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Hong Kong Cinema: Traditions, identity search, and the 1997-syndrome

an introduction to a book by Petra Rehling. Hong Kong Cinema: Traditions, identity search, and the 1997-syndrome. Two questions!. What could be more exciting than watching a microcosm like Hong Kong at its most influential turning point in history ?

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Hong Kong Cinema: Traditions, identity search, and the 1997-syndrome

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  1. an introduction to a book by Petra Rehling Hong Kong Cinema:Traditions,identity search,and the 1997-syndrome

  2. Two questions! • What could be more exciting than watching a microcosm like Hong Kong at its most influential turning point in history? • What does it look like when a consumer society like Hong Kong steps back into an ever changing China?

  3. Read about... ...the transformation of a society as mirrored in its film industry. kinetics production Film personalization local culture attractions

  4. Read about...the way to a so-called Hong Kong identity, phenomena and views in the popular culture of the city. genderroles traditions history Hong Kong Identity consumption commercilization Reunion with China (1997-syndrome) education

  5. Chapter 1 is about • the beginnings of HK film production • pioneer work in local film making • Hong Kong‘s change into a consumer society • the boom of martial arts cinema • masculinization of a society following the success of one specific genre • the beginnings of a Hong Kong indentity • how urbanization and politics moved mass culture

  6. The 1980s The 1980s was a decade full of contradictions for Hong Kong cinema. The film industry was torn between hedonism and yearnings for critical reflection. As a consequence, this decade produced more movies and genres than ever before.

  7. Chapter 2 is about • the Hong Kong New Wave • a new group of film makers and their ambitious socio-political films • Jackie Chan’s action cinema • escapism and localization combined • fantasy and ghost movies • bizarre manifestations of fears of the future • the heroic bloodshed genre • Hong Kong’s new heroes and their value system

  8. The Tiananmen massacre In the change from the 1980s to the 1990s, the occurrences on Tiananmen-place in Beijing in 1989 and a growing sense of nostalgia in the city caused a lot of mixed emotions among Hong Kong residents. They were torn between apocalyptic visions of the future, escapism and melancholic memories of the past.

  9. Chapter 3 is about • the change from a destructive to a sentimental fatalism and nostalgia • a melancholic look back at the past and the fear for things to be lost • self-affirmation and egocentricity • a hurrah on Hong Kong societies’ accomplishments • an apocalyptic mood in the city • paranoia and hysteria

  10. The 1990s The 1990s brought a number of new impulses for the cinema. The biggest success could be found in various forms of urban film.

  11. Chapter 4 is about • the ordinary people in in Wong Kar-wai’s films • average existence as myth and Wong’s “urban eye” • a new optimism and realism on the screen • metropolitan fairy tales and nightmares • the change of the term “identity” • e. g. individuality through homosexuality • successful steps of Hong Kong cinema into the west • globalization – martial arts go Hollywood

  12. There is more! Four factors have defined Hong Kong cinema in the 20th century.

  13. Chapter 5 is about • the destructive element • action, violence, the “chaotic moment” • the masculine element • a society and its double morale • the nostalgic element • history and nationalism • the homogenous element • Hong Kong’s youth and consumer culture

  14. The Appendix The book’s appendix includes a detailed Hong Kong film history from the beginnings of movie making until the year 2000.

  15. The end. The book was published by Bender Verlag, Germany, 2005 (second extended edition). http://www.bender-verlag.de/

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