This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about hong kong cinema. The first is given over to the history of chinese cinema in the two cities, and in particular to the exchanges. The copy of the article i link below comes from the cuhk library. Hong kong literature is 20thcentury and subsequent writings from or about hong kong or by writers from hong kong, primarily in the poetry, performance, and fiction media. Kung fu hustle a love letter to hong kong action cinema. This article is part of a series on the history of hong kong action cinema find the other parts here. Including contributions from a diverse roster of scholars, archivists, and film programmers, the book provides a wealth of new information and new conceptual. The cinema of hong kong examines one of the most popular and dynamic cinema traditions in the history of film. Providing an overview of major directors, genres and stars, from its origins to the present, this volume examines hong kong cinema in transnational, historical, and artistic contexts.
Started in shanghai in the 1920s, the legendary shaw brothers studio began to dominate the worldwide chinese film market after moving its production facilities to hong kong in 1957. Discover the best hong kong history in best sellers. History, arts, identity cambridge university press, 2000. A brief history of hong kong cinema to 1988 film studios. The gangster as hero in hong kong cinema offscreen.
Hong kong cinema of the 1970s is the seventh volume in the oral history series, following an emerging modernity. This book examines the aesthetic qualities of particular chineselanguage films and the rich artistic traditions from which they spring. The 1960s and 70s are probably the most pivotal time regarding the growth of hong kong action films. Read on to follow the developments of the first era of hong kong cinema up until the 1970s. These shorts were, usually, forty, to fiftyseconds long capturing everyday scenes of life from around the world. Historical dictionary of hong kong cinema, second edition. History, arts, identity has 1 available editions to buy at half price books marketplace. Early days of cinema in hong kong hong kong became a curiosity in the film world as early as 1896, when the famed lumiere brothers shot footage there for their actualities series. East asian cinema is cinema produced in east asia or by people from this region. This book explores the proposition that hong kong cinema since the 1960s has played a. Beyond martial arts and comedy, hong kong films are a celebration of the grand diversity and pageantry of moviemakingcovering action, comedy, horror, eroticism, mythology, historical drama, modern romances, and experimental films. American cinema in the age of watergate and vietnam, 197079, volume 9 in scribners history of american cinema series. The films that have come out of hong kong are a lot of fun and a lot more creative than the cookie cutter homogenized celluloid clones that hollywood continues to crank out ad nasuem.
Hong kong literature reflects the areas unique history during the 20th century as a fusion of british colonial. Hong kong housing problem from the 1950s to the present. Hong kong action legend sammo hung on 50 years of blood. Instead, the story of hong kongs film industry begins back in the early 20th century. Chronology of hong kong cinema david desser and poshek fu part i. There are parts where teo can get kind a bit too scholarly bruce lees nationalism and the psychology behind john woos films for example but that is a minor complaint. Hong kong s housing shortage and tiny flats are notorious problems in a city that is known for the stark contrast between its extraordinary wealth and the poor living conditions of a large section of its population hong kong has asias largest wealth gap, with the 10 richest individuals owning half of the entire economy. Kung fu hustle is a one of a kind cinematic treat, one that draws on the history of hong king action cinema while maintaining its own style and originality. The book celebrates and chronicles over one hundred years of diverse.
The poetics of chinese cinema gary bettinson palgrave macmillan. Hong kong was a british possession for decades until it rejoined china in 1997. The cinema of hong kong examines one of the most popular, dynamic, and important cinema traditions in the history of film. Hong kong cinema s first american reception 19 david desser 2. For the history of hong kong cinema, stephen teos hong kong cinema. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. To do so david carter contextualizes the cinema industries from china, hong kong, taiwan, japan and korea within their own respective historical and cultural backgrounds. The films that have come out of hong kong are a lot of fun and a lot more creative than the cookie cutter homogenized celluloid clones. Through interviews with film veterans, this volume strives to bear witness to industry development in. Interestingly, in hong kong during the 1980s similar factors of urban life can also be connected with the rise of the gangster film, as the citys crowded neighbourhoods and neonlit streets became a criminal underworld for triad gang stories. History, imagination and hong kong popular culture. Around the 1930s, hong kong was going through a period of change during the devastating war years and japanese occupation.
