Film Festival

Shanghai Express is a Hollywood studio product from MGM in 1932. Directed by Josef Von Sternberg and starring Marlene Dietrich it reflects Western stereotypes and a limited knowledge of Eastern culture. I use film in my classroom as a way to study attitudes and values of the times in which they were made as well as other things. This movie struck me as a good one to look at how the West and more specifically America viewed China at the time. The China of the movie is one focussed on foreigners or in our case Westerners (whom we can understand) caught in a very different country from their own trying to make sense of it all. They are insulated from it and allowed to study and watch it go by while they are on the moving train but when it stops they must interract and survive in tyhe brutal alien world of China where according to one of the main characters of the film (Henry Chang) is a place where "time and life mean nothing." The viewer doesn't know it at the time of his quote but Chang ends up being the leader of a rebel movement involved in a civil war against the Chinese government forces. He is self described in the film as having a "mother who was Chinese and a father who was white." he says he is "not proud of his white blood". This character, played by an American actor (Warner Oland) symbolizes the Western view of China and of the world at the time. As leader of the rebel force he s trying to help his people against tyranny but his Chinese half uses brutal tactics and torture to achieve his ends. In other words the "white" in him represents good and the Chinese part, evil.
Another dopleganger situation in the movie is presented in the form of two characters, Shaghai Lilly as played by Marlene Dietrich and Hui Fei played by Anna May Wong. It is interesting to note that although Marlene Dietrch was born and raised in Berlin and worked there for over a decade, not coming to the U.S. until she was almost thirty that she is thought of as an American actress. Anna May Wong on the other hand although a native American born in Los Angeles is historiclly referred to as a Chinese-American actress. Marlene Dietrich even though she was an important part of the German Expressionist movement in Germany in the twenties is usually considered for her American body of work whereas Native American Anna May Wong only starred as an Asian character and is always thought of historically as part of Asian American filmmaking. In Shanghai Express Dietrich (Shanghghi Lilly) and Wong (Hui Fei) share a compartment on the train. In the film Shaghai Lilly is described as a "Coaster" "A woman who lives by her wits".Both are probably prostitutes as coaster is understood to be a woman who goes back and forth fromPeking to Shaghai taking advantage of men along the way. The two characters however have been described differently by reviewers through the years. Shaghai Lilly is a "Woman of casual affairs", an "Adventuress", a "Temptress", and a "Lady of questionable means". Wong's character on the other hand has been described by film historians and reviewers as a "Chinese prostitute" or a "Chinese girl of the town". They both listen to popular music and smoke alot but Wong wears easilly accesable 'slinky' Eastern robes while Dietrich dresses like European royalty with furs. Dietrich's character is the original "hooker with a heart of gold" her tough callous exterior covering her real and coomitted love for one man, "Doc" who is portrayed in the movie as one of her "ex lovers". At one point she trades herself to the rebel leader in exchange for his not torturing "Doc". It is Wong's character who really saves the day by killing the rebel leader thus saving everyone. Of course the reason this character kills the bad guy is not as altruistic as Shaghai Lilly's selfless behavior. She kills him as revenge for his having raped her. Taken together as one composite character however Lilly and Wong foreshadow at least a hope of a more "civilized" China, at least from the Western perspective in the future.

Post Script:

The most famous Chinese character in the Golden Age of American Cinema and maybe even still today is American actor Warner Oland as Charlie Chan. I guess he passed the test as being an acceptable and not too foreign kind of Chinese character in "Shaghai Express" as the Chan series started soon after the relaese of that movie.

Gary Goldstein

I just saw Slumdog Millionaire, and I really enjoyed it. As Clay says the bigger story does a great job addressing larger truths. I also read the New York Times Op-ed where the authors object to the movie's depiction of Dharavi as a slum. I agree with the poster who says, "The issues of poverty, child abuse, religious prejudice, and social (caste) inequalities are what drive [Slumdog Millionaire]. So maybe the writer or director gave the community depicted in the film the wrong name, but is that what really matters?" It seems that what really matters is that countless children and families live in devastating poverty as a result of these inequalities, and it makes me wonder if people are just objecting to seeing these realities on the big screen.
As I watched the movie I couldn't help making connections between the main characters and my students; I teach in a rough part of South Los Angeles, and while my students' lives aren't anywhere near as challenging as Jamal's life, I think it would shock many Americans to see the challenges they struggle with on a daily basis in a movie.
-Karen

Ignoring his grandmother's warning that he'll grow a tail if he moves to Bangkok, Pod leaves the safety of his village for a job in a big-city factory that produces canned sardines. He accidentally loses his finger, but he ultimately finds true love. Wisit Sasanatieng directs this surrealistic Thai romance with fanciful visuals and elaborate special effects that has drawn comparisons to the French film Amélie.

In the same vein as Japan's 1985's Tampopo, this movie is a series of vigenettes a la Four Rooms, with the Tarantino-esque quirkyness of Moulin Rouge. Cute movie with a smoking teddy bear to boot.

After highlighting films that sounded particularly interesting during Professor Ye's lecture, I chose to watch To Live. The film basically follows one particular family over several decades of the 20th century in China. Directed by Zhang Yimou, the cinematography is beautiful and the acting is never overdone. To me, what made the film truly masterful was the way in which it told a very authentic family story that made me truly care about the characters while setting this story against dramatic political events. Too often a film can either be about "real" people OR about a historic event. This film does both extremely well.

As for using the film in the classroom, two ideas immediately came to mind. First, I have taught the novel Animal Farm to my tenth graders in the past. Pairing this novel with clips from To Live would perhaps help students better understand Orwell's critique of communism. For my older students, I thought it could also be interesting to pair the film with a dystopian novel. The film basically shows how a seemingly good idea can tragically impact the lives of citizens, which is a less extreme version of what many dystopian novels do.

Great film, highly recommended.

Directed by Ang Lee, this is a wonderful film about a modern family in Tawain. The father in the family cooks a traditional meal each Sunday for his three (very different) daughters. The film chronicles a period in which all of their lives are changing signficantly. For the viewer, these changes are sometimes humorous, sometimes sad, and always genuine.

In school I could pair clips from this film with short stories about family communication. The film uses food as a metaphor for the love of the father for his children. Similar metaphors can be found in stories such as "Everyday Use," which uses the symbol of a quilt.

