aisuru2001

This documentary does a very difficult feat: not simply to tell history as it was but also give the viewer a sense of the Great War and its consequences. The story is so powerful it leaves the viewers shocked and saddened. And that's the only way a documentary about a war should give you - a lesson so that we will never engage in a similar war. Sadly, we often talk about history in a detached and distant way without contextualizing it. That's why this documentary does such a great job. It should not only be rereleased and sold but also mandatory viewing in school. It takes some time to go through all the episodes and linked with discussions after each episode would allow for a highly valuable educational experience.

The film provides a decent history of Mickey Mouse in film and also shows some other art forms that were inspired. It does not shy away from problematic aspects and even mentions Disney's obsession with copyright which have been quite problematic. However a great shortcoming is the complete lack of reference to comic strips and comic books. They have been just as important for the rise and popularity of Mickey Mouse and it is a great disappointment that its missing. Floyd Gottfredson's daily newspaper strip was iconic and spread the Mouse worldwide while Walt Disney's signature appeared on each and everyone suggesting that Disney was the actual artist. Later artists like Paul Murry or Romano Scarpa should also not be forgotten. There are still comic books named after Mickey Mouse that are published regularly in numerous countries worldwide. So this was a bit of a letdown. Instead, the interviews somewhat dragged down the documentary without adding more information, which made it a bit boring, especially at the end.

This movie was really deeply disappointing. It promised to be a film about the race riots but this was extremely superficial and lacked any explanatory power. The characters remained flat and spoke in stilted dialogue which was boring to watch and sometimes even painful. Many scenes are overly sentimental or emotionally exaggerated with the music and other horribly used effects. Moreover, there were a number of scenes which overdid the propaganda, for instance when praising Singapore's first prime minister Lee Kuan Yew. Two foreigners are seen talking how great the statesman is (very cheesy!). This made it clear that the movie was mainly done to memorialize the "founding father". This point was again emphasized at the end when the movie draws attention to his mourning period when people lined up to pay their last respects to the former leader (which is not central to the riots). At the same time, it is perhaps surprising that the actor playing Lee Kuan Yew is not at all convincing. If he was not called Lee Kuan Yew, it would be hard to guess who it is. In the end, the movie reminded me a little of the recent Chinese propaganda movies celebrating the origins of the Communist Party. Only that the quality was even worse.

In conclusion 1 out of 10. Do not waste your time with this attempt at a historical movie.