Directory of World Cinema: China 2

Description

Since the publication of the first volume of Directory of World Cinema: China, the Chinese film industry has intensified its efforts to make inroads into the American market. The 2012 acquisition of US theater chain AMC and visual effects house Digital Domain by Chinese firms testifies to the global ambitions of China’s powerhouse film industry. Yet Chinese cinema has had few crossover hits in recent years to match the success of such earlier films as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; House of Flying Daggers; and Kung Fu Hustle. Yet even overseas revenue for Chinese movies has dwindled, domestic market growth has surged year after year. Indeed, annual production output remains healthy, and the daily expansion of screens in second-or third-tier cities attracts audiences whose tastes favor domestic films over foreign imports.



A survey of a vibrant—and expanding—industry, Directory of World Cinema: China 2 examines, among other themes, China’s desire for success and fulfillment in the United States, as well as the extensive history of representing China—and the Chinese in America—on US movie screens. With contributions from some of the leading academics in the field, this volume will be essential reading for all fans of Chinese film.

Introduction by the Editor 

Chinese Film Festivals 

Contemporary Taiwanese Cinema 

Recent Taiwanese Cinema 

Early Hong Kong Cinema 

Stars 

Leslie Cheung

Maggie Cheung

Stephen Chow

Alexander Fu Sheng

Bruce Lee

Tony Leung Chiu-Wai

Ruan Lingyu

Jimmy Wang Yu

Michelle Yeoh

Directors: Mainland China

Jia Zhangke

Lou Ye

Zhang Yimou

Directors: Taiwan 

Ang Lee

Edward Yang

Directors: Hong Kong 

Peter Chan Ho-Sun

King Hu

Pang Ho-Cheung

Wan Hoi-Ling

Yonfan

Drama: Mainland China

Drama: Hong Kong & Taiwan

Queer Chinese Cinema

Kung-Fu & Wuxia Pian

Heroic Bloodshed & Crime Cinema 

Comedy/Musical 

Sujets

• Directories
• Película fotográfica
• Reference
• Cinema of Asia
• Directory
• Animation
• China
• Film

Informations

• Publié par: Intellect Books
• Date de parution: 29 mai 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783204014
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 4 Mo

Extrait

DIRECTORY OF WORLD CINEMA EDITED BY CHINA2 GARY BETTINSON

Volume 26

directory of worLd cinema cHina 2

Edîted by Gary Bettînson

intellect Bristol, UK / Chicago, USA

Fîrst pubîshed în the UK în 2015 by Inteect Books, The Mî, Parna Road, Fîshponds, Brîsto, BS16 3JG, UK

Fîrst pubîshed în the USA în 2015 by Inteect Books, The Unîversîty of Chîcago Press, 1427 E. 60th Street, Chîcago, IL 60637, USA

Copyrîght © 2015 Inteect Ltd

A rîghts reserved. No part of thîs pubîcatîon may be reproduced, stored în a retrîeva system, or transmîtted, în any form or by any means, eectronîc, mechanîca, photocopyîng, recordîng, or otherwîse, wîthout wrîtten permîssîon.

A cataogue record for thîs book îs avaîabe from the Brîtîsh Lîbrary.

Pubîsher: May Yao Pubîshîng Managers: Jeena Stanovnîk and Heather Gîbson

Cover photograph:Inferna Affaîrs/Wu Jîan Dao. Basîc Pîctures/Medîa Asîa Fîms Ltd/  The Koba Coectîon Cover desîgner: Hoy Rose Copy-edîtor: Sebastîan Maney Typesetter: John Teehan

Dîrectory of Word Cînema ISSN 2040-7971 Dîrectory of Word Cînema eISSN 2040-798X

Dîrectory of Word Cînema: Chîna 2 ISBN 978-1-78320-400-7 Dîrectory of Word Cînema: Chîna 2 eISBN 978-1-78320-401-4

Prînted and bound by Short Run Press, UK.

