In the army, there was this air force pilot I used to date. He’d make this entrance at the Madigan Hospital headquarters office, and make the Sergeant Major just about go into a silent meltdown. The Smaj couldn’t say anything against an officer, especially one from another service branch, but you could see his blue eyes go all squinty and steely. The Smaj was a good guy, as military goes, but he had his prejudices, and they definitely included the Blue Boys.
That must be him playing Udo in this scene! Sigh; I really don’t make anything up, do I?
Just saw another film version of “A Tale Of Two Cities.” You just know Dickens saw that They Look Alike trick in court, and then just extrapolated into a far more deadly courtroom situation.
The Bats refer to their use by the Japanese as a symbol of faithful married love.
I’d not heard about bats as filial emblems in Japan. Double Pine trees, mandarin ducks, cranes and turtles I know but I’ve not seen that specific linking.
Bats are one of my most favorite things (forget about dewdrops and whiskers on kittens).
The bats associated with fortune originates from china with the five fortunes – health, wealth, longevity, death in old age and filial piety. The chinese word for fortune (though in which of the languages I’m not sure) ‘fu’ has the same pronounciation as bat.
Japan borrowed a lot of chinese symbolism and the positive association with bats is one of them. Sadly these days the view of bats it’s a lot more influenced by Western antipathy for the lovely little critters. Halloween and Brahm Stoker have much to answer for.
A friend said they were used that way. She was active in the Asian antique market, and was in contact with a lot of Japanese and Chinese people. Maybe it used to mean that, or developed over time over here to mean that.
And we really do need to stop blaming animals for our own failings.