Film Festival

[Anonymous]

REVIEW: Memoirs of a Geisha
I originally wanted to look at the film based on Lisa Dalby's booked turned into a movie until I found out it was a made-for-TV movie with Pam Dauber. I wonder if Robin Williams would be helping her into her kimono. I chose instead this movie based on the seminal work that took 15 years of research before being published. Ms. Dalby also consulted on this film as well.I found the film to be typical of most Asian films I've seen with the prolonged close-ups coupled with the great landscape graphics and the orchestrated music which really is not a sound effect, but an instrument that touches us in the affective areas of our brain. Dr. David Rose of Harvard has written extensively of how the music can be changed in a scene and how profound effect that has on our anticipation of what is about to happen. I really liked one of the opening lines with the proper enhancement of sound affects. It may in fact be the first English spoken line in the film"this is a story that should not be told"
I felt persistent pain when the girl sold into the Geishadom persistently and consistently required to state "where is my sister?' In the first half hour of the film I introspectively looked at my own beliefs of what a Geisha is. Prostitute, educated, great social skills, sake drinker...and then she asked" What is a Geisha?" The answer is one of fluctuation dependent on the time, place and history framed in different contexts. The music, costume, stage props, and choreography had me mesmerized. Splendid, rich, and beautiful but unfortunately with a sad number of stories attached.
I teach a transition skills class for students with disabilities. the academic literature is right and abundant with the notion that 9/10 individuals with disabilities will be abused in some way throughout their lifetime.It may be physical, emotional, sexual, for financial. I believe there are great snippets of this film that I could incorporate into lessons that I've already developed regarding abuse and domestic violence.

[Anonymous]

”24 city” is film by the Chinese director Jia Zhang-Ke. According to Richard Brody, The New Yorker, the movie is “an ingenious blend of documentary and fiction, as well as a meditation of history and its effacement in contemporary China”. I cannot agree more with his statement. The decision to demolish Factory 420 which employed 30, 000 workers and build an apartment complex is nothing more but “effacement” of the history of these people living in the city of Chengdu. My recommendation is to watch the movie the same way it has been done -in segments. It is good to watch it at once yet it might be beneficial to return to some scenes and see them again.
The movie “24 city” presents the stories of real and fictional characters and it is a depiction of the transition from communist to pre-capitalist organization of the economy and and respectively the social life of the people. The opening scene presenting the crowd walking to attend the meeting is clear testimony of the idea of the togetherness in communist China and the last scene presenting the young girl Su Na working as shopper -bring expensive products from Hong-Kong for rich people in China supports clearly the idea that the country has moved towards a new economic reality.
There are several possibilities to incorporate clips from the movie while teaching World History-the Modern World. First of all, using the comparative method of teaching the historical phenomena, the scene of Su Na can be used to teach about the transition from communism to capitalism of Eastern European countries and China. The feature movie I have already used to present the changes in the city of Berlin as part of the Democratic Republic of Germany is “Good bye, Lenin”. The main character of the German movie is almost the same age as Su Na and it might be interesting to compare the lives of the two characters through the changes in their countries.
Another option to use the movie as a teaching tool is as part of unit on urban renewal in the post-war society. Factory 420 producing parts for the aviation industry is no longer in need and the decision was made to build apartments. The same situation one can observe in post-World War II United States and Western Europe. There are once again opportunities for students to compare same events in different places.
I have personally enjoyed the stories of Little Flower and Su Na-two women born 25 years apart from each other, different and similar. Little Flower and Su Na depict women able to liberate themselves from the dogmas of the society-the first one not able to marry because of her beauty and the younger one determined to make money and save her mother from the hard working conditions. As a teaching tool the stories of the two women can be used to present the changing role of women in the society.
I highly recommend the movie to everybody interested to understand the transition from communism to capitalism in the late 1980-early 1990s in Eastern Europe and China.

[Anonymous]

So, this week I watched: "The Way Home" which is a Korean film that came out in 2002. It's about a little boy who is left with his grandmother while his mother looks for work. The boy grew up in the city and must live with his grandmother in the countryside. In the beginning, the kid was a mean, little brat; he was demanding and selfish. Over time, the child mellows out and begins to appreciate his grandmother's patience and good nature. It was a film about growing up. I highly recommend this film. It's not dramatic nor does it beat you over the head with over-the-top emotions; most importantly--it's not Hollywood.

[clay dube]

Hi Folks,

The author of a new study about Mulan and representations of Mulan posted the following note to the H-Asia discussion list. I think it may be an interesting resource for those planning to use the film or those who are interested in the history of Mulan and stories about Mulan.

