Tonight I watched a most marvelous and exceptional Chinese animated film, called 'Dayu Haitang' ('Big Fish and Begonia'). Very few artistic creations I have ever encountered, capture the traditional culture and heritage of a nation as well as that movie did.
An eye-candy by any standard, the designs draw upon the real folks stories of the Chinese people, and the architecture of countryside minority groups such as the Hakka. The colors too, match Chinese customs and habits, throughout every single scene.
This grand achievement of cinematic excellence is inspired by lines from a classic text, the book of Zhuangzi, which is among the wisest and most profound documents to have ever been written. This film likewise, though it at times masquerades as a children's flick, is in fact a deep philosophical treatise, dealing with the existential questions of Daoism and the moral ones of Confucianism. This movie is all the better and far more touching for those who understand the intricacies of traditional Chinese social customs and family values.
I would have easily handed this piece the Oscars for directing, animation, script, editing, music and more. Alas, very few Westerners have been in contact with enough of the beauty of traditional Chinese culture, to appreciate the enormous complexity and magnificence of this presentation, and therefore it is unlikely to be recognized for its greatness. There had hardly ever been American animated production of this humanistic caliber, and even among the famed Japanese anime industry there are not many items to count which abide by such measure of distinction.
This visual journey is more than a good story - it is a statement about morality and society in the grand-scope of things, and it makes its arguments without pulling any emotional punches or attempting to belittle the audience's intelligence. This is exactly the type of film that our cynical nations need, in an age of false information and mass deception; for it speaks of what is important to the human heart and soul.
Do yourself a favour and avoid the images and trailers. Simply go and watch the film; and please, by all means - view it in Chinese, which is the language for which it was intended. Use subtitles if necessary. There is an end-credits scene - do not miss it.
An eye-candy by any standard, the designs draw upon the real folks stories of the Chinese people, and the architecture of countryside minority groups such as the Hakka. The colors too, match Chinese customs and habits, throughout every single scene.
This grand achievement of cinematic excellence is inspired by lines from a classic text, the book of Zhuangzi, which is among the wisest and most profound documents to have ever been written. This film likewise, though it at times masquerades as a children's flick, is in fact a deep philosophical treatise, dealing with the existential questions of Daoism and the moral ones of Confucianism. This movie is all the better and far more touching for those who understand the intricacies of traditional Chinese social customs and family values.
I would have easily handed this piece the Oscars for directing, animation, script, editing, music and more. Alas, very few Westerners have been in contact with enough of the beauty of traditional Chinese culture, to appreciate the enormous complexity and magnificence of this presentation, and therefore it is unlikely to be recognized for its greatness. There had hardly ever been American animated production of this humanistic caliber, and even among the famed Japanese anime industry there are not many items to count which abide by such measure of distinction.
This visual journey is more than a good story - it is a statement about morality and society in the grand-scope of things, and it makes its arguments without pulling any emotional punches or attempting to belittle the audience's intelligence. This is exactly the type of film that our cynical nations need, in an age of false information and mass deception; for it speaks of what is important to the human heart and soul.
Do yourself a favour and avoid the images and trailers. Simply go and watch the film; and please, by all means - view it in Chinese, which is the language for which it was intended. Use subtitles if necessary. There is an end-credits scene - do not miss it.