Yikes...where to begin. Well first off i'm not a big Tom Cruise fan. In fact, aside from Top Gun and Days of Thunder I dont really follow his films too much. By recommendation of a friend I decided to check this movie with much doubt in my mind. Here goes:

The Plot.
Pre Civil War era Tom Cruise plays a Army captain is haunted by his past in the military killing innocent civilians in battle. He is depressed and also finished with his tour of duty. He is approached with an offer to work in Japan to put down some enemy army and train the Japanese. He has nothing else going on and decides to go. When he get to Japan, obviously life is very different. In fact, Japan is going through quite a significant change. Westernization is fast becoming the norm, everything from clothing to military tactics is changing rapidly. Cruise must train an army that has never used "modern" weapons to put down a rebel faction still following the code of the samurai. Cruise/Cap. Aldrens is injured in battle and is taken in with a family in a village where he adopts the ways of the "traditional" japan including sword fights. A battle ensues with the "new army" and the old samurai soldiers, which are all defeated and Cap Aldren is left to live a quite life in the mountains.
From a teachers point of view, there are a lot of inaccuracies that need to be cleared up, BUT there were a couple of things that I did appreciate about the film. First off, much like any big budget Hollywood blockbuster, the scenery and clothing was fantastic. It was almost like walking into the past and seeing how military officers dressed and how normal civilians at a convention might behave in the 1800's. Perhaps most dramatic was the scenery in Japan. It was great seeing how a port city may have looked back then. It was clear that something drastic was occurring. As Cruise is walking down a busy street, some people are wearing traditional kimonos and other wears, while others are sporting western style clothes like suits and pants with hats. The early scenes alone are well worth a shot in the classroom to show the changing landscape and lifestyle after Japan is forced to open its gates by Admiral Perry.
The other thing that I really appreciated about this film was the 'innocence' of the Japanese military. The very awkwardness of wearing the western style uniforms and using weapons they had never dealt with before was apparent. The most dramatic part is when they are confronted by the "old army" or samurai which makes them panic. They have superior weapons, but years of conditioning from youth until adulthood prove to be hard to undo.
Conclusion, yes this film can use some improvement, but the visuals make it worth while especially in the classroom. I don't recommend showing the entire film btw! Cheers!

8)

Wow!!! Could this movie be any sadder. I wanted to see it since Prof. Yang introduced us to it. I was interested in seeing more about the Chinese Opera, however, this movie was very odd and very sad. The main character has such a dramatic tortured existence from day 1, born to a prostitute and then abandoned around age 9 left him to the devices of his elders. Only to throw himself into his craft, and to be later despised for it. The movie gave an overall view of what was going on politically and how that affected the opera and the actors. They went from being revered to being hated and despised. When the cultural revolution hit, every past transgression was brought up and the characters were made to pay the price for them. It showed life long friends turn on each other to save their own necks and to have it all end in tragedy and loss. Do I recommend it? I guess I do, because it's interesting to see how the Chinese depict their own society and culture. This film could be used in the classroom in clips only...there are to many inappropriate scenes. This film could be used to show Japanese Opera and the costumes. It has great scenes about the political unrest and how that affects "life" as they had known it to be. [Edit by="abergman on Jun 26, 9:36:38 PM"][/Edit]

During the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s, a lot of political movements had happened. For examples, Civil War between Nationalist Party and Communist Party, the Cultural Revolution, Red Guard Movement, and the Cult of Mao. These movements changed peoples’ lives a great deal. The film To Live showed how the poor struggled with these movements.

My thoughts after watching To Live:

Before any political events happened, Most of the Chinese would like to get rich.
But after the movements started practicing, people knew that being wealthy is not a good thing anymore because they might get in trouble. For instance, the gambler who won Fugui’s house and money, he got shot because he did not want to share the money with the Communist Party. And Fugui was thankful that he and his family became poor because he knew if he still owned the house, the person who got shot would have been himself. Although people kind of knew what was going on, but I do not think they actually understand the meanings of the movements. They just wanted to be like everyone else, so they would not get in trouble. For instance, Youqing was very tired and did not want to go school. However, Fugui forced him to go because he thought a representative of the party was going to come, and it was the best if his son showed up. In result, the son died because the representative had hit Youqing with the truck. That is why I think at these periods of times, if the poor wanted to stay survived, then they must flutter from one direction to another depending who has more power.

I want a find a film about the Nationalist party to compare with To Live. I want the students to compare and contrast both parties, and create a debate which party they would like to support and provided evidence to support their reasons.

In traditional Chinese culture the women were very unimportant. They were so inferior that they were sometimes thought of as less useful than farm animals. Most of the people had believed that a woman without talent was a woman of virtue, and women were honored if they committed suicide after their husband’s deaths. There even existed a code which controlled the behaviors and instructions of women. This code consisted of three obedience and four virtues. The three obedience were to obey her father before marriage, her husband after marriage, and her son after her husband’s death. These three obedience showed that the men were head of the families and the women had no say or whatsoever. In addition, the four virtues were the women needed to be chaste, her conversion courteous and not gossipy, her deportment graceful but not extravagant, her leisure spent in perfecting needlework and tapestry for beautifying the home. In the two films Red Sorghum and To Live, the two female main characters Jiuer and Jiazhen had some similarities and differences of the three obediences and four virtues.

I think these two films are very good examples. If any teachers would like to do a comparsions on traditional and modern women, these films are definitely helpful.

I know this is not an East Asia film persay BUT I thought I would share my two cents to see if I got any feedback from my East Asia buddies. Anyways, I saw "The Hangover," last weekend which is a story about 4 friends that take a roadtrip to Las Vegas for a bachelors party. Obviously, on the way there and while there, lots of mischeif ensues! It's a really funny film and I would recommend it***.
Now the Asia part. There is a scene in the film where "Mr. Chow," played by Ken Jeong jumps out a cars trunk naked and begins yelling about like some evil wong foo character from the 1960's cinema. He is stereotypically short and acts quite girlish. In addition to his un-masculine behavior, he throws a little "kung fu" stance in for good measure. I realize that this is all for fun and its a comedy, but to emasculate the Asian male to such a degree is ridiculous. When is the last time you ever saw an Asian male star kiss a girl? Notice how they always play kung fu maters (jackie chan) or "Smart People" (e.g. Garret Wang= Engineer Harry Kim: Star Trek)? I felt like this film put Asian men back 40 years. To top it off, I'm surprised they didn't have some Asian woman in a school girl outfit or skin tight 'femme fetale' getup to complete the image of women being fetish idols for White Men.