****
From: baerchen dong

_Mulan's Legend and Legacy in China and the United States_, Temple UP, 2010 Lan Dong http://www.temple.edu/tempress/titles/2009_reg.html

Mulan, the warrior maiden who performed heroic deeds in battle while dressed as a male soldier, has had many incarnations from her first appearance as a heroine in an ancient Chinese folk ballad. Mulan's story was retold for centuries, extolling the filial virtue of the young woman who placed her father's honor and well-being above her own. With the publication of Maxine Hong Kingston's _The Woman Warrior_ in the late 1970s, Mulan first became familiar to American audiences who were fascinated with the extraordinary Asian American character. Mulan's story was recast yet again in the popular 1998 animated Disney film and its sequel.

In _Mulan's Legend and Legacy in China and the United States_, Lan Dong traces the development of this popular icon and asks, "Who is the real Mulan?" and "What does authenticity mean for the critic looking at this story?" Dong charts this character's literary voyage across historical and geographical borders, discussing the narratives and images of Mulan over a long time span­from premodern China to the contemporary United States to Mulan's counter-migration back to her homeland.

As Dong shows, Mulan has been reinvented repeatedly in both China and the United States so that her character represents different agendas in each retelling­especially after she reached the western hemisphere. The dutiful and loyal daughter, the fierce, pregnant warrior, and the feisty teenaged heroine­each is Mulan representing an idea about female virtue at a particular time and place.

Reviews
"Dong has convinced me: She is the world's authority on iterations of Mulan. She does a meticulous and scholarly job of finding and outlining versions of Mulan between the 'Ballad,' Kingston's, and Disney's. The chapters are a great pleasure to read and bold in their argumentation . Dong performs brilliant close-readings of texts that clearly benefit from her unique and comprehensive knowledge of Mulan tales. This book makes a unique contribution to Asian, Asian American, and American studies, and it reads like a labor of true scholarly love. Bravo!"
­Floyd Cheung, Smith College

"Dong's engagement with probably the most emblematic figure in Asian American literature is timely and admirable. She provides a comprehensive account of the historical presence of the Mulan legend/Ballad in Chinese literature and a compelling discussion of the ways the story has evolved using a wealth of archival data on the legend through the centuries."
­Rocio G. Davis, City University of Hong Kong

Lan Dong
English Department
University of Illinois

---------------------------
Note: The Temple UP website lists the book's contents as follows:

Contents, List of Figures, Acknowledgments 1. Prologue 2. Heroic Lineage: Military Women and Lady Knights-Errant in Premodern China 3. From a Courageous Maiden in Legend to a Virtuous Icon in History 4. The White Tiger Mythology: A Woman Warrior's Autobiography 5. One Heroine, Many Characters: Mulan in American Picture Books 6. Of Animation and Mulan's International Fame 7. Epilogue Appendix, Notes, Bibliography, Index

[Anonymous]

Last night, I watched the film “A State of Mind” and was surprisingly disturbed by it. To give a brief summary in case you are interested in watching it as well, a British film crew follows the daily lives of two young, female rhythmic gymnasts from North Korea in the few months leading up to the Mass Games, which is a HUGE, highly regimented performance put on by the citizens of North Korea in the capital city, Pyongyang, to celebrate national holidays, such as the birthdays of rulers Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, who in the end don’t even show up despite the ridiculous amount of effort put in by the performers.

I expected a film that showed the girls practicing their sport in a gym to get ready for something like the Olympics. I had no idea that they were getting ready for the Mass Games nor did I have any idea what the Mass Games were until I watched the film. Likewise, in retrospect, I had little understanding of how truly brainwashed the North Koreans are to completely worship their leaders, both past and present. The images the filmmakers caught were unexpected. For example, the image of the leader Kim Jong-il is literally everywhere, the streets, the classrooms, each room in the apartments of the people. What I found even more disturbing was that in the capital city, every single kitchen has a radio that pipes in news and music praising the “General”, Kim Jon-il, that cannot be turned off, only turned down. Likewise, the camera showed clips of the ONE TV station the people are allowed to watch which was entirely made up of propaganda promoting the General and the communist party. To make me feel even more uneasy was the sheer amount of hatred the North Koreans have towards the US. The parents talked about how evil America was, the camera revealed propaganda posters around the city showing the US being destroyed or stamped out of existence; in the classroom, the history teachers were going on and on about how the US wanted to destroy North Korea and take away “the laughter of the people.” Even one of the girls the camera crew was following gave a small speech about how the US was wrong and needed to be destroyed. Such images and language worry me because the people of North Korea are so brainwashed and completely cut off from what is happening in the world, even one of the fathers, a college professor unintentionally confessed to not knowing much about world politics. They honestly believe that the US’s ONLY agenda is to completely annihilate North Korea and NOTHING else. I found it saddening that an entire population should be so trusting in what their government says without ever receiving any factual information to support any of their government’s opinions.

