Moon throughout the ages has been viewed through a veil of mystery. It inspires legends all over the world. Filmmakers like to tell stories about what happens under the influence of the moon, and the strange things that happen to people. Luna, after all is the root of "lunacy."

Heroes who work miracles, emerge from fiction, like Superman. In the fourth installment of Superman, the super hero faces a new menace: Nuclear man. The two combatants wage their battles in Outer Space. At the critical moment, superman propels the moon so as to block the light of the sun, thus depriving Nuclear man of his super power. In this tale the moon's influence works to benefit the good.

Batman is dubbed as the dark knight. His strange appearance, and dark personality arise from the childhood tragedy of seeing his parent killed. The sinister taunt of the evil Joker, recalls the horrific memories for Batman: "Ever dance with the devil by the pale moon light?"

In "Hancock" we meet an offbeat hero. Hancock performs good deeds, while his careless actions play havoc in his neighbourhood. But he has a heart of gold. As the film draws to a close Hancock creates an image on the moon, its the logo of the company that belongs to his rival in love.

Superman aside, there is the relationship between every day people and the moon. The Moon stands as a symbol for some pretty nice things, like love. In Bruce Almighty, television reporter Bruce Nolan is discontented with almost everything in life. His love for his girlfriend Grace is about the only good thing he has going. He's enlisted to God, and that will change his bad luck in life. When he gain the power to manipulate the fate of others, he nearly loses the love of his life. But the moon helps him to win back the woman's heart.

Love, as the saying goes makes the world go round. Even a ghost can lose his heart. In "The Nightmare before Christmas", Jack, the ghost, fails to bring his neighbourhood happiness with his pranks. He feels crestfallen. But then there's his girl Sally, waiting under the moon. She reminds him of what is important.

There is a line in a famous Chinese poem: "I wish longevity for both of us, that we may still watch the same moon, though we are thousands of miles apart. "In the film "Under the Same Moon", divorced mother Rosario leaves her native Mexico to earn a living for her family in the U.S.. She leaves her son with her parents in a Mexican village. The mother and son maintain their connection by telephone. When the boy's grandparents die, the boy travels to the US in search of his mother. During his perilous odyssey, he is soothed by the words of his mother who told him: "When you miss me, look at the moon, because we are under the same moon."

That's it for our lunar move wrap up. May you enjoy a happy mid autumn festival.

(CCTV September 17, 2008)