Week 7

WEEK 7

History of Hong kong Cinema

• they had no direct or very little government support
• mostly crowd pleasing genres like comedy and action
• uses "thrill a minute" philosophy, fast pace and editing
• surreal imagination that audience like in hong kong cinema

1940s-1960 Cantonese Movies

• arrival of talents from mainland china accelerated Hong kong Cinema
• shifted the center of Chinese language cinema to Hong kong

Cantonese Movies  

• Cantonese opera on film dominated
• low budget martial arts film were popular
• almost 100 kung fu movies were made sarting with The True story of Wong Fei Hung (1949) to Wong Fei Hung Bravely crushing the fire formation (1970)

Shaw Brothers

• produced some 1000 films before film production was suspended 

Martial arts World and Kung Fu Heroes 

• Hongkong action cinema is the source of Hongkong film industry's fame
• there is action, chinese storytelling, traditions and filmmaking techniques
• However the flow has changed. American and european action films are influenced by hongkong films

Reinventing Action Cinema

• Jackie chan and the modern arts fim
• 1983- Martial arts were used less in terms of plot, setting and scope
• Jackie Chan recreated the action-comedy of the 1980s by adding slapstick humor, stunts,kung fu with modern elements such as glass metal and speeding vehicles

Wire Fu 

• combination of "wire work" and "kung fu"
• give illusion of super human ability
• use wire to perform fight scenes

Three Significant Figures

Bruce Lee

Jackie Chan

Jet Li

BODYGUARDS AND ASSASSIN
This was screened in class. It was interesting and exciting with all the dangers characters do,wire fu all the cgi effects and casts. Though I don't really watch Hong kong films, this film was interesting. the thing that triggered the audience's emotion is from Li's dilemma of his son's involvement  and his patronizing of the cause. A touching movie about bloodties where they should produce a higher ideal of nationhood, freedom and equality
I like Tse's character also, he is a humble laborer where anyone can relate to.