Welcome to my world of film and art. Please enjoy my film articles and use them to study about film and add them to your movie watching list to enjoy. You will find articles on film history, different genres of film and a few film related articles on the arts.
Search This Blog
Friday, June 23, 2017
Cinema of Hong Kong
Why Hong Kong?. . .
As a former British colony, Hong Kong had a greater degree of political and economic freedom than mainland China and Taiwan. It developed into the center for making film for the Chinese speaking world. Hong Kong was the third largest film industry in the world (after Indian cinema and Hollywood.) Despite returning to Chinese sovereignty in July, 1997, Hong Kong film has retained much of its distinct identity and continues to play a prominent part in world cinema.
Bruce Lee laid the foundation for Hong Kong action movies.
"Way of the Dragon" (1972) was directed by Bruce Lee himself. Hong Kong's films first rose to public popularity after the kung fu action movie boom of the 70's. By then, Bruce had already established himself as an action hero and many other actors endeavored to follow his footsteps. Bruce Lee is the founder of the martial art "Jeet Kune Do." He was born Nov. 27.1940, SanFrancisco, CA to a Cantonese opera star, Lee Hoi-chuen. His real name was Lee Jun-fan. He died July20, 1973 in Hong Kong.
Wong Kar-wai is a Hong Kong filmmaker, renowned for his visually unique, highly stylized work. He was born July 17,1958 in Shanghai. By the time he was five years old, his parents relocated to British-ruled Hong Kong. (photo below)
By 1987, the Hong Kong industry was at a peak enjoying prosperity and productivity. Wong was given the chance to direct his own film. Gangster films were popular at the time. In the wake of John Woos, "A Better Tomorrow" Wong decided to follow suit, however, unlike the other crime films in Hong Kong, he chose to focus on young gangsters. "As Tears Go By" is the story of a conflicted youth. He hired some of the hottest young idols in Hong Kong to be in the movie. It was released in 1988 and was a critical success and he was considered now among the "Hong Kong New Wave."
"Chunking Express". . .by Wong Kar-Wai
Wong came up with "Chunking Express" while facing a two-month break as he waited for equipment to re-record the sound for another movie. He was in a negative state of mind. So, he decided to start a new project to make himself feel comfortable making films again. Conceived and completed within only six weeks. The setting is contemporary Hong Kong. He would film at night what he had written during the day. This is a great film and I recommend watching it!!
Quentin Tarantino's "Rolling Thunder Pictures" production company released "Chunking Express" in the US. His commentary can be found on YouTube. see: Quentin Tarantino Chunking Express
Tarantino talks about the "freedom of expression" and brings out the fact that Hong Kong movies have a feeling of excitement and spontaneity that is an earmark of Hong Kong film. The artists had the freedom to go beyond boundaries. Wong Kar-Wai's films have an added influence of the French New Wave making them an interesting culture blend.
Wong Kar-Wai's has an amazing biography worth looking into. Some of the other films he directed are: "As Tears Go By" (1988); "Days of Being Wild" (1990); "Ashes of Time (1994); "Chunking Express" (1994); "Fallen Angels" (1995); "Happy Together" (1997); "2046" (2004); "The Grand Master (2013); "In The Mood For Love" (2000)
John Woo is a Chinese born Hong Kong film director, writer and producer. He has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, "A Better Tomorrow" (1986); "The Killer" (1989); "Hard Boiled" (1992); and "Red Cliff (2008/09)
John Woo on the set with Tom Cruise in "Mission Impossible 2" (2000) above
His Hollywood films include "Broken Arrow" (1996); and "Face Off (1997); and "Mission Impossible" (2000)
Woo made several Heroic Bloodshed films in the late 1980's and early 1990's, nearly all starring Chow Yun-Fat. Woo gained international success with "The Killer" which became the most successful Hong Kong film in American release since Bruce Lee's "Enter the Dragon (1973.) Woo has a long career as a writer, director and producer. Check the reference links below to find out more about his varied career in Hong Kong and in America.
Chow Yun-fat is a Hong Kong Actor
He is best known in Asia for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in the heroic bloodshed genre films "A Better Tomorrow", "The Killer", "Hard Boiled."
He was also in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and "Pirates of The Carribbean: At World's End."
Chow Yun-fat was born May 18, 1955 in Hong Kong. When Chow appeared in the 1980 TV series, "The Bund," it did not take long for him to become a household name in Hong Kong. The series, about the rise and fall of a gangster in the 1930's Shanghai, was a hit throughout Asia and made Chow a star. He went on to become a big screen star working with John Woo in several films.
Jet Li's. . . hand print and autograph is at the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong. Li is master of several styles of wushu. It is Li's authemtic martial arts prowess that enabled his rise to domestic and international fame.
Jet Li made his American film debut in "Lethal Weapon 4" (1988.) He turned down Chow Yun-fats role in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000.) because he promised his wife that he would not make any films during her pregnancy.
According to LI, everything he has ever wanted to tell the world can be found in three of his films. The message of "Hero" is that the suffering of one person can never be as the significant as the suffering of a nation. "Unleashed" shows that violence is never a solution, and "Fearless" tells that the biggest enemy of a person is himself. Jet Li thinks that the greatest weapon is a smile and the largest power is love.
Note: see my blog on martial arts to learn more about Jet Li click here:
P.S. we automatically send you a PDF file of info on "film-noir"movies. Both classic and newer ones. This a FREE gift to you. Info includes titles, dates, a brief description and where the movie is streaming.
