Film Festival

[Anonymous]

This documentary sounds phenomenal. I usually watch the Discovery Channel and by your description of it I am sorry I missed it. I will be looking for re-runs because I am sure they will play it again. Also, coming up real soon is the History Channel's production of a show called China. It's either on Discovery or History Channel.

[Anonymous]

Musa The Warrior is a Korean movie that came out in 2001. I picked to watch this movie because it takes place shortly after the Ming Empire has come into power and as The Yuan is still trying to hold on to the greatness that once was their Empire. This film fits in the time period that we study in 7th grade world history. One of the things I really liked about the film is that it is told from the Korean perspective. At the time the Koreans are kind of the outsiders between these two strong Empires the Ming and Yuan. The film does a good job of showing class systems during the time from slaves to peasants, to soldiers (with different classes as well) to a Princess. I found a lot of good value in this film however, it is very violent. Heads getting chopped off, blood gushing, arrows through heads, and stuff. If you plan to use it in your class you are going to have to be really selective about what parts you can show. I plan to show segments to my class, hopefully the message of the film will not be lost.

[Anonymous]

If you are looking for some comedy relief and a cinematic good time. See Kung Pow! Enter the Fist. This one you can't show the students but is very funny. Actor/Director Steve Odekerk inserts himself into an old Kung Fu movie will offbeat dubbing and all. It is a spoof on the old Bruce Lee movies and if you have not seen it but need some comic relief check it out.

[Anonymous]

Film: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring.

While at Office Depot getting supplies for my project I saw this film for a thrifty $10.00. The film is Korean and has subtitles, but there is very little talking in the film. The subtitles that are in the film are very easy to read and short. The movie is rated "R" as their is sexual situations in it that are not appropriate for young students, if you deleted the one part of the movie, it would be great for high school.
I watched the movie by myself last night and suggest watching it with another person as it is very thought provoking and leaves one full of questions.

The story is a simple one on an old Zen Buddhist monk and his young protegee (who we see grow up during the film). There are some beautiful moments in this film when the youngster mistreats a frog, a fish, and a snake. The lesson taught to him about his misjudgement is one the young Buddhist carries with him through the end of the film.

The film also deals with the young monk discovering the outside world of lust, as he and the Master play host to a young women who was brought to the temple as she was ill. The lessons that are learned are done by the seasons. The camera shots are incredible, the scenery noteworthy. I would recomend this film to anyone who likes Asian films especially those that make you think!

[Anonymous]

Movie Review

Title: The Painted Veil
I recently happened to watch this movie that was released in 2006. It is based on the novel with the same title by W. Somerset Maugham. It is the second cinematic adaptation after the 1934 MGM film. It is rated PG 13, however it includes some inappropriate content for sixth graders.
The upshot of the plot includes a pretty young woman from London who under her parents pressure, finds a young bacteriologist from China. At the onset it is a loveless marriage, but later the couple find love in a small village of Shanghai.
I recently taught summer school and incidentally we discussed an article on Typhoid and how it is contracted. Thinking along the same lines I would incorporate this movie in my lesson plans and show how Cholera was contracted and how deadly it was in the village of Shanghai where Dr. Walter Fane (as known in the film) works in the lab to find a cure for the epidemic of Cholera. Dr. Fane's dedication to his project and his passion for humanity is worth emphasizing in the classroom. He also acts as a medical doctor and attends to the villagers who are dying like flies due to the epidemic.
Cholera was a significant epidemic in the early 1800's and a century later the vaccinations came about.
Since Cholera is contracted through contaminated food, water and insanitary conditions, Dr. Fane helps the villagers to install a running water system using bamboo logs.
Tragically, Dr. Fane himself dies of the then deadly disease.
In addition to the history of cholera, the message to my students would be to appreciate the invention of the vaccinations and be thankful to what we take for granted.
The dialogue and emotions are quite craftily portrayed in this movie. I would recommend my colleagues to watch. I was truly touched by it.

