The Art of Battling and Recognizing One's Inner Power

**I linked to Pauline Chen's article, but I have a feeling that after the "10 minute session", it will time out and the article will not appear. Here is how to access the article:
1. click here to access the UIC library's search engines: http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/reference/resources/electronicresources.shtml
2. click on the letter "w" and select "WilsonSelectPlus Full Text"
3. type in: zhang yimou "hero" (include the quotes for Hero)
4. click on the second entry that appears, it should be titled: "hero"
5. click on "view full text in pdf" or "view HTML" and the article should come up.
6. please let me know if there are any problems, thanks!

According to Pauline Chen, author of “Hero”, she believes that although Zhang Yimou’s film, Hero, contains various battle scenes, the inclusion of martial arts in this film holds a deeper meaning that its initial combative allure. Chen’s article mainly describes how upon initial appearance, the numerous battle scenes in Hero reflect the typical conventions associated with a martial arts film. However, Chen goes on to say that, “Hero repeatedly deconstructs the breathtaking combat scenes it shows on screen, revealing them to be imagined, imagined, fabricated, or staged, their outcomes already determined by prior agreement or psychological victories.” This quote represents how Chen believes that the unique filmmaking style creates a more artistic view of fighting and she relates this art form to how the film illustrates the importance and power of calligraphy.

Another idea that Pauline Chen’s article discusses refers to how the psychological difficulties that people endure are at times more trying to them than physical feats. For instance, Chen explains that Namless’s final decision whether or not to carry on the conspiracy in murdering the King of Qin is a matter of what one perceives as the “most heroic act.” Chen further says that the flashback scenes show how Nameless was drawn to the idea of murdering the King of Qin; Chen reveals, “Each story of the past projects a different course of action in the future.” Therefore, the decisions that one must make are sometimes more stressful than defeating an opponent in battle.

Finally, Chen’s article introduces the idea that, “ironically, it is our enemies who understand us best” and she continues her argument by approaching an ideological and genre analysis of the film. Chen believes that Hero may contain an underlying message about how the U.S. society may have a tendency to be biased towards “Hollywood blockbusters”, but that films such as, Hero provide a more complete view of Chinese history and captures the audience’s attention.