The title of this post does NOT refer to the .45 autoloading pistol designed by John Moses Browning. It's a review of the movie 1911 starring Jackie Chan as Huang Xing, a military leader in the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty.
The film has many battle scenes, but I don't recommend you watch it as a war movie. It was approved by the Communist government of China, but It's not about the Communist revolution despite the little tag at the end.
I would say that the real value of this movie lies in its depiction of revolt, its costs and consequences. All of you readers out there listening to the rhetoric of taking up arms against our increasingly intrusive and immoral civil powers -- you need to watch this movie.
You need to get a flavor of how easily a movement can be sidetracked, hijacked or otherwise subverted. Even a purely defensive war in which you stand between your family/brethren and the oppressors runs the risk of being preempted by those with another agenda entirely.
There remains one facet of the 1911 revolution to which the movie did not do justice. I'm referring to the fact that Sun Yat-sen (played by Jackie Chan's costar Winston Chao) professed Christ and was baptized earlier in his life.
According to Wikipedia,
Sun was later baptized in Hong Kong by an American missionary of the Congregational Church of the United States to his brother's disdain. The minister would also develop a friendship with Sun. Sun attended To Tsai Church (道濟會堂, founded by the London Missionary Society in 1888) while he studied Western Medicine in Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese (香港華人西醫書院). Sun pictured a revolution as similar to the salvation mission of the Christian church. His conversion to Christianity was related to his revolutionary ideals and push for advancement. Sun later became the godfather of Paul Linebarger, a science-fiction writer.
Sun was right about one thing. The Church's true mission can and must totally transform society. But there the similarity to armed revolt ends.
Christ's Church must not rely on force of arms, but on Gospel words and Gospel deeds. See my series, "Christ's Alternative to Armed Revolt"
1911's Chinese dialogue is 99% with English subtitles often does not stay on the screen long enough. You can expect the same from the explanatory notes with English translations in tiny print.
Nonetheless, I think the film is worth the Christian Warrior's time because of the valuable, graphically presented historical lessons.
The film has many battle scenes, but I don't recommend you watch it as a war movie. It was approved by the Communist government of China, but It's not about the Communist revolution despite the little tag at the end.
I would say that the real value of this movie lies in its depiction of revolt, its costs and consequences. All of you readers out there listening to the rhetoric of taking up arms against our increasingly intrusive and immoral civil powers -- you need to watch this movie.
You need to get a flavor of how easily a movement can be sidetracked, hijacked or otherwise subverted. Even a purely defensive war in which you stand between your family/brethren and the oppressors runs the risk of being preempted by those with another agenda entirely.
There remains one facet of the 1911 revolution to which the movie did not do justice. I'm referring to the fact that Sun Yat-sen (played by Jackie Chan's costar Winston Chao) professed Christ and was baptized earlier in his life.
According to Wikipedia,
Sun was later baptized in Hong Kong by an American missionary of the Congregational Church of the United States to his brother's disdain. The minister would also develop a friendship with Sun. Sun attended To Tsai Church (道濟會堂, founded by the London Missionary Society in 1888) while he studied Western Medicine in Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese (香港華人西醫書院). Sun pictured a revolution as similar to the salvation mission of the Christian church. His conversion to Christianity was related to his revolutionary ideals and push for advancement. Sun later became the godfather of Paul Linebarger, a science-fiction writer.
Sun was right about one thing. The Church's true mission can and must totally transform society. But there the similarity to armed revolt ends.
Christ's Church must not rely on force of arms, but on Gospel words and Gospel deeds. See my series, "Christ's Alternative to Armed Revolt"
1911's Chinese dialogue is 99% with English subtitles often does not stay on the screen long enough. You can expect the same from the explanatory notes with English translations in tiny print.
Nonetheless, I think the film is worth the Christian Warrior's time because of the valuable, graphically presented historical lessons.
This is on my Netflix queue! I've really been wanting to watch it, but I do even more so now. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Always good to hear from you.
DeleteI did not mention it above, but Jackie Chan inserted one short scene where he gets to use some of his signature martial art moves. Sort of a wink of the eye to his action movie fans.
I actually was expecting that. Off topic a bit, my favorite of his has to be Drunken Master. Always makes me laugh so much!
ReplyDelete