Hero

Sorry about the late posting guys! Busy week this week, and I am not even sure if I can get any credit on this, but it is worth a shot!

Let me start off by saying that Hero is a beautiful film. The vibrant colors and lush scenery make this movie one of the most visually astounding I have ever seen. The colors play an important role in the film as everyone except Nameless (Jet Li) is clothed in the same color fabric. Also, the scenery takes on the hue of the particular color. While one story is full of red, possibly due to the amount of bloodshed in this tale (Snow killing Sword, the archers firing on the calligraphy school), another tale version of the tale is told where the cast is dressed in a light blue. All the while, Nameless is dressed in the same, black garb. He is the one constant in all of the stories as are his motives up until the very end of the film. The fight scenes are no less vibrant with characters performing inhuman feats of acrobatics and supernatural stunts that include flight and running on water. It is so beautifully done though, as to not look cheesy. Wire assisted fighting is a staple of the Wuxia genre of films and Hero is no different.
The tale in Hero has come under much scrutiny for being a tale about a united China. Problems with Tibet and Taiwan have criticized the film for its seemingly pro-reunification message. In the film, Emperor Qin is trying to unite China through force, a position some feel that the current Communist regime may one day undertake.
Overall, I found Hero to be a very beautiful film with a wonderful score of Chinese music behind it and an ancient tale with relevance in today's world. Although some may disagree, the unified China message in Hero seems to be innocent and not suggestive of a Communist-controlled China. Who can blame a person for wanting to see their fellow Chinese (those who retreated to Taiwan) reunited with the homeland?
-Julian

Not One Less

Director Zhang Yimou's film Not One Less was a compelling piece of cinematography that had a certain sense of realism to it, similar to The Wind Will Carry Us. The film shows the viewer the stark contrasts between the highly industrialized cities of Hong Kong and Beijing (as seen in popular media) and the mountainous, rural environments of the large majority of China's inhabitants. The film takes this one step further by depicting a poor village, which again is in stark contrast to the highly publicized growth of China's economy and urban areas. Not One Less seems to be challenging more the Westerners view of China, and tries to draw the viewer away from the idealized cities and into the more realistic villages that cover most of China.
Of course, the ideal of showing us the more realistic nature of China can apply to those who are urban-Chinese citizens or of the younger generation. Possibly, their exposure to the villages and the poverty in parts of their country are limited, similar to the situation in most Western countries, but I feel that it is more pandering to the Western audiences sensibilities (a notion that Zhang Yimou was criticized for in the critically-acclaimed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon).
This message of contrasts between the urban and the rural is interwoven into a compelling narrative about one girl's persistence, and the children she substitute teaches for. Her trials and tribulations are comparable to those of a single mother, who tries to balance her own goals (like Wei's goal to earn the extra Yuan / to bring back Zhang Huike) with the realities of having to care for your dependents (the children Wei teaches / Zhang Huike). The tale of her struggles seems to fall upon universal lines and most audiences, no matter what country, could relate this message to events in their own lives.
Overall, Not One Less was a compelling tale that contained a message about the contrasts of rural and urban China. Although I would have not seen the film on my own accord, I would recommend it to others.

-Julian

Swades

The Indian film Swades is a Bollywood film that contained a beautiful story that was hampered by the melodrama and cheesy acting. Also, most of the songs felt out of place in the film and damaged what I felt could have been a great film. Not to say Swades was all bad though. The lower caste weaver-turn-farmer's heart wrenching story about how the villagers won't even buy his meager offering of crops almost brought tears to my eyes. The man who could not send his children to school, due to his family being ostracized from the village, also made me empathize with the message of the film.
Sadly though, Mohan's efforts to end the suffering by changing certain cultural notions comes of as cheesy. Removing weeds from a water pipe does not require the overly-dramatic music that was playing, nor did Mohan need to overact during certain scenes in the film. At times, subtlety would have made much more of an impact on the audience than a soliloquy. This overacting extends to Gita as well. I could not honestly think she loved Mohan with how she displayed her affection. She seemed distant from Mohan. Luckily, Kavieramma's acting was spot-on, as I really felt like she was a motherly/grand-motherly figure. Unfortunately though, her realism can not save the overall cheesy acting of Mohan and Gita.
For the most part, I am picking out small details that I felt hurt the overall message of the film. The secondary characters (the farmer and the outcast family) really brought it all together. Even the post-master who was sort of a oafish had certain qualities that made him a good character. Overall, I think Swades is a good film to introduce those to Bollywood cinema. It weaves a good tale with Bollywood song and melodrama.
-Julian