contents

directory of worLd cinema cHina 2

aCkNOWEDgEMENTS

5

iNTRODUCTION bY ThE eDITOR 6

chINESE fIM fESTIvàS

16

cONTEMpORàRY tàIWàNESE cINEMà 22

rECENT tàIWàNESE cINEMà 25

eàRY HONg KONg cINEMà 30

sTàRS Lesîe Cheung Maggîe Cheung Stephen Chow Aexander Fu Sheng Bruce Lee Tony Leung Chîu-Waî Ruan Lîngyu Jîmmy Wang Yu Mîchee Yeoh

34

dIRECTORS: màINàND chINà 74 Jîa Zhangke Lou Ye Zhang Yîmou

dIRECTORS: tàIWàN Ang Lee Edward Yang

87

dRàMà: màINàND chINà Revîews

dRàMà: HONg KONg& tàIWàN Revîews

QUEER chINESE cINEMà Essays Revîews

KUNg-fU & wUxIà PIàN Revîews

118

158

188

218

HEROIC BOODShED & cRIME cINEMà 256 Revîews

cOMEDY/mUSICà Revîews

288

rECOMMENDED rEàDINg 322

chINESE cINEMà oNINE

tEST yOUR KNOWEDgE

nOTES oN cONTRIbUTORS

fIMOgRàphY

326

328

331

338

dIRECTORS: HONg KONg 96 Peter Chan Ho-Sun Kîng Hu Pang Ho-Cheung Wan Hoî-Lîng Yonfan contents

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

acKnowLedGements

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

Thîs book dîffers from prevîous voumes în theDîrectory of Word Cînema serîes însofar as ît addresses not one natîona cînema but three dîstînct sîtes of Chînese im-makîng, ocated în the Peope’s Repubîc of Chîna, Taîwan and Hong Kong. The book’s wîde ambît accounts for some mînor devîatîons between thîs and other voumes în theDîrectory of Word Cînemaserîes, though the present voume argey adheres to the serîes’ standard format. By parsîng Chînese cînema înto three im-makîng centres, theDîrectory of Word Cînema: Chîna 2beneits from the expertîse of wrîters specîaîzîng în each ied of Chînese im, and I am îndebted to a these authors for theîr învauabe contrîbutîons. Theîr varîed crîtîca methods testîfy to the rîch dîversîty of both Chînese cînema and contemporary im studîes. My apprecîatîon goes to Heather Gîbson, Jeena Stanovnîk, Sebastîan Maney, John Teehan, Hoy Rose, Meanîe Marsha, and May Yao at Inteect for theîr enthusîastîc support and carefu nurturîng of thîs project. I am deepy îndebted to Masoud Yazdanî, the founder and CEO of Inteect. He was a true vîsîonary, and wî be greaty mîssed. I am aso gratefu to Rîchard Rushton, Jonathan Munby, Joey O’Bryan and Shan Dîng. Specîa thanks to my parents. And thanks to Yvonne Teh and Wîng-Ho Lîn for many fruîtfu exchanges about Chînese-anguage cînema.

Copyrîght Acknowledgement The revîew ofHappy Tîmesîs revîsed fromSentîmenta Fabuatîons: Contemporary Chînese Fîm, by Rey Chow. Copyrîght © 2007 Coumbîa Unîversîty Press. Reprînted wîth permîssîon by the pubîsher. It îs aso derîved from Rey Chow, ‘Toward an Ethîcs of Postvîsuaîty: Some Thoughts on the Recent Work of Zhang Yîmou’, înPoetîcs Today, 25: 4, pp. 673–88. Copyrîght © 2004 Porter Instîtute for Poetîcs and Semîotîcs, Te Avîv Unîversîty. A Rîghts Reserved. Repubîshed by permîssîon of the copyrîght hoder, and the present pubîsher, Duke Unîversîty Press (www.dukeupress.edu).

