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by JULIA HARR
Intern Lifestyles Reporter
Through September, the Chinese film series will be shown in Greenbriar Theater of Plemmons Student Union.
The Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, Office of International Education and Development, and the Chinese Friendship Association sponsored the series.
The films are free and open to the public.
“They have picked some very interesting films,” Associate Professor of English Dr. Craig J. Fischer said.
Fisher is a foreign film expert.
“I think without exaggeration that the movies made in Asia are some of the best movies made in 30 years,” he said.
He said after teaching an Asian film class, he was amazed by the movies over and over again.
“These are some of the best movies available on the planet,” he said. “…I was blown away by how great the movies are.”
Fischer expects students who view the films to develop a new appreciation for Chinese film.
“American
media gives a monolistic portrait of China,” Fischer said. “We show
them as an economic powerhouse under this dictator…many Chinese films
have this humble and intelligent outlook [on China] and some show the
people as being kind of [angry] with their own government.”
Fischer said some Chinese filmmakers were oppressed because of their open criticism of their own government.
He said it is important to see what foreign film is to know what Hollywood is, and is not.
“Chinese
film tells stories in a different way,” Fischer said. “In Hollywood, we
always know what the characters are like. In China the characters are
more ambiguous. The plot seems more challenging.”
One of the movies has already been shown.
“The King of Masks” showed Sept 11.
The next film grossed $128,067,808 in U.S. box office, according to movies.yahoo.com.
“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” shows today at 7 p.m.
Dr. Shawn Arthur, assistant philosophy and religion professor will lead a post-film discussion.
A third movie in the series, “Xizhao (Shower),” will show Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.
Robert
White, executive director of International Studies and Scholar Services
in the Office of International Education and Development, will lead the
discussion.
Patrick S. Baine, a senior political science major who recently traveled to China, thinks Chinese film can be useful.
“It can
be good if someone wants to understand cultural differences and get a
general idea about China,” Baine said. “But it’s about as helpful as
someone watching ‘Transformers’ before going to the United States.”
“When I
went [to China] it was interesting how many American films they
watched,” he said. “They really seem to like American stuff.”
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