Confucius

Learning from a Master
The visuals through the movie are stunning and Chow Yun Fat does an incredibly convincing job of playing Confucius, who, no matter how much he was abused by his rulers, he still honored them, one of the flaws in his philosophy.

If you don't speak Mandarin and must rely on the English subtitles, be warned that most of the time the subtitles are mangled and do not stay on screen long enough to read. The challenge is to read the subtitle while keeping an eye on the stunning visuals.

This movie is an epic equal to Cleopatra, Moses or Sparticus. However, if you expect a potboiler, you won't get one--not all the time. This movie was filmed for a Chinese/Asian audience and their tastes are not as shallow as what most Americans prefer so there are slow but meaningful scenes that I'm sure are there for people to actually think. I'm sure the Chinese didn't want to ruin the movie by letting Hollywood get hold of it.

The DVD I bought and watched had a photo of...

Confucius Says "Making My Biopic Will Be Troubling"
Usually, I love films that depict the peoples, places, and events from history. Granted, I prefer that films "do it right," don't exaggerate the importance of people and events because, when they do, I think those pictures rob the audience of experiencing, first-hand, those moments of discovery ... let's call them even `moments of appreciation' ... for what a person, place, or event meant to all of history. When you rob the viewer from reaching that conclusion on his own, one could make the case that the flick is little more than historical propaganda. What emerges is a stream of half-truths - all bloated to underscore the producer's particular obsession with what he believes is inspiring - and nothing about the central figure is genuinely "learned" in the process. All that is "learned" is what the producer or the writer or the maker wanted. What's lost - the true impact on history - is often far greater than what's gained.

All of this brings me to CONFUCIUS. History...

Good film on historical philosopher
I saw this movie on an international flight, on my way through Asia. The small screen may have diminished the beautiful cinemetography, but I found the film quite enjoyable. It follows the career of Confucius from his role as a governmental minister who tries to bring virtue into the political rule of his homeland. His political philosophies develop into a more general social philosophy that he teaches to a band of loyal followers. They persevere through alternating seasons of favor and disfavor with various rulers. Ultimately, his philosophies of virtue prove to have pragmatic value to the governing of cities and territories. Consequently, his followers become desireable as governmental advisors or rulers in positions of authority. Seeing this film brings the ideas of Confucius to life and helps develop a sense of familiarity with one of the major figures of history.

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