For further information on this topic I would recommend this film:

The Slanted Screen

Directed by: Ken Adachi

Rent it or buy it...heck if want I'll lend you my copy. Sums it up quite well.
Perhaps a film review of the slanted screen?? Why Not! :@

I am getting hooked on modern Asian comedies. I picked a little film called "Mack the Knife" which is actually a Hong Kong movie. The star of the film is a doctor by the name of Mac Lau, however, his license is from Africa because he was kicked out of medical school in Hong Kong. Since Hong Knog is no longer under British rule, they do not recognize his license. Turns out our star is a caring doctor who sets up shop to help people who live in the slums, and takes no credit for his good deeds. Instead his nemesis takes all the credit for great medical procedures that Dr. Lau does. This movie turned out to have a "happy" ending, which I was beginning to think didn't happen in Asian movies. What I noticed the most was the western influence in this film, unlike the modern Chinese comedy "Hooked on you" that I had watched previously. I think the western influence was due to it being a Hong Knog movie. There was a definiate difference between this movie and Chinese movies I have been watching. I don't really see how it can be used in the classroom, maybe to show clips of similarities between our culture and theirs. However, if you're interested in a cute comedy I highly recommend it.

I wanted to respond to this because I kind of came across the same thing in the new Transformers movie (which was horrible, by the way) Anyway two of the transformers were supposed to be comic relief, and these two were supposedly two Asian guys with buck teeth and strong accents (a very old stereotype). Honestly it reminded me of how Asians used to be portrayed in the old Bob Hope movies. I agree that it really seems to be a step back, and done in very bad taste.

I just watched the National Geographic film, China's Lost Girls, and I recently read the book The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans. While I learned more about the one child policy in China and its effects on women and girls from the book, the movie really helped clarify a number of issues for me.
This film does an excellent job discussing how multifaceted this issue has become in China. While the film definitely acknowledged that there is a need to try to control China's population, it did a fantastic job discussing the unanticipated results of the one-child policy. One aspect that I found particularly fascinating is the fact that by the year 2020 there will be 10 percent more adult men than adult women; officials have already acknowledged that this could lead to violence, prostitution, and abduction of women (which the film shows is already happening).
I also really enjoyed the personal touches of the film. One memorable scene shows Chinese people talking with an American woman about their feelings of "disgrace" over this issue. There is also a discussion with a woman who decided (against the wishes of her husband) to keep her second child, a daughter, and had to pay thousands of dollars to keep her. This interview demonstrated to me, in ways that a book never could, that women must be incredibly strong to keep a girl, especially if it is their second child. This interview really helped me begin to understand the difficulty women must face if they have a second child in China.
In addition to these highlights, the film goes into a variety of other pieces of this issue, and I really enjoyed watching it. The film is 43 minutes long and very informative-- I would highly recommend watching it! While I'm not sure I'll use it in my classroom, it does a great job bringing out the personal side to this issue, and I'm sure it would help students relate to this issue if you are discussing the one child policy or the treatment of women in your classroom.
-Karen[Edit by="kringewald on Jun 28, 10:35:17 AM"][/Edit]

I have recently watched the film called Red Cliff. This movie has two versions, the version which released in Asia has two parts (total of 4 hours) , and the version released outside of Asia is just a two and a half hour movie. ( I don't think they have released in the United States). I have watched the Asia version.

Some background information about the movie:
Director: John Woo (also a director of Mission Impossible II)
Main Characters:Tony Leung Chiu-Wai as Zhou Yu
Takeshi Kaneshiro as Zhuge Liang
Zhang Fengyi as CaoCao
Chang Chen as Sun Quan
You Yong as Liu Bei
Ba Sen Zha Bu as Guan Yu
Zang Jingsheng as Zhang Fei

This movie is based on the Battle of Red Cliff and events during the end of the Han dynasty and the period of the Three Kingdoms in ancient China.

During the Eastern Han Dynasty in AD 208, the imperial army led by CaoCao set up a ampaign to eliminate the southern warlord Sun Quan and Liu Bei in the name of eliminating rebels. Since CaoCao's army is huge, Liu Bei and Sun Quan started to look for alliance.

One of the famous scene was that Zhuge Liang came up with a plan to get 10,000 arrows from Cao Cao's army. Zhuge Liang put the human-like figures made of straw and hey onto twenty boats and sent them to Cao Cao's camp. CaoCao's army thought that there were incoming fleet and started firing arrows at the figures, so now the arrows were stuck to the figures. Since it was early morning and the fleets were in fog and haze, it was difficult for CaoCao's troop to distinguish. So CaoCao just lost 10,000 arrows.

I believe this movie can be shown to students in smaller clips, and at the same time students will be able to experience how the Chinese battle back in the days.

I recently viewed the film Siworae AKA Il Mare. It is a South Korean film released in 2000 that was the basis for the later American film called The Lake House starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. The basic premise is that a woman and man living in the same house in different years are linked by a sort of "magical" mailbox. That description definitely doesn't do a good job to sell the film.... and I admit the premise was a bit difficult for me to buy into. At the same time, however, there is a whimsical sort of loveliness to the film that I enjoyed. Other teachers at my school had strongly recommended this film, claiming that students always really enjoy it. While it was beautiful, I found it to be much too slow-moving to really capture my attention at points. If using the film for school, it could be helpful when teaching about plot development.

This movie surprised me in ways I had not expected. The scenes shot in the slums did their part to make this comfortable American uncomfortable. There were many times I needed to turn away, but how much more do we need to see the reality of life outside our tiny bubble. It is so easy to pass judgement on other cultures based on our standards without really knowing the struggles and hardships they endure on a daily basis. More films like these need to be made to shock us out of our complacency.

I only wish there were scenes I thought appropriate to show to my 6th grade students.

I watched Tuya's Marriage, a Chinese film from director Quanan Wang. The film is set in Mongolia, and centers around Tuya, a poor farmer. She gets injured working on her farm, and finds herself unable to care for her children and her husband, Bater. Bater was disabled while trying to dig a well for their farm three years prior. With Bater's consent, Tuya divorces him and with his consent, embarks on a journey to find herself a new husband willing to take on the responsibility of a wife, her children, and her disabled ex-husband. At times humorours, the movie takes a look at the difficulty of life in Mongolia, and the dearth of resources for its inhabitants. The director uses many long shots of the desolate landscape, which is both chilling and beautiful in its starkness, to underline Tuya's predicament. After many trials in her quest for a worthy spouse, the movie ends during her marriage ceremony. What I liked best about the movie is the ending: no Hollywood-style tying of loose ends, and happy-ever-afters for everyone. The movie ends with the heroine in tears of frustration/sadness/relief? It is up to the viewer to decide her emotions. This would be a great movie to use in a classroom as a stand alone, or as part of a larger unit. What should Tuya do? Leave Bater and start fresh? Accept Baolier or Shenge? The scenes in the state-run nursing home were particularly interesting as a commentary on access to care in China. A wonderful film I would see again, and would use in a classroom setting. I think it is acceptable for grades 9-12 since there really isn't anything objectionable or offensive in it.