While watching these rather uncomfortable images, I started to realize that this film would be the perfect film to show my students when we start reading Animal Farm, which deals with communism, socialism, propaganda, and dictatorships. This film has a plethora of examples to choose from, from the propaganda posters around the city, to the radio show forcibly being played in each kitchen, to the one TV channel spewing even more propaganda, to the brainwashing occurring in the classrooms, to the Mass Games themselves which promotes the group mentality over the individual. This film demonstrates to our students a present-day example of a dictatorship, which I think our students would benefit from seeing. Sometimes, I feel that our students feel too removed from learning about history and they start believing that such events were in the past and will have no effect on their present, which is a falsity. North Korea, as many of us know, is a prominent figure in today’s news and our students should be aware of what is going on in our world today, especially as their lives become more global with the increasing use and prevalence of technology in their daily lives.

I realize my review is a way too long, but I had a lot to say after seeing a film that provoked so much thought 12 hours after watching it.

[Anonymous]

Film Synopsis:
I watched the 2007 Chinese documentary, Up the Yangtze, by director Yung Chang. The director raises many issues and themes that can easily be incorporated into the classroom and more specifically into the California Social Studies standards. The documentary focuses on the life of protagonist Yu Shui, a young girl from a very poor family. The director also features a young man from a different socio-economic background. The two characters lives intersect as they both take a job on a cruise ship that travels up the Yangtze River. In the backdrop of the film lies the monumental transformation of nature heralded by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam that will radically alter the lives of the people living along the river and shatter the ancient historical importance of the region to the Chinese.

Although Yu Shui wants to continue her education beyond middle school, her parents compel her to work. She reluctantly begins her new job as a dishwasher on the ship. As the daughter of a poor family that subsists by planting vegetables and raising chickens, she is very humble and dutiful. Her parents remind her that it is her obligation to be obedient and parsimonious with her earnings. The parents warn her not to spend her earnings frivolously since she needs to give her salary to her parents. On the other hand, the young man in the film serves as diametrical juxtaposition to Yu Shui. He is an arrogant, self-centered only child who chose to work to become rich. He is confident that he will earn a lot of money because he is “handsome” and speaks “good English.” The director artfully explores various issues including sexism, class contradictions, cultural capital, geography and cultural traditions through these characters and their interaction with each other and foreign Western tourists.

California Standards:
The film is a perfect fit for the following analysis skills that often get overlooked:

STANDARD:
• Students analyze how change happens at different rates at different times; understand that some aspects can change while others remain the same; and understand that change is complicated and affects not only technology and politics but also values and beliefs.

FILM APPLICATION: The two characters reflect the uneven cultural changes in China-Yu Shui is much more traditional whereas the young man is more modern.

STANDARD:
• Students use a variety of maps and documents to interpret human movement, including major patterns of domestic and international migration, changing environmental preferences and settlement patterns, the frictions that develop between population groups, and the diffusion of ideas, technological innovations, and goods.

• Students relate current events to the physical and human characteristics of places and regions.

• Students show the connections, causal and otherwise, between particular historical events and larger social, economic, and political trends and developments.

• Students analyze human modifications of landscapes and examine the resulting environmental policy issues.

FILM APPLICATION: The construction of the Three Gorges Dam perfectly captures the aforementioned themes. There are numerous references to the changing landscape and the subsequent massive human migration resulting from the flooding the region will incur as a result of the dam construction. The interviews also feature various Chinese people discussing the personal sacrifices that they must make for “the good of the nation.”

STANDARD:
• 10.10-Students analyze instances of nation-building in the contemporary world in at least two of the following regions or countries: the Middle East, Africa, Mexico and other parts of Latin America, and China.

• 10.11- Students analyze the integration of countries into the world economy and the information, technological, and communications revolutions (e.g., television, satellites, computers).

•
FILM APPLICATION: The film offers an interesting mosaic of the shifting economic, cultural, geographic trends in China. This is a great film to use to explore the consequences of China’s burgeoning ascension as a world power. It is also a great piece to explore its rapport with foreign tourists and the conflation of that interaction.

