Confucius Goes to the Movies

“Hero” (2002) 

• Language: English
• Director: Zhang Yimou
• Starring: Jet Li, Tony Leung, Maggie Cheung, Zhang Ziyi
• Trailer: Click here

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• Hero (2002) follows three assassins as they attempt to kill a king near the end of the Warring States Period in Ancient China. The artistic and allegorical depiction of the moral struggles confronted by each character combines to create a contemporary story about the “ideal or morally refined person” (君子Chun Tzu) in the Confucian tradition. The film is based loosely upon Jing Ke’s failed attempt to assassinate King Zhen of Qin, who would eventually become the First Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huangdi, after unifying the Seven Kingdoms.

“Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles” (2005) 

• Language:Cantonese
• Director:Zhang Yimou
• Starring:Ken Takakura
• Trailer:Click here

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• "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" (2005) shares the experience that sometimes you have to travel far to find the way home. When Takata Gou-ichi learns his estranged son Ken-ichi is seriously ill, he rushes to be by his side. But Ken-ichi refuses to see him. Rie, Ken-ichi's wife, gives Takata a videotape to help him get to know his son again.  The mention of a promise on the tape sends Takata on an odyssey to prove his love for his son, He encounters colorful strangers, discovers human kindness and a sense of family he thought he had lost long ago.