I watched this movie as well and found it both humorous and touching. The father carries the film; his body language conveys so much in the movie. There is also an American remake called Tortilla Soup. It follows the plot lines almost verbatim, but it is set in the United States with a Hispanic-American family. Both are entertaining, but I still prefer the original Chinese version.

This is an excellent movie about Genghis Khan's life. Even though it only depicts only a few fight/battle scenes (you would think there would be more-these are the Mongols...they once controlled an empire larger than the Romans), it tells a great story on Genghis.

From his youth to the power struggle over his clan, it tells the story on his perserverance and rise to power. It depicts his brilliance as a military general. THe movie is produced I believe by mainly a Russian company (this was strange to me, but a pleasant surprise). Great film to pull clips from to incorporate in Mongol/Chinese history!

It is a good movie and the irony is that it has a plausible story line. Just one of innumerable similar stories coming out of India.

Everytime I show this movie there is not a dry eye in the house. This films touches students on an emotional level and they are struck with how war destroys not only countries but families.

Many years ago when I first saw "Shower" on TV I found that the old story line talking about Chinese filial piety, loyalty to people you love and trust, etc. is repeatedly talking about in this film. In addition, it also discusses how the political and economic changes have gradually, if not speedily, changed the entire layout of a city. The little guys such as the main characters in "Shower" can do is to maintain a good spirit to let things go but to hold the beautiful fading old memories in heart. There are quite a few scenes unsuitable for the underaged kids to watch, yet in "Shower" really authentically reveal how the ordinary Chinese people live. They are happy with less, not more. They cherish friendship and they comfort each other for things that seem very trivial in the eyes of a materialistic world. I would recommend students to watch it in their own leisure time and it would be a great start for students to learn how a typical Chinese household has a similar problem like all Americans and appreciate how people use their network and resources to resolve the conflict and difference. It is a great film after all, so go to get your own dvd and enjoy it. julie

This movie is very graphic and Director Zhang seems like to use "Red" colors to reveal the cravings of human nature. The story of the film is happened during the time when the Japanese army occupied the northern part of China. Many of Director Zhang's films are talking about justice and lust that all human beings can identify with, yet this one is quite different than his other movie works. As the other reviewers mentioned earlier, the film is very violent. It might an expression to symbolize how red colors have been repeatedly used. Like other movies shown at Director Zhang's work, this one has given the audience a sense of justice and moral lesson. I would not recommend to use it in my classroom. It would be good for students and their family to watch it together. This film is suitable for adults due to its graphic and sexual scenes. julie

I would be hesitant to show Not One Lost to impatient high school students. Although the film has a touching closure and a great depiction of the differences between rural and urban China, It takes over an hour for the film to coalesce. For the first hour I sat in wonderment of the poverty of the countryside and the stubborness and naive-ness of the protagonist, a 13 year old substitute teacher. For most of the movie I was frustrated by her selfishness, but she did become more endearing as she showed more genuine feelings towards her students. The film may be useful to show the extent of poverty in the countryside and the migration of children to the cities to make money for their families. The film presents the disturbing reality of how the rural poor live and how rudimentary some Chinese schools are. The film can also help American students appreciate their own schools as this Chinese school barely had enough money to buy chalk. If you want to show a glimpse of the poverty you can show just the first 5-10 minutes of the film when the teacher is getting a tour of the school. Beyond that it may be difficult to splice the film.

Film: The Road Home (1999-2000)
Director: Zhang Yimou
Starring: Zhang Ziyi and Sun Honglei
Rating: G Running time: 89 minutes

I loved this film and will use it entirely in my World History class! This is my third Zhang Yimou film, I look forward to viewing his others.

Synopsis of the Film:
The film opens with Luo Yusheng, a young man, driving home to Sanhetun, the village in North China to be with his mother after his father’s death. When he arrives he finds her grief-stricken, keeping a vigil outside the village schoolhouse, where his father was the teacher for forty years. His uncle and the mayor of the village are both concerned because his mother wants her husband's funeral to follow an age-old local custom, of local men carrying the coffin from the hospital back to the village. The mayor does not believe he can find enough men to carry the coffin. But his mother remains adamant; she wants him to take the Road Home one last time.
As the mother is weaving the burial cloth, Luo Yusheng, reflects back on the stories he heard about his parents from the very beginning. Telling us the story of their romance. He realizes how important this is to his mother and pays the Mayor 5,000 Yuen to hire the men to carry his father. As it turns out hundreds of men show up to honor the teacher and carry him home refusing to accept any payment.
After the father is buried on a hill above his school and where his wife will join him at her death, Luo Yusheng asks his mother to return with him to the city but she wants to remain in the village. His mother does make a request of him to teach at the school. Early the next morning she hears students reciting and goes to the school where many of the villagers have gathered and there she sees her son teaching from the same book his father used the first day he taught so many years before.

How to use film in classroom:

I will use this film to look at fundamental values in Chinese society and history:

Education.: This story shows the attitude of country people towards education- as being one of respect. It is as if what was taking place in the cities really did not have much to do with the people in the country.

Social Issues: At a time of arrange marriages the film is showing two young people falling in love without a matchmaker.

Political issues: I will use the scene where the teacher is recalled to the city as a focal point to discuss the Cultural Revolution (1966-69). Although not explicit in the film, I believe this is what Zhang Yimou, was alluding to.

The Arts: I will use this film to show how the Culture has changed since the political agenda of Mao was installed and the Cultural Revolution. Zhang Yimou uses simplicity to tell stories about ordinary people. There is not a political agenda.

A classic Japanese comedy about the importance of food and work ethic for everyone in their culture. It was very popular when it came out in the mid-80's. Subtitles. You could use this in Econ, Japanese language class, or in a section on contemporary Asian culture.

Plot summary - A single mother owns a run down noodle shop on the outskirts of a busy city. She is befriended by a "cowboy" truck driver who helps her turn her business around by bringing in experts, spying, and an endless amount of hours to make the perfect bowl of noodles. Along the way they encounter Japanese from every walk of life.

*Warning: Skip over the 3 scenes with the man in the white hat; his character explores the connection between sex and food. This should bring the movie down to a hour and a half.

This is an Anime movie that the kids will enjoy watching. Recommended for World History: WWII Unit

In the latter part of World War II, a boy and his sister, orphaned when their mother is killed in the firebombing of Tokyo, are left to survive on their own in what remains of civilian life in Japan. As the situation grows progressively worse in the war, things deteriorate proportionally on the homefront. We follow Seita and Setsuko as they do their best to survive in the Japanese countryside, battling hunger, prejudice, and pride in their own personal battle.