[Anonymous]

I am huge fan of using movie clips to get a point across or to illustrate a theme. One of the units I cover is the rise of Western Civilization and in this unit I cover the story of the 300 at Thermopylae. While covering this I talk about how King Leonidas is portrayed as a hero. Well, now thanks to this class I could also include clips from Jet Li's Hero to portray the Chinese concept of what a hero is. I viewed the movie Hero and was quite impressed. Nameless( Jet Li) and King Leonidas are vastly different but I believe that students nonetheless could appreciate both in their contexts. Both take on seemingly impossible odds and in the end both lose their lives. If you teach World History and cover Sparta and are looking for a way to include more East Asia into your teaching. Compare and Contrast King Leonidas and Nameless. Show clips from (appropriate clips that is) from 300 and Hero!

[Anonymous]

Kundun

I was so excited to see this film, since I am a great fan of the Dali Lama and love 7 Years in Tibet. But I must say I was dissapointed with this movie. It started out good when the Dali Lama was a young child and boy, but when he neared the age 18 things started to get a little dry and boring, The acting was dull and if you did not know anything about the Communist take-over of Tibet, you would have thought that Chairman Mao and the Dali Lama were the best of friends. When he finally reaches the Indian boarder, his Holiness could hardley sit on his horse, while all the old men who accompanied him were still on their feet, I didn't buy it. I must say I am a fan of Director Martin Scorsese, but besides the stunning visual effects, the film bored me, which surprised me as I thought I was going to run out and buy it instead of just renting it. I think 7 years in Tibet is a much better movie for students and easier to understand. There was a part in Kundun where his father dies. They show the monks slicing up the old man's body and throwing the parts to waiting vultures! I don't know what this has to do with Tibitan Buddhism, but will try to find out. Grusome!

I do have to say that in the beginning of the film it did answer some questions for me as to how the Dali Lama is chosen, ect, which was educational, and I was very tired when I watched it but I really was disappointed with this film, sorry!!

[Anonymous]

Memoirs of a Geisha is an extraordinary film. I watched it when it first came out becuase I had read the book. Then I watched it again to see if it would fit in with my unit plan of Japense Literature and Roles of East Asian Women.

In this film, a young girl and her sister are sold by their father because he feels he does not have money to take care of them. The older sister is forced into prostitution and the younger is forced to enter a geisha house. While it was better to be a geisha than a prostitue, both girls were products of human trafficking. This issue of human, primarily child trafficking is one that I tend to explore with my students. I find that female child trafficking is a more prevalent issue. While in Memoirs of a Geisha, this occurs in Japan, female child trafficking is a major issue in China today. There are a couple of documentaries that I will use in my unit plan that enlightens viewers of the attrocities of child trafficking and ithe perceived insignificance of Chinese girls. These films are China's Stolen Children and The Dying Room.

Of course, in Memoirs of a Geisha, there is a happy ending. The main character, Sayuri, ends up getting a Dana (a man who keeps her) with whom she's fallen in love. So, as it turns out, her fate of becoming a geisha, which was initially something against her will, turns out to be a blessing. In reality, some Japanese women chose ot be a geisha while others like Sayuri were forced into the lifestyle. A geisha is considered to be a living piece of art to be appreciated by a man of wealth. Therefore a geisha was more like a sophisticated mistress if she were able to obtain a dana. If she never obtained a dana, she was more like a sophisticated escort.

A geisha is an East Asian female role that is worth exploring in the classroom because it is a role that gave women power. However, it still put women in a place where she had to serve a man. This film also shows how female children could easily be purchased and used.

[Anonymous]

Movie Review-Kundun

I'm sorry to have to say this, but you must have been tired when you saw the film if you say you thought Mao and the Dalai Lama were acting as if though they were friends if you didn't know better...you missed the underlying tension between the two and it was obvious that they were individuals who held polar opposite beliefs and values.

Kundun is a fim created by Martin Scorcese which depicts the clash of the non-violent philosophy of the Buddist Monks against Mao and the rest of the world in the 1930's. To be more specific, the movie tells the story of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.

The story begins with the discovery of the very young Dalai Lama by a traveling Buddist Monk who visits his house and asks for food as Buddist Monks are obligated to do. After meeting the child Dalai Lama (just a regular village boy at this point) the monks put the boy through a series of tests to determine if he is really truly the reincarnated Dalai Lama. The monks then take him to be their new spiritual and political leader. When the boy is taken to the capital to live the scenes become culturally rich and spiritually moving.