Acknowedgements5 acKnowLedGements

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

introduction By tHe editor

Sînce the pubîcatîon of the irst voume of theDîrectory of Word Cînema: Chîna (2012), the Chînese im îndustry has întensîied îts efforts to make înroads înto the Amerîcan market. Studîo executîves relect nostagîcay on crossover hîts such as Crouchîng Tîger, Hîdden Dragon(2000),In the Mood for Love(2000),Hero(2002), Inferna Affaîrs(2002),House of Fyîng Daggers(2004) andKung Fu Huste(2004), and strîve to emuate theîr success. Yet sînce 2011, the overseas revenue for Chînese movîes has dwînded. Homegrown bockbusters such as Taîwan’sYou Are the Appe of My Eye(2011) andWî You Stî Love Me Tomorrow?(2013), Hong Kong’sLove în the Buff(2012) andVugarîa(2012), and Maînand Chîna’sLost în Thaîand(2012) and So Young(2013) fortîfy domestîc markets, but have proven too ‘oca’ for successfu North Amerîcan export (Frater 2013). Arguaby, Chîna does not need to chase the US market, for the Maînand’s market growth surges year on year. Indeed, whîe the Chîna market mushrooms, the North Amerîcan market has shrunk. Moreover, Chîna’s annua productîon output remaîns heathy, and the daîy expansîon of screens în second- or thîrd-tîer cîtîes attracts audîences whose tastes favour domestîc ims over foreîgn îmports. As veteran Hong Kong producer Raymond Chow puts ît, ‘Chîna îs a very bîg pace … ît îs the îdea market’ (Chow 2013: A4). In sum, Chînese executîves woud be justîied în prîorîtîzîng pan-Asîan markets as theîr major revenue source. Yet Chîna covets the North Amerîcan marketpace (just as Hoywood covets the Maînand box ofice). The Unîted States remaîns the word’s argest im market, hence potentîay hîghy ucratîve for Chînese exports; and, as Patrîck Frater notes, some Chînese companîes seek ‘the prestîge and brand enhancement that comes from beîng a Hoywood payer’ (Frater 2013). The 2012 acquîsîtîon of US theatre chaîn AMC and vîsua effects house Dîgîta Domaîn by Chînese irms (Wanda Group and Beîjîng Gaopîng Horse) testîies to the goba ambîtîons of Chîna’s powerhouse im îndustry. Further, severa recent Chînese movîes thematîze a desîre for success and fuiment în the Unîted States. Domestîc megahîtFîndîng Mr. Rîght(2013) mounts a faîry-tae vîsîon of Chînese fuiment în Amerîca, and înterpoates ausîons to Hoywood romance fantasîesSeepess în Seatte(1993) andAn Affaîr to Remember(1957). Hoywood, în turn, has an extensîve hîstory of representîng Chîna – and the Chînese în Amerîca – on US movîe screens. What foows îs a sketch of thîs controversîa hîstory. Even Hoywood’s apparenty ‘posîtîve’ depîctîons of Chîneseness typîcay yîed ambîvaent resuts; but I concude by surmîsîng that Chîna’s recent economîc rîse herads a shîft în the cînematîc representatîon of Chîneseness – în both Hoywood and Chînese movîes. From the start, Hoywood cînema envîsîoned Chîna as radîcay Other, a threat to western democratîc vaues and mores. ‘Human îfe îs the cheapest thîng în Chîna’, asserts a westerner în Frank Capra’sThe Bîtter Tea of Genera Yen(1933). ‘We are în Chîna now’, an Amerîcan tourîst states înShanghaî Express(Josef von Sternberg, 1932), ‘where tîme and îfe have no vaue.’ Dehumanîzîng the Chînese, Hoywood movîes before Word War II (whereupon Chîna and the Unîted States raîed agaînst Japan) propagated fears of a Yeow Perî endangerîng western

