardrobe and architecture, exciting battle scenes (for my students who are interested in war), and had some references to the dynasties that we went over (Shang, Zhou, Qin, and Han Dynasty). Hero included all of these things and more!

 

First of, Hero is set around the time of the Qin dynasty, where many warring states were fighting against each other for power. This movie does a great depiction of the instability of the empire, and shows many battle scenes to emphasize the fact that the states were at war with each other. It is interesting to note that the movie depicts the would be Qin emperor as a ruler with good intentions with his ultimate goal of unifying China at a time of unrest. It would be interesting to have a discussion on historical bias with my students, as our textbook depicts him as a ruthless tyrant. 

 

Secondly, the martial arts in the movie is really cool to watch! I think my students will really enjoy watching the fight scenes, as I was on the edge of my seat watching them as well. The fight scenes were artistic, almost like a dance, and I really enjoyed the connection made between martial arts sword fighting and calligraphy. These are important parts of Chinese culture that my students will be exposed to. 

 

Finally, the wardrobe and architecture in the movie is very interesting to observe. The contrast between the emperor and his subservients is very clear through the attire, and of course, actions. There were depictions of the emperor’s palace, a typical home, a calligraphy school (students sitting on the floor to do their work), and also beautiful shots of nature in various environments (desert, mountain, lake, etc). I think that this movie will have lots of things to draw upon!