Confucius [DVD] [2010]

The first thing to say is that I have only the sketchiest knowledge of the life of Confucius and so the accuracy of what is portrayed I leave to others. The other thing that I was not aware of was what Confucius actually taught. I am familiar with the Neo Confucianism of the Manchu period which based on this film appears a different animal.The film no matter how many supporting parts and fine actors to perform in them (and this film has both and all are to be commended) any biography relies on the performance of the lead.And this is where I had some trepidation in ordering this film. There is nothing in Chow Yun Fat's career to suggest that he was the man to play this part. His whole career in Hong Kong was in modern dress and his few ventures into costume drama have shown him ill at ease. I think of Dream Lovers and the 2 later films of Crouching Tiger and the disasterous Golden whatever flower was supposed to be the centre of the action. Also I understand he is not happy in Mandarin and this film both used that language and is a costume drama. The interesting bonus items made it clear that the director had reservations about Chow but because of his supposed lack of knowledge of Confucius. This surprised me because the one thing that had persuaded me to buy the film was the fact that Chow's was brought up in the neo-Confucian tradition and his whole life is a shining example of that fact. Chow is very much an actor who draws on his own emotions feelings and beliefs which had had suggested to me that he would bring insights into the character from the inside oc Confucianism and this proved to be the caseAs to the film Chow is superb he appears totally comfortable with both costume and language and is able to express what I have mentioned above in a natural and understated fashion. His performance is the best I have seen from him since at least the modern part of Dream lovers.So why 4 and not 5 stars? Perhaps to a Chinese audience this would be possible but the film is in 2 parts. Confucius's time in office and his exile. While the former is perfectly accessible the latter spends a long time telling the same story that he moved from court to court and was not wanted The way it is shown looks like pure indulgence by the director as a excuse to show her mastery of cinematography and I might also add is typical of Chinese productions where show is more important than substance.Do I recommend the film? yes for Chow's exceptional performance and the supporting performances but a editor willing to cut at least 30 minutes from the present film would have made it a masterpiece

I'm not sure what I was expecting to see before purchasing this dvd but I'm pretty sure it wasn't what arrived :). I was drawn to this title after seeing that the star was none other than Chow Yun Fat himself and having watched previous blockbusters such as the Curse of the Golden Flower and Crouching Tiger etc...I half expected an epic with glorious battle scenes with beautiful backdrops...and although there were particular scenes that will stay with me for a very long time I felt ever so slightly cheated, The film only really concentrates on a very small portion of the masters life and then again not in any great detail, it's as though the director has taken snippets of his life and produced some really spectacular views of those snippets and pasted them together. As a short documentary to give the budding student of Chinese history a small glimpse of one of that nations greatest ever thinkers and it's corrupt government dealings then it was an unmitigated success but if you were looking for an exciting chinese action flick I would look elsewhere

Although I was aware of the film, it had gone under my radar as it was not one of my top priorities to see.but when purchasing other films of a similar nature, it sprung forth and I am quite an admirer of Chow Yun -Fat as an actor...Crouching Tiger etc...so I thought it might be worth watching and Confucius seemed a more meaty role ,so I was intrigued to see how they portrayed him and whether it could be considered an epic.The film commences with his rise to Justice minister in the Kingdom of Lu, a reward for diverting the assassination of the King and preventing the Kingdom been seized by the King of Qi..jealousy from other ministers forces Confucius ( or Kong Qiu as he is known in the film ) into exile, so he and his disciples wonder the land teaching and looking for shelter and a place to settle..Confucius and his disciples end up destitute and struggling to survive. However, the very person who forced his exile, the Prime Minister of Lu is dying, and they face attack from their neighbours. Confucius agrees to return home, but on the condition he is not sought for advise on politics or military strategy and that he can be left to his books and teaching and so the film ends with him sitting in this library surrounded by all his works..and you look and think wow.So was this film epic? Well there were large battle scenes between the neighbouring kingdoms and the production sets looked grand ...though not on the scale of hero...and that for me is where it ends. I don't know any of the previous films by the director Mei Hu, apparently this film did pick up an award,For me this was a watered down sanitised more biographical account ,which left me with no lasting impression and made reviewing it very difficult. Yes Chow Yun -Fat looked convincing as Confucius but that is the extent ( for me anyway) as to the depth of this great man of history...not the fault of the actor but the script which he was handed.An opportunity to show the world a lasting and memorable portrait of probably one of the greatest philosophers of all time wasted.Too much emphasis was placed on the waring kingdoms, and very little on the teachings of this great man, yes there were token saying laced in the script..but at the end of the film, I was left disappointed..This should have been a film of magnitude, that could have gone down in cinematic history..I had hoped that I would learn more about the man ,his teaching...I wanted to see more inter action between him and his disciples....this film should have given me a thirst for knowledge, and understanding..it should have engaged my mind and been thought provoking ..It should have educated me and helped make me wiser..that for me is true entertainment.What a shame that one of Chen Kaige, , Ang Lee or Wong Kar-Wai had not directed , I can't help feel we would then have been left with a master piece and a film of great merit and Chow Yun Fat's portrayal as Confucius would have been hailed as one of the best performances.Subtitles both Mandarin and English got confusing at times and the print went very small..which made film hard to follow at times.