At first glance, one might get the idea that Grave of the Fireflies is some kind of anti-American propaganda. In truth, it is nearly the opposite. Although the children fall victim to the hardships brought on by the war, no Americans are rarely mentioned and there are no battle scenes. If anything, on one level, this movie could be seen as a metaphor for the entire country of Japan during the war: fighting a losing battle, yet too stubbornly proud to admit defeat or accept help.

It is based on a semi-autobiographical novel written by a man who survived the war on the homefront, but whose younger sister died of starvation while in his care. The enemy in this movie is painted as the kind of human weaknesses that come from and even create war: pride, the suspicion that falls upon two children trying to live on their own, and the prejudice leveled against a healthy young man who doesn't want to fight.

produced by Studio Ghibli, Hayao Miyazaki's studio (also produced Spirited Away, Totoro and many other great movies)

I recommend the documentary Small Happiness. It provides a compelling examination of women's roles in rural China. The segment on footbinding is particularly informative. There is also a portion on birth control that is illuminating.

In terms of the film's teachability, I would recommend excerpting the portions particular to your curriculum. Students tend to disengage during documentaries, so I think it is best shown in small clips.

It is interesting to examine the stark contrast between the lives of women in these villages and our own in America. The documentary is a little more than 20 years old, but that still makes it fairly contemporary.

I would recommend supplementing the documentary with some of the readings provided by the insitute, particularly “Antifootbinding,” “An Address,” “On Freeing” (129-134); “Quotations from Mao: Society” (151). These primary source documents don't necessarily match the exact time period, but they provide good context before showing the documentary.

Not One Less, China,
Director: Zhang Yimou

I would recommend utilizing the film Not One Less with students in the classroom. It is a sweet film that demonstrates the modern rural village lifestyle of China today in a simple way. The director chose to use real people instead of actors to portray the characters. These people do an exemplary job and really pull off amazing acting.

Not One Less is the story of a young girl, Wei who becomes the substitute teacher for a small one-room school in rural China. She does not seem to have much experience teaching and is thrown into the situation. She sleeps at the school with some of her students in her bed. She is given barely any supplies, but is allowed one piece of chalk for each day throughout the month she teaches. Substitute Teacher Wei must adapt to teaching and disciplining a group of children who are barely a year or two younger than herself. When one of her students is suddenly taken to the city to work because his mother is sick, Wei sets out to find him and bring him back to the village school. Her innocence and tenacious character are refreshing to see. The film demonstrates a matter of fact approach to life in China.

I really believe that the American modern high school student would enjoy this film. Mostly it is a wonderful teaching tool to show China today in very simple terms. Students may get bored at the beginning, but the film gets going and is quite entertaining about 20 minutes in. I heartily recommend this film as a teaching tool for representing modern rural village life in China. It is delightful!

This is a movie that takes place in and around the JSA, the Joint Security Area, which is the border region guarded by the armies from North and South Korea along the DMZ. There are also some international "peace keeper's" buildings found along this border area as well. When two North Korean soldiers are found dead in a guard building on the northern side of the border, it sets off a political chain of events that threatens to plunge the countries into war with each other.
As the investigation begins, Soldiers from Switzerland are called in to run an unbiased investigation. Two South Korean soldiers are wounded while crossing the border from North Korea to South Korea during the skirmish. So the question that must be solved is: Why were they on the Northern side of the border, which is an act of war.
One Theory; they were kidnapped and shot the North Korean soldiers in order to escape. This was supported by the South. Theory #2; The South Korean soldiers were spies, and they were caught by the North Koreans and had to shoot their way back into their country. This theory was supported by the north.
So as the investigation continues, it turns out that both theories are wrong. Through a series of events the four soldiers, two from each side, become friends, and secretly cross the border in the middle of the night to hang out and exchange trinkets, ideas, and laughter. They share a similar language and culture, but have a differently political ideology, which they sometimes question.
The movie is mostly in Korean, but has some English, and has English subtitles. I might use a middle part in my classroom. There was a part which shows what looks like actual footage shot during the Korean conflict, and it talks about the POW's that were returned to each side. Each POW had the option of returning to the other side, or staying where they were captured, but with the ability of starting a new life. Well it turns out that 75 or so decided that they wanted to do neither and left Korea all together. But what was interesting was the fact that neither Switzerland nor Sweden, both neutral countries during the conflict would take any of these people.
I might be more inclined to show parts of "Not One Less” or "The Way Home" the other movies that we watched during our film nights, but since there were less people at the showing of JSA, I thought that I'd write a review for you here.

The Last Emperor – 1987, Bernardo Bertolucci Movie Review

Though some decry this film as too slow, with not enough story to hold an adult’s attention, let alone an adolescent’s, I disagree. The Last Emperor is a beautiful film, much of it shot on location in the Forbidden City. There are good reasons why this film won nine academy awards, among them Best Film, Cinematography, Score, Art and Set Decoration. This film can truly transport you to other eras.
The story opens in 1950 China, with Pu Yi, the last emperor, being transported to prison after the communist revolution. As he tries to commit suicide the film flashes back to his childhood and his assumption to the throne of China upon the death of the Dowager Empress. The film is told through a series of flashbacks. We see Pu Yi transform as China is transforming outside the gate of the Forbidden City, an outside world he does not see for decades. Here is a boy and then a man who is a puppet long before the Japanese use him as one in Manchuria/Manchukuo. Different actors portray Pu Yi in his childhood, with John Lone doing a wonderful job as the young adult Pu Yi until his death. We see the restrictions and sheltering of him as a child, his tutelage under his Scot tutor, Mr. Johnson, his marriages, and his attempt to adapt to the outside world when released, though still in a sheltered world. The story continues with Pu Yi during the Japanese takeover of Manchuria and World War II. The beauty and symbolism of the colors and images along with the powerful music, (created by an international team headed by David Byrne of the Talking Heads), create a powerful emotional response.
As far as use in the classroom, perhaps students of very low ability or a young age might have a hard time with the 160 minutes, but those students would enjoy Pu Yi as the toddler or use of the scene where he becomes emperor again under the Japanese. If using the film in its entirety, students should have already finished World War II, the communist revolution in China, and Mao’s Cultural Revolution. The Cultural Revolution and Red Guards are touched on at the end of the film, so students will understand this better if they have an understanding and knowledge of Chinese twentieth century history. It is not difficult to break this film into 20-30 minute sections and show it over the course of a unit. The flashback nature of the film lends itself to this. This is also a good film to have students think about the nature of film. Why are certain colors used in the scenes; for example, dark cold colors shots in the prison scene. What are the animal images? (Freedom). When is certain music repeated? Use of the image of a door, or the word door, (freedom/imprisonment). They can be taught that breaking down film, is like examining and breaking down literature: images, themes, metaphors, etc.
I would recommend the use of the film The Last Emperor in high school world history classes. If you have the time to fit it in your curriculum at the end of the year, it is a valuable tool; if not, see if you can at least use some of the film’s clips.

