Statist Propaganda

We’re getting a lot more movie watching done lately. The television consumption has dropped somewhat in favor of DVDs from Netflix. Last night’s film was Hero with Jet Li. Overall, a pretty good flick. The cinematography was simply stunning. I would have liked to have seen it on the big screen. It has some shots that would be impressive as hell on something larger than a 27-inch. Lots of good martial arts, an interesting plot, and great visuals. I suppose if it was in English instead of subtitled that would be better.

The only thing that creeped me out was the implicit message the film conveyed. The subtext I took away was that everything must be subordinated to the goal of a harmonious state. If that isn’t a classically Chinese cultural thought, I’m not sure what would be. However, coming out of a country with the socialist history of China, it gets exceptionally creepy. Everything must be subordinated to the needs of the state, the hungry ghosts be damned. Not surprising, but still off-putting. Nothing like beautifully presented propaganda to watch in the evening, I guess. Still, a fun flick and worth watching if you can handle the propaganda at the end.