6Chîna 2

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

cîvîîzatîon. Encompassîng the ‘Orîent’en boc, the Yeow Perî denoted western dread of mîscegenatîon; of Asîan mastery of western technoogy; and of Asîan hordes mobîîzed agaînst the west, creatîng a ‘soîd, antîwhîte racîa boc’ (Dower 1986: 160). The depraved Mongo prînce în Raou Wash’sThe Thîef of Bagdad(1924) – who, determîned to seîze Bagdad, procaîms, ‘It sha be mîne; what I want, I take’ – typîied Hoywood depîctîons of Asîans as barbarous, maraudîng subjugators îndîfferent to 1 human îfe. The antî-Orîenta poemîcs of eary cînema woud harden înto racîa and ethnîc stereotypes, some of whîch endured înto Hoywood’s contemporary era. Encapsuatîng the Yeow Perî în Amerîca îs the Chînatown dîstrîct. Teemîng wîth corruptîon, prostîtutîon, racketeerîng, dope-peddîng and other îîcît actîvîtîes, the Chînatowns în the Hoywood îmagînary harbour ‘an învîsîbe subterranean ream’ of vîce beneath ‘the vîsîbe word of the urban streets’ (Stanied 2005: 240). These neîghbourhoods provoke în the western protagonîst a dîstrust of surfaces, a profound suspîcîon that Chînatown constîtutes an opaque, înscrutabe and abyrînthîne space maskîng unspeakabe (and unspeakaby aîen) perversîtîes. Often, Chînatown sîgnîies crîmînaîty, as înThe Lady from Shanghaî(1947) andThe Corrupter(1999); în addîtîon, ît may denote the ‘unknowabe’ mystîcîsm of Chînese cuture, îts respectabe veneer harbourîng the secrets of the Orîent (e.g.Bîg Troube în Lîtte Chîna[1986], The Forbîdden Kîngdom[2008]). In both cases, Chînatown amounts to a deusory, prohîbîtîve, fundamentay Other terrîtory. Hence îts assocîatîon wîth noîr îconography: ubîquîtous street sîgns forbîddîng access (as înYear of the Dragon[1985]), smoke couds hîntîng at obfuscatîon (e.g.The Departed[2006]), nocturna settîngs reîeved ony by coruscatîng neon. In addîtîon, Chînatown învarîaby denotes an ungovernabe urban zone. The cops assîgned to the eponymous dîstrîct of Roman Poanskî’sChînatown(1974) are advîsed by theîr dîstrîct attorney to do ‘as îtte as possîbe’, the Chînatown mîîeu a refractory space împossîbe to contro. Sîmîary, a Chînatown cop în Mîchae Cîmîno’s Year of the Dragonprotests, ‘How am I supposed to contro anythîng around here?’ The sef-governed domaîn of the Chînese îs împermeabe by western aws, ogîc and mores. Sîgnîicanty, Hoywood cînema artîcuates an înterchangeabîîty among Amerîca’s Chînatowns. Poanskî’s thrîer îs set în Los Angees, Cîmîno’s în New York, but both movîes anîmate the same Orîentaîst cîchés around theîr Chînese mîîeus. These cîchés are hîstorîcay învarîabe too (e.g.Chînatownîs set în the 1930s,Year of the Dragonîn the 1980s). In Hoywood movîes, Chînatown serves not merey as a mîcrocosm of Chîna. It aso functîons to warn of what Amerîca (and the west) mîght become shoud the Chînese spread beyond theîr western ghettos: namey, an aduterated and pervaded by the Yeow Perîs of înîquîty, crîme, prostîtutîon and other vîces both prîmîtîve and perverse. The traîts that Hoywood (and western cuture at arge) ascrîbed to the Chînese dîd not stop at the mîcrocosmîc eve; they coaesced înto character archetypes. In cassîca Hoywood movîes, femae Chînese characters tended to epîtomîze predatorîness and treachery (embodîed by the ‘Dragon Lady’ stereotype) or docîîty and submîssîveness (personîied by the ‘Lotus Bossom’ or ‘Chîna Do’ igure). Both igures embody the western fear of seductîon and mîscegenatîon, as does the prostîtute archetype portrayed by, for înstance, Anna May Wong înShanghaî Express and Nancy Kwan înThe Word of Suzîe Wong(1960). Across Hoywood hîstory, these conceptîons of the Chînese woman have proven remarkaby durabe. The Chîna Do îmage, for exampe, varîousy provîded the tîte for a 1958 Hoywood war drama (dîrected by Frank Borzage) and a prîncîpa character în the 1986 iascoShanghaî Surprîse, testîfyîng to the Orîentaîst stereotype’s potency and durabîîty. Parae cîchés cohered around Chînese mae characters. The Orîenta mae mîght be erotîcay ascîvîous or sexuay emascuated, but în eîther case he radîates grotesquerîe. Hence a prîncess retreats în dîsgust upon irst gîmpsîng an evî Mongo