Winner of the grand prize at the Venice Film Festival in 2006, this was a breathtaking film to see immediately after attending the east-Asia conference as the history, current issues, statistics, and impressions have been percolating through my mind. Set amid the demolition and construction of a neighborhood along the Yangtze River after the opening of the Three Gorges Dam, the loose story involves the reunion of two couples separated by by complex social factors. The main character is, however, the landscape itself. Throughout are scenes of broken concrete and rubble, with laboring men in endless task of hammering away with little apparent progress that is almost painful to witness.
For students, this could represent a society laboring to demolish its foundation and rebuild a new tradition.
Though too long and sometimes slow for students, selected segments have much value in the portrayal of real life struggles of poverty, displacement, migration, and hope (or lack of it). As one placid-faced woman declares "I'm moving to Guangdong. I have no choice". Because of the planned rise of the river level, her home will become submerged.
Here is an opportunity to work in geography well--The Yangtze, Sichwan and Guangdong provinces, Shanghai.
The 'New China' is juxtaposed against the old in various scenes. A group of workers having nearly no money or possessions, use cell phones. Discuss with students where else this may occur around the world. One particularly stunning, almost comical scene shows 3 men sitting at table dressed in full regalia of a traditional period with elaborate headdresses, each intently playing a hand-held game device. Lots of discussion could ensue.

Japanese Internment

A colleague shared with my, Stand up for Justice: the Story of Ralph Lazo. It is set during the Japanese Internment at the Manzanar camp. It is about 30 minutes long and comes with several ready to use lessons. My students enjoyed it for several different reasons including, age of the main character, ethnicity (most of my students are Latino), and the overall storyline.

Ralph Lazo was a Mexican American teenager who went to the Manzanar internment camp. The movie shows different perspectives, including a Chinese boy who is told by his parents to wear a name tag that states he is Chinese. This was interesting because at a local liquor store, the owners have a sign stating they are Indians. The film also allows for lots of different discussions including, would you have gone? Overall, this was a pretty good movie and I highly recommend it.

http://www.ncrr-la.org/news/12_14_03/3.html

The Film TO LIVE that we viewed in class is definitely one that I will be showing to my students. The film fits in well with the theme of totalitarianism and how that type of government invades every aspect of people’s lives. One of the things that I like about TO LIVE is that it has a before and after aspect to it. The film takes the viewer through the changes that took place in China after MAO comes to power. We are shown the good and bad changes that came from the revolution. I think that the most powerful image of the movie for the students will be seeing the young girls (students really) as doctors because they took over the hospital and imprisoned the teachers, and then seeing the end result (the young girl dying). Through this movie we see the fervor and in some cases reluctance to the changes that were taking place. I feel as though my students will enjoy this film and be educated by it.

Film Review—Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring (Bom yeoreum gaeul gyeoul geurigo bom)
Directed by Ki-duk Kim
In Korean with English subtitles
Rated R-- Teachers must be cautioned that the film includes two scenes of explicit sex with limited nudity. These can be skipped with no loss of story line.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring is a beautiful Korean film that takes place on a very small monastery, floating in the middle of a lake. A solitary old Buddhist monk resides there, along with his protégé, a young boy. The years and seasons slowly pass as the boy grows and experiences moments of cruelty, love, pain, death and enlightenment.

While extremely beautiful, the film is probably too slow for most students to view in its entirety. However, many parts of this film could be used in the classroom to illustrate Buddhist customs and culture. The little monastery is beautifully adorned in carved wood and stone Buddhas; there is a “doorway” into the young boy’s room even though there are no walls. Another doorway also is found at the landing dock for the little boat that takes the residents and visitors back and forth to the little island. The monastery and landscapes are visually delightful as they pass from season to season. Teachable moments include the initial scenes of the film revolving around the young boy’s cruelty and subsequent lesson by his mentor; short scenes illustrating Buddhist prayer and practice; a sequence after the boy has grown to 30 and become a fugitive from the law, when the monk puts him to the task of carving out Buddhist scripture on the wooden decking of the monastery with the weapon used to commit the crime, his knife; and the scenes where the words “shut” are written on small pieces of cloth and used to seal the eyes, ears, and mouth, for both the young man in his time of internal pain and the old monk as he comes to the end of his life. Also noteworthy is the scene where the monk tells the young man who has now learned about love and passion, that “Lust awakens the desire to possess. And that awakens the intent to murder.”

The film I chose to review was an Japanese anime film entitled Appleseed. "Appleseed is an anime film, directed by Shinji Aramaki and originally released in Japan on May 17, 2004. It is based on the characters created by Masamune Shirow in the original Appleseed manga series that was published in 1985." - wikipedia

The musical soundtrack was also amazing and very accessible for Americans. "The film features an electronic, techno and trance theme, with the likes of Paul Oakenfold, Basement Jaxx, Boom Boom Satellites, Akufen, Carl Craig, T. Raumschmiere and Ryuichi Sakamoto. For a big fan of house and trance like myself the music was always upbeat and enjoyable." - Wikiepedia

I liked how the film used greek mythology. Many of the characters were named after greek gods like Hades, Athena, Nike and the city was named Olympus. I had originally watched the film casually and not thought twice about its intrinsic educational value but then I gave it a second look. The film focuses on issues of race and prejudice and the pain coexistence with a race that is different. The story takes place in a post apocalyptic world where humanity has fought a senseless war and basically destroyed most of the planet. The city of Olympus is built as a Utopia designed to preserve humanity and is run by a central computer named Gaia. What I found interesting was that instead of the computer and technology rising up against humanity, it was humans themselves who decide to destroy the human race.

Visually the film is compelling and draws you in but the story is relevant because it asks students to question the world that we live in how we can either destroy it or take care of it. It also raises questions as to the inherent nature of humanity.