[Anonymous]

As I have already mentioned my opinion in some of my other posts, globalization (whatever it means) can be perceived in terms of universals and specifics of different areas, levels, and categories. Human language, for instance, is a perfect example of a universal phenomenon (Are there any societies without a language?) materialized through its specific realizations shaped by the specific realizations of other universal phenomena. Art (and the language of art) is another universal (Are there any human societies without art?) realized through a wide variety of ethnic, religious, historical, geographic, and other specifics. Literature and its 20th century’s in vitro child, the cinema, do not represent any exceptions; they are universal and exist through their specific realizations.
A number of literary works, as well as a number of cinematographic works, can be used as evidence to support this statement. Both literature and cinema deal with human character’s traits, motivations, feelings, passion, struggles, and experience. Both literature and cinema can quite persuasively illustrate the relationship between universality and specificity as global significance in a local context.
As powerful examples can be used A. Kurosawa’s Shakespeare adaptations Throne of Blood (Macbeth), The Bad Sleep Well (Hamlet), and the most powerful one, Ran (King Lear). Though quite free, the adaptations (especially Ran) confirm the universal significance of values like justice, nobility, loyalty, power, and authority. Both King Lear and Ran (the Japanese King Lear) are set in feudal societies (a universal social system), deal with the same values (mentioned above), and use similar motifs (e.g., madness, betrayal) and symbols (e.g., storms, blindness) for the same purpose – to teach a lesson.
It is true, literature and cinema, like any other kind of art, can be studied for different purposes and one of them is to teach the young generations the value of the universals and the universality of the human values. In such a context A. Kurosawa’s Shakespeare adaptations go far beyond the limitations of their settings in time and space.

[Anonymous]

I watched Farewell My Concubine this winter break. I knew Clay had said it was a great movie but more generic. I really enjoyed it from the beginning. I was enthralled with the influence of the opera on chinese society, and especially how it could only be males in the productions. I could use this information, and even some scenes from the movie, to compare with Elizabethan drama with Shakespeare.

While it had a great, sad story, I would most likely use this film for the Mao intolerance of the old regime after 1949. In particular the scene where the two main characters are interrogated for their loyalty to the old regime and their disloyalty to the communist party. I would use this also to show how other groups in history have used similar tactics (Nazis, McCarthy, etc.).

I really liked this film and even if you do not see a direct correlation of how you could use this film in your own class, I recommend watching it!

[Anonymous]

I have decided to go with my initial idea of using Kurosawa's film Rashomon.
When we teach our unit on persuasive writing, we teach our students how to evaluate an argument, bias and ethos, pathos and logos arguments.
I believe that each of those argument styles as well as bias can be applied to an evaluation of the stories within this film.
The film tells the tale of the rape of a woman and the murder of her samurai husband by a bandit. The story is told in 4 different perspectives. There is the perspective of the bandit, who makes it seem that he boldly committed the crime and murdered the husband; The woman, who strangely enough many believe is manipulating people with her tears; her dead husband; who speaks through a medium and lastly a witness. It's truly interesting because as a viewer, one is trying to figure out which account is the real story of what happened, and what each person had to gain by their story. This would be great to have kids evaluate bias. What does each character stand to gain by their argument? How does each make use of ethos, pathos and logos appeals?

[Anonymous]

Normal.dotm 0 0 1 154 878 El Monte Union High School District 7 1 1078 12.0 0 false 18 pt 18 pt 0 0 false false false /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} "The Way Home" is a contemporary Korean film. The movie is about a young boy who is left to live with his grandmother in rural Korea while mother looks for work in the city. The young boy Sang woo had lived in the city his whole life before being left by his mother. Sang woo has been spoiled with modern technology and material items. He is selfish and very disrespectful to his old grandmother. His behavior intensifies when he begins to believe that he has been abandoned by his mother. The persistence and love his grandmother uses in caring for him teaches him valuable life lessons. This film was shot in an ordinary village in Korea and used locals as actors in the film. Sang woo symbolizes the conflict that Korea currently faces. As Korea begins to modernize there is conflict within to compromise traditional culture and customs with those that are now being introduced in modern culture.
This movie can be used in the classroom to demonstrate the social issue that Koreans are faced with due to its changing economy in the contemporary world.