Introductîon7

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

suîtor înThe Thîef of Bagdad. And înThe Bîtter Tea of Genera Yen, a dream sequence recasts the tîtuar oficer as Nosferatu, hîs physîca appearance deformed înto a vampîrîc aberratîon as he advances predatorîy toward the horrîied Caucasîan heroîne. Depîctîng the Chînese mae as a grotesque served to exaggerate racîa dîfference and externaîze the perverse psychoogy împuted to the Chînese. No ictîona character better epîtomîzed the grotesque Chînese mae than Dr Fu Manchu. Transmogrîied by make-up and Expressîonîst mîse-en-scène, Borîs Karoff’s vîsage înThe Mask of Fu Manchu(1932) ‘ixed the îmage of Fu Manchu wîth body accentuated eyebrows, dark-rîmmed and taped eyes, ong ingernaîs and [ong] moustache’ (Mayer 2012: 398). These sîgnature traîts materîaîze an înterna devîancy: Fu Manchu, a product of Brîtîsh coonîa Orîentaîsm (the character was created by Brîtîsh noveîst Sax Rohmer în 1913), sets hîs brîîant mînd to word domînatîon – thus echoîng the perî of Asîans conquerîng the western hemîsphere. The Mask of Fu Manchudemonstrated Hoywood’s înstîtutîona racîsm through îts depîctîon not ony of the Chînese, but of Afrîcans and Afrîcan Amerîcans too. In thîs im the Chînese may be depraved, but theîr bury, shîrtess and anîmaîstîc back saves are comparatîvey subhuman. The subordînatîon of backs to the maevoent Chînese împîed Hoywood’s împîcît racîa hîerarchy; and înThe Mask of Fu Manchu, the backs and Asîans represent a monoîthîc threat of Otherness to the Caucasîan heroes (we ind a sîmîar trope în the maîgned Harod Loyd vehîceWecome Danger[1929]). Lîke the Dragon Lady and Lotus Bossom, Fu Manchu became deepy embedded în western conscîousness. Unîversa Studîos approprîated the Fu Manchu prototype for îts 1936Fash Gordonserîa. Lîke thîs cîffhanger, the campy feature-engthFash Gordon(1980) pîts the eponymous footba hero agaînst Mongo super-vîaîn Emperor Mîng the Mercîess (Max von Sydow în ‘yeowface’), creatîng an înterstear rîff on the Fu Manchu egend. If Fu Manchu personîied the Asîan mae as Yeow Perî, Charîe Chan projected a far more benîgn îmage of Chîneseness. Noveîst Ear Derr Bîggers’ protagonîst found fame în th 2 the 1930s, thanks to a serîes of crîme dramas produced at 20 Century Fox. A Hawaîîan poîce înspector deined by humîîty, cîrcumspectîon and deductîve genîus, Charîe Chan symboîsed theassîmîatedChînese subject, occupyîng a hîgh rank în aw enforcement, and sîrîng a brood of thoroughy Amerîcanîzed chîdren – most notaby Number One Son, Lee, portrayed vîvacîousy by Keye Luke în the Fox serîes. An întegratîve Chînese Amerîcan, Charîe Chan came to symboîze the ‘mode mînorîty’, an ethnîc subject construed as exempary Amerîcan cîtîzen, successfu în busîness and non-threatenîng to Amerîcan vaues. Ostensîby a correctîve to Fu Manchu’s yeow menace, Charîe Chan epîtomîsed the benevoent Chînese; yet the character remaîns dîvîsîve, not east because – as some crîtîcs have noted – the mode mînorîty împîes submîssîveness to Amerîcan hegemony, and thus a passîve acceptance of the margînaîsatîon of mînorîtîes wîthîn US cuture and socîety. The Charîe Chan serîes, then, eîcîts ambîvaence. Most overty probematîc îs the racîa împersonatîon of the Chînese protagonîst by a Caucasîan payer (Warner Oand în the 3 Fox franchîse), a common Hoywood conventîon untî at east the 1970s. Other poînts of contentîon are more tacît. For Peter X Feng, Charîe Chan’s ostensîbe centraîty beîes the pot emphasîs on the îves of the whîte characters under Chan’s surveîance; în thîs respect, Chan îs ess the ocus of narratîve înterest than ‘a prîvîeged servant’ aowed to cîrcuate în whîte socîety (Feng 2002: 3). To be sure, Charîe Chan personîies the brîîant seuth restorîng order to a destabîîsed communîty. But the hegemonîc order he restores îs patrîarcha, whîte, conservatîve and racîst, and hereîn îes a tacît dîficuty wîth the ims’ împîcît power structures (Caucasîan characters domînate the Chan serîes, even those epîsodes set în ‘exotîc’ ocaes such asCharîe Chan în Egypt[1935] andCharîe Chan în Shanghaî[1935]). Further ambîvaence toward the Fox franchîse sprîngs from Chan’s ungrammatîca abeît sententîous Engîsh utterances (an înventîon apparenty depored by Bîggers). The serîes’ screenwrîters assîgned Chan îvey aphorîsms (‘Joy în heart more desîrabe than buet’), but the fortune-cookîe dîaogue seemed to reînforce the ‘wîsdom of the Orîent’ stereotype, wîth Chan’s dîstînctîve syntax a constant marker of Otherness.

