| Another reason for avoiding
the ancient past, is that authenticity requires
that the speech and outlook of the characters in
these dialogues would conform to what existed in
China two millenia ago. But without detailed
historical research (and even with detailed
historical research) it is extremely difficult to
reconstruct the mindset of the ancient Chinese.
Nothing is more ludicrous than a filmmaker who
attempts to reconstruct the past of another
country and succeeds only in producing characters
who dress in ruffles and act like Manhatten
stockbrokers. Accordingly, the Taoist master
Fu Hsiang is a master for the modern times. He is
comfortable with the past and the future, and his
knowledge of Taoist practice and modern science
places him squarely in the twenty-first century.
The archaic manner of address which his students
use, always addressing him as sifu or master, is
in accordance with ancient tradition which
accords the teacher in China a status which he
has lost in the West.
3
|
