Movie-goers may recognize the actor in the poster at top as Christian Bale, the lead in Batman. Non-movie-going bloggers who write about China may recognize the name Christian Bale, Batman lead, as he who was attacked--Bam! Wham! Ouch!-- by Hu Jintao's People's Liberation Thugs when he tried to meet Chen Guangcheng, a blind Chinese human rights lawyer.
Hu Jintao likes The Flowers of War.
The Flowers of War is based on the true story--or, "Based on a True Story!"--of Japanese atrocities against China during World War II, like the Rape of Nanking. This is the kind of Chinese cultural product Hu Jintao likes. And since it puts Americans on the side of Chinese Hu thought it would appeal to Americans and extend China's "soft" influence in the world.
Americans don't like The Flowers of War.
The film has limited distribution in America and has been panned by American critics: "Well-worn movie archetypes and slathers on schmaltz;" "Human suffering reduced to visual showmanship;" "Cartoonish performance [by Bale]...laughably bad 'heavenly' choral music;" "Feels overblown and heavy-handed." And so on.
"Overblown and heavy-handed:" sort of like Hu Jintao!
I don't think Chinese "get" America--although, all American men do look like Christian Bale; I personally look like Christian Bale. I really don't think Hu and the PRC leadership "get" America. Overblown and heavy-handed also could have been used here to describe the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics (also done by the film's director Zhang Yimou (and choreographed ultimately by Hu using People's Liberation Army soldiers)) but most Americans were awed. Maybe American movie-goers will prove American critics and non-movie-going bloggers wrong. No.