This movie preserves accurate details about the culture of Tibet with scenes that recreate the authentic music, spiritual cermonies and the language of the people of Tibet. Yes, there is one scene that is gruesome, with the dismembering of his father's body, but it was done to portray the way the body was disposed of. That scene is not the only scene where there is blood shed there are also thousands of dead monks in the movie.

This movie portrays the Dalai Lama's struggles to remain non-violent during a most challenging time in history. I enjoyed it and found it to be an educational and a cultural treat. I would like to see it again![Edit by="mdipaola on Jul 27, 12:12:31 AM"][/Edit]
[Edit by="mdipaola on Jul 27, 1:57:34 AM"][/Edit]
[Edit by="mdipaola on Jul 27, 1:58:58 AM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Movie Review-Kundun

I'm sorry to have to say this, but you must have been tired when you saw the film if you say you thought Mao and the Dalai Lama were acting as if though they were friends if you didn't know better...you missed the underlying tension between the two and it was obvious that they were individuals with polar opposite beliefs and values.

Kundun is a film created by Martin Scorcese which depicts the clash of the non-violent philosophy of the Buddist Monks against Mao and the rest of the world in the 1930's. To be more specific, the movie tells the story of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.

The story begins with the discovery of the very young Dalai Lama by a traveling Buddist Monk who visits the house of the boy and asks for food as Buddist Monks are obligated to do. After meeting the child Dalai Lama (just a regular village boy at this point) the monks put the boy through a series of tests to determine if he is really truly the reincarnated Dalai Lama. The monks then take the boy to be their new spiritual and political leader. When the boy is taken to the capital to live as the Dalai Lama the scenes become culturally rich and spiritually moving.

The movie preserves accurate details about the culture of Tibet with scenes that recreate the authentic music, spiritual cermonies and the language of the people of Tibet. Yes, there is one scene that is gruesome, with the dismembering of the Dalai Lama's father's deceased body, but it was done to portray the way the body would have typically been disposed of. That scene is not the only part of the movie where there is blood shed, there are also thousands of dead bloody monks in the movie.

This movie portrays the Dalai Lama's struggles to remain non-violent during a most challenging time in history. I enjoyed it and found it to be an educational and a cultural treat. I would like to see it again![Edit by="mdipaola on Jul 27, 1:48:00 AM"][/Edit]
[Edit by="mdipaola on Jul 27, 1:53:15 AM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I had read the book "Memoirs of a Geisha when it first came out several,(many) years ago, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I bought the CD when it came out and watched it for the first time tonight. Although it strayed a bit from the book I appreciated the movie very much. The movie had lovely cinematography and good insights to the rights of not only women in general during pre-war Japan, but that of after as well. It clearly defined what the role of the geisha was which would be interesting to discuss with my project on Lady Murasaki. A geisha was not a prostitute, but rather an entertainer or hostess if you will. She was skilled in all the arts defining a well-rounded women, yet was denied what is really desired true love. This film was a heart-warming movie which I know I will watch again.

[Anonymous]

I agree, this movie is phenomenal and has great potential for classroom use, especially to capture the students' interest in East Asian culture. For example the cinematography accentuates the natural environment, the story line includes elements of philosophical practices, notions such as loyalty, fashion, historical practices, and of course martial arts!

This movie is definitely a must add to the library.

[Anonymous]

Hero was an exceptionally well made movie and one of Jet Li's finer works. Just to add a little to the other reviews- I immediately noticed the emphasis on calligraphy. Does movie's depiction of calligraphy as an art form, a communication tool, and as a sort of metaphysical experience accurately reflect the time period's cultural understanding of this writing medium?[Edit by="jwilhelm on Jul 27, 3:16:15 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Guttentag, Bill; Sturman, Dan. Nanking. 2007.

90 minutes

Synopsis:

The film documents and tries to bring to life the efforts of George Fitch, Bob Wilson, Minnie Vautrin, and John Rabe who established a safety zone for the Chinese people who fled for their lives from the Japanese invaders. The film is an historical account of before, during, and immediately after the Nanking invasion in the early years of WWII.