[Anonymous]

please find attached my film review of the Joy Luck Club

[Anonymous]

This film made in 1998, is set at the end of China's Warring States period in the 3rd Century BCE. It follows the character of Ying Zheng, who would later become known as Qin Shihuangdi, the first emperor of China. The basic plot is Zheng's plan to unify the seven kingdoms of China under one ruler, himself. Following the Mandate of Heaven, he believed that he was the chosen ruler to end the time of war and bring "peace" to China. The viewer gets an inside look at the planning and strategy that went into the attempt at unification. The film is broken into five chapters as the king conquers and unifies China. The underlying story is the realtionship between Zheng and one of his concubines, Lady Zhao. They formulate a plan to set up an assassination that will ultimately fail, to show the invincibility of the king.

It was kind of hard to follow since my knowledge of early Chinese history isn't so great, but the point that I really wanted my class to see really shines through. In the sixth grade they learn about Qin Shihuangdi and his harsh, strict rulership. His rule while effective, showed the consequence of non-benevolent ruler that China wanted. This film allows the students to see that Qin Shihuangdi started out seemingly with good intentions, but as the motivation to fulfill the Mandate of Heaven grew because of resistance to his rule, you can see the change in his character as he becomes more iron-fisted.

This aligns with 7th grade HSS Standard 7.3.6 - Describe the development of the imperial state and the scholar official class. I would use this film to help show my students how power can lead to changes in one’s character, how it can corrupt people, so they can recognize this factor in the downfall of the many Chinese dynasties.

[Anonymous]

This film tells the story of the early life of Gengis Khan. The obvious use would be to use this film to teach about Genghis Khan and the Mongols, which would be great. I teach U.S. history so I though of anoter way I could use it. The Mongols nomadic lifestlyle was very similar to that of many of the nomadic Native American tribes of the United States. To use this film in my class I would first choose one of the Native American tribes, probably one of the tribes form The Great Plains because it would be easy to fit in to the standards. I would teach my students about their lifestyle. I would then show this film to my students to have them compare and contrast the Native Americans with the Mongols. A further extension of this would be to ask the students why they think their lifestyles were so similar? Was it because the Native Americans originated from Asia? Or could it just be similar geography?

[Anonymous]

Princess Mononoke (1997) is an animated movie from the master animator Hiyao Miyazaki. At one time it was the most popular movie in Japan, even outdrawing the world wide blockbuster Titanic. Its themes of environmentalism and fantasy in a historical setting is thought provoking and challenging. It really shows the Japanese reverence for nature and the struggle that humans have in balancing exploitation and survival. I use this film in World Geography as students study the use of the world’s resources to create their standard of living and the effect that it has on the world’s environment.
Set in feudal Japan, it follows the story of Ashitaka, a prince of a people who shun the outside world. Their hidden existence is threatened when a giant boar, attacks the village. Ashitaka defeats the boar but is wounded giving him a demon arm, which gives him super-strength but will eventually kill him. He discovers an iron ball wounded the giant boar and drove it mad. Ashitaka leaves the village to discover the source of the iron. His quest takes him to the west forest defended by forest gods in the form of giant animals. There he meets the wolf girl San who is called Princess Mononoke by the villagers of Irontown, who are cutting down the forest as they produce iron. The ultimate battle between the humans and the forest is exemplified by the Forest Spirit who is hunted by the Japanese emperor who seeks eternal life. This is not a simple movie and may require multiple viewings to understand all of the issues raised by the intricate plot.
This is a beautiful movie. The artwork is awe-inspiring, a blend of hand drawn cell animation with a touch of computer aided animation. The forest comes alive with color and detail. It can be enjoyed as an adventure action story or an environmental fable. This is not a children’s story; there are scenes of violence and death, and complicated themes that should challenge how one views nature and people’s place within it.

[Anonymous]

The video I viewed was an A&E award-winning series “Biography” DVD. The title is “Confucius: Words of Wisdom”. Its copyright date is 1996 and it is approx. 50 minutes in length, which would work well for an entire period or split into to 30 minute viewings.

The documentary explores the life and times of Confucius – from childhood to his adult career and death. It also highlights his achievements, particularly how his philosophy has influenced the world today – both inside and outside of China. One interesting aspect is that there is an interview with someone who claims to be a direct descendant of Confucius.

The other highlight is that the DVD comes with a study guide that includes a list of vocabulary words and discussion questions. I provided my students with a list of the questions prior to viewing the film and they were able to answer the questions as they watched. This helped to keep them engaged. There are also a few extra credit ideas, such as writing a comparative essay or completing a poster project.

I enjoyed this film, but I also enjoy a lot of documentaries from A&E. What really mattered was that my seventh grade English students were engaged and interested.

[Author]

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