I also chose to do an anime film mostly because one of our speakers and what he said about it. The Anime in question is Spirited Away written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was relased in early 2000's, 2003 I think in the U.S., and I have already seen it BUT after our lecture on japanese Pop Culture I never stopped to realize what themes and morals there were in the film! Let me begin with a very brief summary of this movie:

The story begins as our main heroine named Chihiro and her parents take a wrong turn down a dirt path while traveling to their new home in a diffwerent part of the city. It's interesting because her father drives an Audi with Quattro all wheel drive and gets a liitle over ambitious as he drives.. funny because it reminds me of me and that its a German Car. So they stop at the end of a road and discover a tunnel at the bottom of the path which leads them into an old abandoned theme park that is rotting away. While Chihiro and and her parents explore the place they come across a place full of restaurants filled with all different kinds of delicious foods. Chihiro's parents begin "pigging out" and assure Chihio that "Daddy's has all sorts of money to pay.". As Chihiro leaves her parents and starts exploring the place herself she comes upon a bridge only to be found by a boy named Haku. The boy then tells Chihiro that she must leave before nightfall. She then runs off to find her parents only to find them as pigs. Chihiro gets scared and runs off to the river only to find it full of water. Things really start to get weird when she runs off and eventually runs into Haku again who tells her what to do. Basically, he tells her that he will help her save her parents but the only way was for her to get a job in the bathhouse for the Gods and spirits of Japan! The story then goes on with her getting a job, working hard, and encountering all sorts of interesting characters!
HOW does this relate to School??? As an extra credit assignment, assign students to watch Spirited Away at home and try to relate the themes of the film with Shinto Beliefs talked about in the text book! For example, Relating the character "No Face" to a spirit that has been forgotten that no one prays to; River God is muddy and Filthy (Pollution/Environment), and how things in life relate to the spirit world!
I think this would make a great activity, as I have hinted to in other posts on this forum, I just didn't know how to put everything together! :-D =:O :P :-( :~ :-|

Red Cliff by John Woo

The film Red Cliff directed by John Woo is a two part Chinese epic based on a series of famous battles that take place during the end of the Han Dynasty, particularly the Battle of Red Cliff, which paved the way for what has often been referred to as the period of the Three Kingdoms (Wei, Shu, Wu). Although there is a more recent, condensed Western release of the film, I chose to review the original, yet less romanticized, Asian version because of its historical accuracy and close attention to detail. The film is too long to show in its entirety, but a few selected scenes would greatly benefit students of Advanced Placement World History courses since it is always difficult to get a sense of the cultures that existed during this time period. Students are often asked to compare the Rome and Han empires and they are always more familiar and comfortable with the Roman Empire. Selected scenes from this film would help students better understand the historical context of China during this period and thus afford more fruitful comparisons.

The epic begins with the army, headed by Cao Cao of the Eastern Han Dynasty on a mission to destroy the southern warlords Sun Quan and Liu Bei whom have formed an alliance against Cao Cao’s army, which is advancing towards the area known as Red Cliff. What impressed me most with this first part of the epic, was the cunning of Liu Bei’s chief advisor Zhunge Liang, who relies on a combination of Confucian philosophy and science to out strategize Cao Cao’s army. Without giving too much away, the trap set called the “Eight Trigrams Formation”, which involved the allied forces forming a maze-like structure with their shields that resembled a tortoise’s shell was brilliant. It reminded me a lot of ancient Greek warfare, particularly the Spartans’ Phalanx formation. Both structures required extremely disciplined soldiers and planning. The film also does an excellent job giving insight into Chinese philosophy, which can also be contrasted with Greek philosophy. The Mandate of Heaven surfaces throughout the film and appears to ultimately lead to the collapse of the Eastern Han Dynasty. For once Cao Cao becomes corrupt, he loses all sense of morality and virtue, and with this, his mandate of heaven. Like justice for the Greeks, virtue appears to be at the heart of Chinese philosophy.

In the second part of the epic, the Battle of Red Cliff still hasn’t taken place but it’s worth waiting for. Two warfare strategies used that would be good to show students are the germ warfare scene at the beginning of part two and the use of the crossbow during the final battle sequence. Although familiar with later methods of germ warfare, the spread of small pox to native Americas for example, I was surprised to see typhoid fever victims being used to spread the plague to the enemy. This would make an excellent primary source analysis if this technique if it was actually used by the Chinese.

Overall, the film offers a lot of symbolism, insights into Chinese culture and philosophy, and demonstrates the wealth of technology that existed in East Asia at this time. I highly recommend selecting a few scenes to show to students, with parent permission of course, as there are some excellent comparisons that can be drawn.
8)

So I see that this movie has been reviewed several times. Some of the reviewers include a great summary of the story. Several describe the historic conditions surrounding the rise of Genghis Kahn. In a couple of cases I read that the movie was exceptionally violent and it was not captivating. IN reference to the value of this movie in the classrooms, first the film, unless shown to a mature group of students with parental consent for a specific educational objective, should not be shown in its entirety, but with specific selections to highlight relevant cultural aspects of both the Mongolians and Chinese during this period on history. Though the movie seems to have some fictional qualities, it still allows students to get an impression of the beliefs, living conditions, cultural practices, and personal characteristics and these two ethnically diverse groups. Second, there are many scenes that are age appropriate that I feel would surely grab the students attention given the right context; as you view this film pay special attention to the score, scenery, tonal and physical expressions of the characters, and the props- these scenes generally convey at least one of the following insights- social structure, nature of relationships, value and perspective of nature, political practices, etc.

Sergei Bodrov- Mongol Movie Trailer

This is a movie that has been playing all summer on Showtime. It is about two warlords who fight for control of Japan in the 16th Century. Both Samurai had killed relatives to obtain their positions, thus establishing their reputations as being the two most powerful lords. Kagetora - tempered by wisdom fought to protect his people and Takeda who was driven by ambition and a desire to rule Japan. In the opening it states the two men so evenly matched, their battles were destined to become legend, both in Heaven and on Earth. I thought it was a very good movie. Although there are many battle scenes, they are not to bloody. It does a great job depicting the strategies of war, and also shows the armor of the time period. I think it would be ok to show it in a class, however, it is with subtitles, and I'm not sure how that would go over in the classroom. As an art teacher, I loved the scenery, in fact, many of the scenes were like Japanese artwork. Subjects such as the rolling waves of the sea, Mt. Fuji, and the rolling hills with deep valleys that are depicted in so much Japanese artwork. Overall the movie did a fine job conveying the time period and the historical aspects of war, the Samurai, and Japanese honor.

Anyone here a fan of Akira Kurosawa’s films? my two favorites are:

Yojimbo : The story of a ronin (masterless samurai), who arrives in a small town where competing crime lords make their money from gambling.

The Seven Samurai: The story of a village of farmers that hire seven ronin to combat bandits who will return after the harvest to steal their crops.
And of course, you can’t mention Kurosawa without naming his most famous leading man: Toshirō Mifune. I really enjoyed how he played those leading parts of a loner with an understated heroism and courage. Mifune at times portrayed the anti-samurai, noble but without pretentions, one who put others above his own ambitions.