Information on 1,100 films produced in british hong kong from 1977 to 1997 is included here. World cinema is used in the englishspeaking world to refer to all foreign language films. The combination of these three perspectives will reveal the dynamics and tensions between the local and the transnational, between production and reception, and between text and context, in the gendered manifestations of hong kong cinema. As a former british colony, hong kong had a greater degree of political and economic freedom than mainland china and taiwan, and developed into a filmmaking hub for the chinesespeaking world including its worldwide diaspora. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books. Hong kongs golden age gave john woo to the world then. Although the shaw era is long gone, no other movie making establishment has ever been able to make its mark the way the shaw brothers has and for as long. With everything from topnotch restaurants to delicious street food, hong kong s renowned cuisine is reason enough to visit. The source essays contained vary from academic history books to papers published by academic magazines concerning the topic of cinema or film. Drawing together scholars from such diverse disciplines as history, cultural geography, and film studies, china forever addresses how the shaw brothers raised the production standards of hong kong cinema, created a. Modernity, youth culture, and hong kong cantonese cinema 71 poshek fu 4. The book is written so that experience of hong kong life and history is helpful but no so that it is hard for someone with no knowledge will feel overwhelmed. Poshek fu is associate professor of history and cinema studies at the. An excellent documentary about hong kong s fascinating history right before hong kong s 1997 return to chinese sovereignty.
A companion to hong kong cinema wiley online books. After showing plenty of unforgettable titles in hong kong movie history, our iconic and muchloved cinema location on sai yeung choi street, mong kok was comprehensively rebuilt in 1987. Cook believes that the story of hong kong cinema is one of the richest and most fascinating in film history. The region of hong kong has been inhabited since the old stone age, later becoming part of the chinese empire with its loose incorporation into the qin dynasty 221206 bc. The trajectory of hong kong films had been drastically. Paul fonoroff, well known hong kong film critic and historian, wrote, a brief history of hong kong cinema.
It is part of asian cinema, which in turn is part of world cinema. Rethinking hong kong cinema to rewriting chinese film history pages. The american connection in early hong kong cinema 44 law kar 3. Providing an overview of major directors, genres, and stars, from its origins to the present, this volume examines hong kong cinema in historical. The most significant film industries that are categorized as east asian cinema are the industries of mainland china, hong kong, japan, south korea and taiwan. As the books subtitle suggests, the contributors write at the intersection of the. Hong kong film archive, soak in the magic of the glamorous cinema history and catch an old flick. Hong kong action cinema by bey logan is another good guide to one of the most innovative film corporations. In this installment of the history of hong kong action cinema series, we wont be digging into that many movies, but this time marks a serious change in the blossoming movie business in hong kong. Book description the cinema of hong kong examines one of the most popular and dynamic cinema traditions in the history of film. Covering a period from 1909 to the end of hong kong cinema in the present day, this book features information about the films, the studios and the personalities that have shaped this kind of cinema. To eat as the locals do, tuck into cantonese noodles and roast meat, or stack up dim sum dishes and wash them down with fragrant tea.
Hong kong cinema was born long before the stardom of bruce lee and jackie chan, or the arthouse films of wong karwai and ann hui. First established in 1950, the broadway circuit has been at the forefront of the hong kong movie scene for many decades. Learn everything there is to know about cinema while gazing through books, magazines and much more. This is the second anthology on hong kong cinema to appear recently. View table of contents for a companion to hong kong cinema. Hong kong, special administrative region of china, located to the east of the pearl river estuary on the south coast of china.
Asian cinema is extremely varied and complex and east asian cinema provides keys to appreciate films of the far east and to understand how and why they are made. This year will see the publication of his book, lost illusions. I believe it was published in 1988, in renditions, a literary magazine published by the research centre for translation rct at the chinese university of hong kong. Starting out as a farming fishing village and salt production site, it became an important free port and eventually a major international financial centre the qing dynasty ceded hong kong to the british empire in 1842. It includes studies of the films of king hu, bruce lee and jackie chan, as well as those of john woo and the directors of the various new waves. Run run shaw was already fifty years old when he establish his own studio in 1957 which would quickly become the more glamorous of all east asia and dominate hong kong kong cinema scene for nearly a quarter of a century. According to the census and statistics department, the median. The hong kong government deports 10 members of leftwing mandarin filmmaking industry. It is a vibrant cultural and financial center of chinese society.
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