電影《英雄》之五行：
純屬個人意見，
絕無侮辱電影之意
sorry if you find these are sheer craps
The representation of the Five Elements 五行
is manifested throughout the movie.
The elements are：
- 水 Water
- 火 Fire
- 木 Wood
- 土 Earth
- 金 Metal
水 Water
is significant in the fighting scene of
無名 Nameless and 長空 Long Sky in the rain.
Swift movements in the rain are magnified to
illustrate the speed of the fighters.
When rain drops fall onto different surfaces and
make the tickling sound,
time stands still and
the fight transformed into
a psychological fight between the two minds.
When the sword finally penetrates through rain droplet,
the ultimate prowess is liberated and
there 長空 Long Sky loses the fight and his life.
It brings out the message of water,
being a tranquil yet powerful element of life.
Similar message is brought out in
the fighting scene between
無名 Nameless and 殘劍 Broken Sword as well.
火 Fire
is the element of bravery, determination and passion.
秦王 The King makes a metaphor between
無名 Nameless’ determination to assassinate him with
the oil lamps surrounding them.
When the light from the lamps becomes dim,
秦王 the King senses the swing in
無名 Nameless’ determination as well.
The element of Fire is also indirect represented in
by red clothing.
Back to the calligraphy school,
the young students and
their old calligraphy teacher who
defend themselves with courage are
all donned in red.
木 Wood
which is pretty much linked to the art of 書法 calligraphy.
殘劍 Broken Sword has been practicing calligraphy
with a long wooden stick and
hence masters a special skill in sword
through his calligraphic work.
Just like the old calligraphy master and
his students who stay back and
continue writing despite
the massive arrow attack which
ultimately kills them all.
It goes on to reflect the resistance and
perseverance of
the 木 Wood element.
土 Earth
is exemplified in a particular death scene.
human is part and parcel of the earth,
therefore after death,
human dissolves into dust and
shall return to the mother Earth.
in juxtaposition with
塵歸塵、土歸土
ashes to ashes,
and dust to dust;
in the sure and certain hope of
the resurrection unto eternal life……
The death of 如月 Moon in the forest
illustrates this philosophy.
She fell onto the ground,
buried in the fallen leaves.
It implies the amalgamation with the earth
symbolizes the ending of life.
金 Metal
is represented by sword.
Metal is solid yet sharp.
The positive attributes of metal are
firmness, strength and determination.
無名 Nameless, the master of sword
has all the attributes of metal.
To him, sword is more than just a weapon;
it embraces the swordsmanship and pride in him.
Finally he gives up the assassination and
the hatred in himself although
he has got all the opportunity to put the King to death.
On top of the Five Elements mentioned as above,
the representation of other natural elements
can be found in the names of the characters.
For example,
飛雪 Flying Snow indicates
her cold and capricious personality.
She would go at all costs to achieve her goals,
including killing her loved one.
On the other hand, the character,
如月 Moon holds certain spiritual characteristics of the moon.
She seems to be insignificant at times,
but she is the only loyal servant
who is always there for her master.
in conclusion
Just like how the main story goes,
there is no absolute theory of right versus wrong.
We would not say that the King is wrong
for all the killings he has done,
since the ultimate aim is
to unify the country. A
ll human are seeking for is
a balance of the different elements in life.
英雄 / Hero / 2002
