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Reader comments on Hero
Subject: Valid critique of politics but...
Date: Aug 26, 2004
Joshua makes some good points on the political aspect. China as a country of 1.3B people has always looked at the concept of sacrificing a few million 'malcontents' for the 'common good' as a justifiable evil.
Granted also that Yimou's political views in various interviews have expressed his admiration to the emperor in this move, hence, this standard as acceptable to him as well, and in fact is a line in the movie :"placed against the suffering of the many, the suffering of the one is no longer meaningful", this does trouble me somewhat.
However, Joshua also misses a few critical points, the killings and large scale slaughter of scholars in the movie happened in a turbulent period in ancient China, and to draw parallels to today's political realities are flawed comparisons.
Nevertheless, despite the uncomfortable feeling I had about the pervasive clear admiration of Qin Shi Huang (the first emperor) expressed in the movie, from pure art alone, this is a beautiful movie, easily surpassing Crouching Tiger in fluid movements and use of color.
However, I do recall an old chinese fable I heard when I was young of a young woman whose husband was taken to build the great wall, of her journey to reunite with him, and of her heartbreak when she learns of his death. Apparently, her tears caused a section of the wall to crumble and release her entombed husband's corpse to her. To me, it is not the suffering of the many but this one suffering that truly represents the true extent of this suffering of the One. For it is not just one, but many.
In spite of the greatness of this emperor's achievements, as a people, the chinese must never forget that such achievements are built on the bones and corpses of the multitude of the innocent, and if there is a lesson to be learnt here, it is to question our values and be able to think for ourselves, and not to be blinded by falsehood and vainglory.
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Comment index:
Hero from Emily, Aug 25, 2004
» Valid critique of politics but... « from indra, Aug 26, 2004
truth from What's American, Sep 7, 2004
thanks from barb, Aug 28, 2004
Awesome from Dan Omlor, Sep 13, 2004
Re: But from skeptikos, Dec 26, 2004
hero from tso t'an, Feb 21, 2005
ask from mujahid, Mar 31, 2006
Re: ask from Bubba Hotep, Apr 11, 2006
??? from Kessel, Nov 4, 2007
Bravo from tsering, May 29, 2010
Hero from Emily, Aug 25, 2004
» Valid critique of politics but... « from indra, Aug 26, 2004
truth from What's American, Sep 7, 2004
thanks from barb, Aug 28, 2004
Awesome from Dan Omlor, Sep 13, 2004
Re: But from skeptikos, Dec 26, 2004
hero from tso t'an, Feb 21, 2005
ask from mujahid, Mar 31, 2006
Re: ask from Bubba Hotep, Apr 11, 2006
??? from Kessel, Nov 4, 2007
Bravo from tsering, May 29, 2010
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