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A story being told.
Apr. 11th, 2011 07:26 amI wanted to wait and formulate and post sometime later, but with my track record, if I put writing something down for later, I end up never writing at all, so instead of writing a thought out post I'll just flail a bit a be happy that I've written something.
I just watched Hua Mulan. It's amazing, everyone who likes (pseudo)historical movies and Chinese legends should watch it. I also recently watched The Pillars of the Earth, and again, amazing, like historical stuff - will love this, only this time for medieval England and not China. But. Beautifully shot and very, very well told stories aside, I'm stuck flailing and trying to put into words the compare and contrast picture I got in my head as a result of watching them so soon one after the other.
Basically, you have: a war going on for more than a decade that wrecks characters' lives - as the center of Mulan's story and as a backdrop for the Pillars' story; an overwhelming cause that gives meaning and determination to characters' lives - the defense of their country for Mulan and her brothers in arms and the cathedral for the people of Kingsbridge; and both causes I so very much bigger than people that undertake them, and they define the course of pretty much their whole life, and force them to know themselves in the process and allow to bring peace into the world - this is on a much bigger level and in a very literal sense for Mulan, obviously, but still so very much true for Jack and Aliena and prior Philip. And in the Chinese tale the cause is a duty self-effacing, and in the Western tale the cause is a passion leaving one's mark in the world for centuries. And still, both valid and wonderful.
And... That's pretty much it, I guess. I don't have any conclusion to bring this to. Just this. Also, less flail and more coherency than I expected, which is good. Now, I want a sandwich (go away, Hawke!)
I just watched Hua Mulan. It's amazing, everyone who likes (pseudo)historical movies and Chinese legends should watch it. I also recently watched The Pillars of the Earth, and again, amazing, like historical stuff - will love this, only this time for medieval England and not China. But. Beautifully shot and very, very well told stories aside, I'm stuck flailing and trying to put into words the compare and contrast picture I got in my head as a result of watching them so soon one after the other.
Basically, you have: a war going on for more than a decade that wrecks characters' lives - as the center of Mulan's story and as a backdrop for the Pillars' story; an overwhelming cause that gives meaning and determination to characters' lives - the defense of their country for Mulan and her brothers in arms and the cathedral for the people of Kingsbridge; and both causes I so very much bigger than people that undertake them, and they define the course of pretty much their whole life, and force them to know themselves in the process and allow to bring peace into the world - this is on a much bigger level and in a very literal sense for Mulan, obviously, but still so very much true for Jack and Aliena and prior Philip. And in the Chinese tale the cause is a duty self-effacing, and in the Western tale the cause is a passion leaving one's mark in the world for centuries. And still, both valid and wonderful.
And... That's pretty much it, I guess. I don't have any conclusion to bring this to. Just this. Also, less flail and more coherency than I expected, which is good. Now, I want a sandwich (go away, Hawke!)
