ANIMATED WORLD FAITHS: THE LIFE OF CONFUCIUS (TV)
Summary
One in this animated children's series about religious faiths around the world. In this stop-animation puppetry piece, a mother teaches her son about the legacy of the Chinese sage Confucius. As mother and son visit ConfuciusÕs birthplace, the mother brings the story of Confucius (who lived 2,500 years earlier) to life. The mother's story begins with an event that occurs before the birth of Confucius. A unicorn brought a message to Confucius's mother predicting that her child would be a king without a crown. Confucius's mother was careful to teach her son respect for his elders, his ancestors, and the traditional wisdom of his Chinese heritage. As the boy grew, he became aware of the turmoil in China, caused by wars between competing dukes and barons. As the boy became a man, his wisdom was recognized and he worked for the local baron as an intermediary between the government and the people. He also became a teacher, and gained a loyal following of friends and students. When Confucius and Duke Ting, the local duke, began a prosperous joint rule of the state, competing barons plotted to break them apart and end their rule. Eventually, Confucius was pressed to leave the palace, and he travelled around China teaching his philosophy for thirteen years. As an older man, he returned to his home state and discovered that Duke Ting was dead. Confucius made another attempt to work with the government and bring peace to China through traditional knowledge, but he became frustrated and focused on writing poetry and teaching instead. Before ConfuciusÕs death, the unicorn of his birth appeared one last time. Confucius interpreted the appearance of the unicorn as a sign of failure. However, 2,500 years later, as the modern-day mother and child reflect on ConfuciusÕ life and contributions, they form a more positive conclusion about his legacy.
Details
- NETWORK: S4C (United Kingdom)
- DATE: 1997
- RUNNING TIME: 0:14:08
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:57661
- GENRE: Animation; Children's
- SUBJECT HEADING: Animation; Children; China; International Collection - United Kingdom; Philosophy; Puppets
- SERIES RUN: S4C (United Kingdom) - TV, 1997
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Christopher Grace … Series Executive Producer
- Jeno Vass … Producer, For Varga Studio
- Karoly Papp … Director, Animation
- Miklos Ilyes … Animation
- Balini Kolosvari … Animation
- Lindsay Nevin … Researcher
- Venetia Hawkes … Researcher
- Richard Everett … Writer, Screenplay by
- Ian Nicholls … Music by
- Philip Franks … Cast, Confucius
- Emma Fielding … Cast, the Mother
- Louise Breckon Richards … Cast, Chenrai and the Woman
- Garard Green … Cast, the Old Musician, Baron 1, and Jan Chui
- Anthony Jackson … Cast, Baron Chi, Baron 3, and Tzeng Tzu
- Robert Harper … Cast, the Pupil, the Petitioner, and the Follower
- Mark Straker … Cast, the Warlord
- David Bannerman … Cast, Duke Ting and Yen Hui
- Jonathan Kitchens … Cast, Young Confucius and the Modern Child
- Rory Campbell … Cast, Child 1
- Kye Sones … Cast, Child 2