The film uses actual photos, short film footage, letter, and diary accounts from the time period. An actor assumes the role of each of the aforementioned people to discuss their feelings about the situation and share the experiences.

Evaluation:

The film was very educational, especially for someone who knows little about this horrific event. Since the movie primarily is relates diary entries, it can be a bit dry at times. The overall purpose and historical relevance of this film makes it noteworthy and if possible should be incorporated into lesson plans when possible.

Classroom:

A popular thematic unit is "Man's Inhumanity to Man," which usually includes the Holocaust, the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and a few others. But I have rarely heard of the Nanking invasion being included in those units.

I tasked my students to research various instances of man's inhumanity to man in order to write a comprehensive research paper. At the time I did not have knowledge of this film, but know now that it could have been and will be a great resource for students. (Copy of Historical Investigation paper attached).

Additionally the film can help students really understand how the respective parties were thinking and feeling during this event- In case the reader of tis review is not familiar with the event, here is a short summary: Japan wanted to take over China, so they headed towards Nanking (the capital at the time). The Japanese soldiers entered Nanking with the mentality of "loot all, burn all, kill all." This included women children, elderly, etc. Obviously the killing, looting, and burning were not done nicely.- The movie can be shown independently and students can write responses.

Summary:

This is a good film to show students what happened during the Nanking invasion and why it happened. [Edit by="jwilhelm on Jul 27, 3:59:55 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

There are two, if not more stories to this documentary. First, there is the Govenment's story "providing energy to the bread basket of China" and the second, with its many sub-parts, of the people displaced by the rising waters.

The Yangtze has always flooded. Some years it was worse than others. But the people returned and rebuilt and grew rice in their rice paddies and had babies and fished and watched ferries cross and boats or barges go up and down the river just as their parents had. Then came the plan to harvest the river's energy, a second dam, much larger than the first. That is the Three Gorges Dam that this documentary is about.

To date, the river has risen to 150 meters, with 25 more to go. Signs with red letters dot all the mountainsides "175 m". Instead of displacing 10,000 people, more than 50,000 have already been relocated. Families have been separated, the elderly in their small apartments, the adult children in theirs. Other adult children have headed for the cities to find work. In Chongqing to carry the suitcases of the passengers of the cruise ships (see the video for pictures of this backbreaking, low-skill level low-paying work). If not hard labor, the men flock to the cities like Shanghai and Beijing to do day-labor jobs in the new highrises being built. They paint, plaster, carry in furniture, not unlike the day-laborers at Home Depot and U-Haul here in Southern California. At night, many sleep in lean-to's on the construction site because they do not make enough money to pay for adequate housing. Others become street hawkers, plying their souvenirs to the tourists, making more money if the tourist buys the fan for 10 yuan ($1.30) without bargaining down the price. And, perhaps making no profit, but at least moving goods, if they can get the tourist to finally part with 1 yuan ($ .07) for the fan before s/he gets on the bus and heads back to the ship for a cool shower and nice dinner.

The residents take out as much of their furnishings as they can get moved with the little resources they have, and leave the retrieval of the rest to those who remain. They may spend days or months breaking up the houses to reuse the bricks on another house further up the mountian side.

What becomes of the farmer who loses his rich field/rice paddy? What will he do further up the mountain side where the land is not rich, but rocky and untilled? What will he do if he is forced to move to a new city, like Fendu? What work can he do in a city? He is not even skilled at the backbreaking labor that city men do. All he knows is the countryside.

The cost to society is still being tallied. The final cost may never be calculated. The destruction of families is limitless. The young people will fare the best. They have been educated and can find work and the children will go to school in better schools and look forward to a new kind of future. But what of the middle-aged and the elderly. They are already paying a high price.

This documentary looks beyond the end product of energy for the masses. It forces the viewer to look at the cost in human terms.

This is not for all students, but it could be used in economics classes, in science classes in units about environmentalism and the cost of modernization, and in courses that look at the social aspects of the family and society.

[Author]

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