And They Lived Happily Ever After (WARNING: movie spoilers)

Movies spoiled in this post (some possibly, others definitely): Independence Day, A World Without Thieves, The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, Dragonheart, The Island of Dr. Moreau, Sense and Sensibility, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, House of Flying Daggers.

Last night the internet connection was slow enough that watching something instant on Netflix (awesome feature, no I don't work for them) wasn't an option so we finally sat down and watched A World Without Thieves, a Chinese movie both funny and profound. It was very artfully done and, despite the male protagonist being a bad guy in House of Flying Daggers, was very enjoyable.

(Does anyone else have that problem, with knowing how evil an actor is in a different movie but then being forced to see (usually him) in a more positive light? Alan Rickman was one of those for me. I mean, how could I want Marianne in Sense and Sensibility to fall in love with the Evil Sheriff of Nottingham? Or how could I want the good guy in the new The Island of Dr. Moreau to live or get the girl when, in another life, he was the unspeakably ugly and corrupt king in Dragonheart? I guess it's a good thing I've never seen Silence of the Lambs since I adore Anthony Hopkins.)

Anyway, the movie was enjoyable until we got to the end. I have a general policy of not spoiling movies for people but must do so once today for purposes of point illustration. A very brief summary is as follows: two lovers are thieves when the woman (Wang Li) has a change of heart and decides to protect an innocent man (Dumbo) from being robbed by a thief master (Uncle Li, oddly enough). The man (Wang Bo) wants her to just let Dumbo get stolen from so he would learn a lesson about life and be happier for it. We then find out that she's actually pregnant with Wang Bo's child and is protecting Dumbo to redeem herself from a life of sin so the child would be born with good karma and a chance to be a better person than they were. In the end, Wang Bo is moved by the thought of a better life for his child and gives his life to protect Dumbo. The movie closes on Wang Li praying at a temple, having abandoned her child to the country folk who raised Dumbo.

Depressing, yes? I thought so, too.

Man told me that this particular ending is actually considered to be a positive one. My American sensibilities rebelled against that. What's happy about a woman losing her dearest love and her baby? How can that be happily ever after?

But then he explained that Wang Bo's sacrifice completely made up for his life of stealing, thus giving the baby good karma. Wang Li then ensures that her son won't grow up like her by giving him to the people who were able to instill deep love, innocence, and loyalty in the person they gave so much to protect. Therefore, the cycle of thievery was broken, everyone has atoned, and the baby will be a good person. Happy ending.

You know, if Independence Day had been done by a Chinese director, both Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith would have died on their mission to kill the aliens -- one for his own sins, the other as an innocent sacrifice for all of human kind.

Our happy endings like to be so clean and comforting. They like to be fair, so we know that evil doesn't pay and good will be rewarded. They like to have new life after hardship and hope that this time around we won't be so evil. Unfortunately, we also see that a diminishment of future evil means that somehow there will be less magic and wonder to enjoy as well, but isn't that a small price to pay in order to stay in our comfort zone? Would you rather have elvish friends and a ring of invisibility but end up on permanent disability, or stay healthy and wealthy in your hobbit hole your whole life? In Western movies, we see a lot of the elvish friends at first (magic, wonder) and then Big Bad Nasty (a result of that magic gone wrong) but soon Justice and Peace triumph over all (in the process destroying that which made both good and bad so mighty).

Chinese movies, on the other hand, want to keep the magic, but in order to keep it you have to pay. Western movies exact a price (hardship, humiliation) but Chinese movies can break your will to live. All the beautiful, complex people die; all the simple, plain people live on. If it doesn't happen that way, they make a sequel. I have yet to see a movie wherein Jet Li lives all the way to the credits but his sacrifice is never in vain.

-sigh- So, if I'm in a "devour a whole bag of Oreo's" kind of mood, I try not to watch Chinese movies. Unless it's something more Westernized like a good Jackie Chan or Kung Fu Hustle (which I give 5*'s).

On the other hand, if I really need to be depressed I could watch some German or French movies. Or maybe an Italian one like Life is Beautiful. -sob-