Eric's Beijing Diary

I hardly ever watch movies. I always used to say the last great movie Hollywood produced was Fiddler on the Roof. I have seen some interesting movies since then, but none that came up to that level. They just don't make them like that anymore. But I usually see a movie or two when I travel, because in the years since I have been in China, The airlines have put little video players on the back of each seat. The first time I experienced that was when I flew to Urumqi in the summer of 2005. That flight was long enough for a movie. When I fly to Tokyo, I can usually finish a movie if it is not too long. And I usually watch one movie going over the ocean. On my flight from Beijing to Portland, I saw a movie called "A Beautiful Mind." It's a novel, actually. Embellished for a movie saturated audience. But it is roughly based on the life of a real person. The gist of the story is that the professor was delusional, but was somehow able to come to terms with that fact, so he was able to choose not to believe his delusions. In the movie, they show him coming to this realization because the little daughter of his imaginary friend never gets older. I don't know if that little vignette is actual, or a Hollywood creation. But at least it's the case that he somehow was able to realize that his delusions were delusions, and choose not to follow them.

While I was in Arizona, Mel took me to see Victor Hugo's classic, which I have already mentioned. I saw a third movie on my flight from Seattle to Beijing that was also quite interesting, but for the life of me, I can't remember it right now. Must not have been that important.