Period/Cultural Films and Their Importance

After watching the videos from behind the scenes of The Curse of the Golden Flower, I was very curious to figure out if the lead actress (Li Gong) had been in Memoirs of a Geisha directed by Rob Marshall, which is one of my favorite movies. I was delighted to discover that she was in fact in that movie as Hatsumomo. I have to admit just from the behind the scenes look and the fact that Li Gong is in The Curse of the Golden Flower, makes me desperate to see this movie. I'm intrigued by how Professor Sinclair described director Yimou Zhang's filming style, so I have also added some of his other movies, such as The Road Home and Not One Less to my list as well. So, hopefully more on that in a later post soon.


Anyways, I think I've come to the realization that I love period pieces. In high school, I was the nerd in history class who would research period clothing for a class project, (I actually made a dress in the Ancient Greek style my sophomore year). I think they are not only important for historical perspectives and understandings, but sometimes they even help with cultural perspectives. Even movies that tell of specific events, such as civil wars, have a lot to tell.


 Last weekend, I saw Hotel Rwanda directed by Terry George. I had seen it once before, but the impact of that movie still hit me hard. The way it was filmed not only tells a horrific and inspiring story, but also instills a desire to go out and help people who are in such positions. I watched the movie in a group of twenty people or so, and the tension and sorrow that filled the room was almost palpable. I can't tell you how many people went online trying to find ways to help those who are in similar situations around the world and even maybe in our own country.

This made me think about the role of filmmakers and the media in general. We tell stories, yes. Some stories are just meant to make someone smile. Some are meant to scare the audience. Some are very tense. Yet, something that they all share (at least most of the time) is that they all give some kind of message. I think it is so important to have films like Hotel Rwanda and Memoirs of a Geisha. Yes, they are events that happened in the past, and yes, they are not always pleasant to see, but without these reminders, who's to say history won't repeat itself?

~Amber Capogrossi