Has anyone seen the new film with Chow Yun-fat as Confucius? Is it even tolerable? Or is it every bit as fun as this cold, wet weather we’ve been having?
A cast of thousands! An audience of dozens!
Some trailers.
No dialog in this one:
Mandarin, with English and Mandarin subtitles:
The movie was nothing like its trailers. I actually fell asleep for part of it in the theater.
It’s the story of China’s greatest philosopher. Who unified a wartorn country with his kung fu, and sheer manliness. And the woman he left behind.
If this does well, he’ll fight Laozi in the sequel.
[quote=“Screaming Jesus”]It’s the story of China’s greatest philosopher. Who unified a wartorn country with his kung fu, and sheer manliness. And the woman he left behind.
If this does well, he’ll fight Laozi in the sequel.[/quote]
Was it that bad?
And Laozi would totally rox kongzi’s soxxorz 
Predictably, it seems to dodge the controversial issue of Confucius’ ambiguous sexuality.
From what I’ve read, there really isn’t any “controversy” other than minor internet speculations with supporting evidence as flimsy as most conspiracy theories. There was nothing for the movie to dodge.
The usual signs are all there:
- Raised almost exclusively by his mother (father died when he was 3, no immediate male role model)
- Brief experimentation with marriage, then no relationships with women subsequently
- Almost exclusively in the close company of males, specifically young ‘disciples’
- Expresses an ambivalent to disdainful attitude toward heterosexual sex in his writings, ‘I have never seen a man love righteousness as much as sex’ (contrasting heavily with the explicitly positive attitude of Mencius)
- No condemnation of homosexual sex (despite orthodox Chinese attitudes condemning it)
- Wore a dress most of the time (ok, subjective)
People have done more with less (the argument that Shakespeare had an earring, so must have been gay). People have done more against greater contrary evidence (Alexander was not only married, but stayed married and fathered at least one child, and he’s still considered a raving flamer by some scholars). I think there’s a better case for Confucius than for Shakespeare, which would mean Mencius was probably bi-sexual.
All this can point to Confucius being impotent as well. Or none of the above.
Well yes, that’s precisely why it’s ambiguous, as I said.
Yes yes, but the important question remains. Can he fly? Chinese movies where the hero can’t fly or toss glowing balls of pure energy around are boring.
From what I’ve seen of Chinese movies, everyone can fly. I was quite disappointed by the incomprehensible lack of flying in Red Clif I and II.
I used to have a friend from the Philippines who was raised on a diet of cheap Chinese movies and soaps, though where she lived there were no Chinese residents. The first time she went to Manila, aged 5 or 6, she walked straight up to the first Chinese she saw and demanded that he fly for her, right there. 
I would have loved to have seen the look on that guy’s face.