Mel Gibson has established his image of a tough guy through "Brave Heart" and this "Patriot", so much so that he plays a role that does not understand women in a very soft film "What Women Want" than Jude Law or Hugh Grant is more humorous.
Back to the film itself.
The main thread of the whole film is the spiritual transformation of the protagonist. From a family protecter to a "patriot". Martin did not want to be involved in the war at the beginning, but the house was burned and his son died tragically, making him aware of his responsibility to protect his family. So this father who had participated in the war against France also joined the army in order to protect his son and his family. Later, his son died. Mratin was almost desperate for this war, but when he saw the American Stars and Stripes in the bag left by his son, he seemed to have decided to fulfill his son’s unfulfilled dream. At this time, I don’t think Martin can be counted as one. A true patriot. Later, in the decisive battle with the British army, Martin faced the difficult choice between rescuing the retreating American army and avenging his son, and completed the transformation of becoming a "patriot."
Whether it is patriotism or love for the family, this person will be required to have a spirit of sacrifice to some extent, the state must levy taxes free of charge, and family members must assume the obligation to protect the family. There are even times when the country asks you to sacrifice for it, such as the eye-catching Huang Jiguang and Dong Cunrui who bombed the bunker. But the first feeling before patriotism is loving home. Even before loving home, the feeling is to love yourself.
Today I read an article saying that the "Pan Xiao Discussion" that took place in the 1980s opened a door for Chinese people from being educated to love their country first to discovering whether they should love themselves first. I think that loving oneself is not selfish, it should be said that it is taking one's life seriously. Does the Chinese have individualistic spirit? I think it probably doesn't. Just like the defeat of the Yuan Dynasty in the late Southern Song Dynasty, when Lu Xiufu reported that the little emperor jumped into the sea, or earlier Qi Guotian committed suicide by himself, five hundred strong men killed themselves. People cannot be resurrected from the dead, and all Western gods oppose suicide. This kind of thing will not happen to any nation with strong individualism. But we are not. We are a nation that has not been educated since when we have to dedicate ourselves to our country. Therefore, mainstream opinions will think that those who died on behalf of the country’s peacekeeping are heroes, and those who are killed by scaffolding to support their families are not heroes.
Patriotism is not a bad thing. The terrible thing is that when patriotism becomes a kind of doctrine, then it is like individualism. With this doctrine, everything else is wrong, and it must be criticized and hit! Must these emotions not coexist?
"The Patriot" has a very interesting reference.
At first, Martin took a lot of effort to sit on a rocking chair. When he sat on it carefully, the chair collapsed. He was quite frustrated and smashed the chair to the side. There were many abandoned chairs in the far corner of the lens. It seems that they all failed after his experiment. Later Martin went to negotiate with the British army and found a similar chair in the coach's room. Martin sat on it again carefully, the chair did not collapse, so he quickly went down to study the structure of the chair. But when the British army coach came in, Martin showed the innocent expression on his face when the kid was found hiding a toy. In this bloody and murderous film, people can see the harmony between people. This may also be a little bit of anti-war thinking that the director is trying to express.
Freedom and equality are the spirits that US imperialism has always advertised. For example, Washington's decree that slaves can gain freedom after participating in a war for 12 months. For example, Martin's son told black slaves that we are fighting for a world where everyone is equal, such as black people. Participate in the final battle as a free man after gaining freedom. For example, white people began to laugh at black slaves for illiteracy, and finally told him that it is my honor to fight with you.
My feeling is that freedom and equality also start with oneself. Blacks’ recognition of their own free identity, and arrogant whites mocking Washington’s decree, both show from the front and back that freedom is first self-liberation, and equality is first not high or low in self-recognition. The empty theory is meaningless.
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