8Chîna 2

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

Charîe Chan at the Opera. 20th Century Fox.

If Charîe Chan’s îdîomatîc speech aready seemed a carîcature of Engîsh-speakîng Chînese, Hoywood spoofs such asMurder by Death(1976) pushed ît to farcîca îmîts. Peter Seers’ Inspector Wang represents a parody of the Chan igure, ampoonîng the Hawaîîan detectîve’s penchant for pîthy axîoms and dropped artîces. Exaggeratîng Chan’s verba tîcs to the poînt of gîbberîsh,Murder by Deathabounds wîth Wang’s cunky tongue- twîsters (‘Wonder whîch one was one who done ît’), raîsîng the îre of Truman Capote’s shady mîîonaîre (‘Say your goddamn pronouns!’). If the im buresques the Charîe Chan igure, however, ît aso reînforces the Chan stereotype. Moreover, by sheer vîrtue of îts system of parody,Murder by Deathreveas how cuturay entrenched thîs Orîentaîst stereotype had become by the mîd-1970s. The comedy genre remaîns rîpe for travestîes of Chînese îmmîgrants în Amerîca. Often, the gags are predîcated on the înguîstîc faîures of a thîcky accented Chînese igure, trîggerîng communîcatîve breakdowns wîth the western protagonîsts. Both Mîckey Bue Eyes(1999) andDude, Where’s My Car?(2000) mîne thîs trope for aughs. In both ims a femae Chînese restaurateur vexes the western protagonîsts’ effort to înteract, demonstratîng the Chînese îmmîgrant’s faîure to master spoken Engîsh (and more broady îndîcatîng a faîure or unwîîngness to assîmîate to Amerîcan socîety). The ensuîng împasse wrîngs humour from the westerners’ încreasîng oss of patîence, but

Introductîon9