It is of no wonder that Mifune and Kurosawa influence so many western films including: Clint Eastwood’s cowboy films and George Lukas’ Star Wars.

Kurosawa’s films would be great in the classroom exploring the many themes they contain: self-sacrifice, duty, honor, the rebel, and even the underdog. You could also compare Shakespeare’s originals to Kurosawa’s versions, many interesting topics to choose.Kursoawa’s films are classics.

Does anyone wish to post their favorites Kurosawa films and state why.

You are totally right the film is filled with many inaccuracies, but it would be a great way to study how technology changes a society. The film depicts (not in a total historically accurate way) the devastation the Samurai faced against a military with modern weapons. The introduction of modern firearms, threaten the traditional way of life for the warrior class in Japan. The Samurai faced their greatest threat, now any unskilled recruit with a little as 6 weeks of training, could inflict terrible causalities on a group of warriors who took a lifetime to master their superb swordsmanship.

This theme could also be could be found during the Boxer Rebellion, when martial arts believed that they could, through training, diet, martial arts, and prayer, defeat the superior armed foreign forces in China during the “Century of Humiliation”

It is interesting to note that some historians have written that during the World War II, the Japanese army believed that courage and superiority alone would helped them defeat the Allies who had superior weapon technology.

In his Book: TECHNOPOLY: The Surrender of Culture to Technology: , Neil Postmen states that technology is always a Faustian bargain: Technology giveth and technology taketh away, and not always in equal measure. A new technology sometimes creates more than it destroys. Sometimes, it destroys more than it creates. But it is never one-sided.

A lesson could be incorporated that could ask students to investigate how a new technology has replaced old traditions and symbols, and what are the advantages and disadvantages for that technology. Questions could include: The destruction of ancient artifacts during the Cultural Revolution, The Rise and Fall of the Samurai, The Sword vs the Guns; etc...

I have seen a few post concerning the Samurai. Here is a film that sees the samurai in another light.
Although this film due to its subject matter probably couldn’t be shown in class, it is never less an interesting film about the samurai, depicting a world that is filled with contradictions and dispels a few stereotypes. The story offers another view into the brutal and macho world of the Samurai.
The film centers on the tension that the young and handsome samurai, Kanō Sōzaburō causes for the men of an elite police force that is in charge with protecting the Shogun. Some of the men fall in love with Kanō and he manipulates them for his own ambition; the film seems to question the zen concept of perfection or that beauty is always good.

Apart from other era samurai films, director Nagisa Oshima explores sexuality and humanity in these characters in ways I have never seen before. I was unaware of the shudō tradition or how homosexuality is viewed in China or Japan. I know that the film maybe controversial, but in this day and age, there might be questions that some of our students may have especially at the high school level.

Everything is a Mystery: Four Films by Bong Joon-ho

December 11-12 | Bing Theater

LACMA is proud to host the first-ever Los Angeles retrospective of Korea's purveyor of the lyrical blockbuster, Bong Joon-ho. In the course of just four features—his third film, The Host, remains the highest-grossing Korean film of all time—Bong has established himself as a masterful manipulator of genre tropes who maintains a jaundiced eye and a penchant for slapstick absurdity. From rom-com (Barking Dogs Never Bite) to CGI creature feature (The Host) with two procedurals along the way, Bong skewers authority while depicting the webs of intrigue that gum up the mechanisms of modern life. His characters are ruthless detectives who end up down one rabbit hole or another.

Note: Bong will be on hand for a preview screening of his latest film, Mother, this year's foreign-language Oscar submission from South Korea.


Tickets: $7 members; $10 non-members
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ALSO:
Hear a Talk | Conversations on the Culture of Korean Buddhism

December 12 | 2 pm | Bing Theater

Venerable Hyon Gak, an American-born Buddhist monk, joins curator Hyonjeong Kim Han in conversation about the use of icons in Korean Buddhism. Following the conversation, Hyon Gak will sign copies of the book Wanting Enlightenment Is a Big Mistake: Teachings of Zen Master Seung Sahn.
[Edit by="kramirez on Dec 2, 4:13:04 PM"][/Edit]

Over the years, I have seen many Asian movies, especially made by Chinese film makers. The one that stands out to me the most is “Raise the Red Lantern.” I was introduced to this film when I was a sophomore in college, in my world literature class. It has a grim ending for the main female character becoming insane… but I have a different interpretation of the ending. Perhaps she is not truly insane, but pretending to be, out of defiance. Being “insane” she now has the advantage of mobility of roaming around the big house freely, she now can say the things she wants to say “insanely” without any consequences, and best of all, she now has the freedom to be left alone without conforming herself to the “rules” of the concubines.

This weeks seminar concerning the cinema of Korea lead me to explore a few Korean films. Here is my review of:

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004) South Korean war film directed by Kang Je-gyu. The movie relates the Korean War through the experiences of two brothers. The film depicts the horrors and brutalities of war and how personal relationships can transcend all political and ideological boundaries.

It was also interesting to see the Korean War from another perspective (besides the American one) that conveyed the suffering and the many sacrifices South Koreans endured as a result of the war. It was truly eerie not to see American soldiers in the film and only hear about them through background events.

Although the film could be somewhat melodramatic at times, and filled with some highly improbable incidents, such as the two brothers finding each other in the midst of a serious battle, it was a well made film. I rate this movie with many of the other classic movies about war; such as Saving Private Ryan, Letters from Iwo Jima, and Full Metal Jacket.

I was unfamilar with Korean cinema, our workshop on Saturday has open my curiosity to explore more films from this intriguing country.

JSA was another film that I just viewed and really enjoyed. I found the movie’s story compelling, suggesting that humanity can still flourish despite the most hostile conditions. The film provides complex characters who try to form friendships despite the years of mistrust between the two Koreas. There are several themes that could be discussed in a classroom; Friendship vs. Patriotism; questioning loyalties to country, family, friends or ideologies; or whether laws can or should be broken when they are in conflict with one’s conscious; i.e. protecting and hiding jews during the anti-semitic laws of Nazi Germany.

The film reminded me of an event that occurred in real life. A Christmas truce was unofficial declared in 1914 during World War I. German soldiers won over their British opponents by lobbing chocolate cakes at them instead of hand grenades. What followed (according to written historical accounts) was a bout of unprecedented fraternization between enemy forces that has never been repeated on an equivalent scale: German soldiers bearing candles, chunks of cake and cigars met British soldiers carrying cigarettes and Christmas pudding in no-man's land and for short time celebrated Christmas.