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:

http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.com/2017/12/martial-art-movies.html 

Thanks for letting me share my blog with you! Nelda

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http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.com/2017/12/martial-art-movies.html 

The Golden Age of Japanese Cinema

http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-golden-age-of-japanese-cinema.html 

Japanese Anime

http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.com/2017/05/japanese-anime.html 

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. 

For further study here are some links:IMB

AMC                      http://www.filmsite.org

IMDB                    http://www.imdb.com

Roger Ebert          http://www.rogerebert.com 

You Tube              http://www.youtube.com 

Wickepedia          https://www.wickepedia.com

Criterion             https://www.criterion.com

    

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"The Golden Age" of Japanese Cinema

  Cinema of Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897.

The 1950's is considered the"Golden Age" of Japanese Cinema..

Three great directors were the ground-breaking pioneers who filled the theaters during this time period. 

Akira Kurosawa  Born Mar 23, 1910 - Died September 6, 1998

Kurosawa directed 30 films and his career spanned 57 years.

 

Yasujiro Ozu   Born Dec. 12, 1903 - Died Dec 12, 1963

Kenj Mizoguchi  Born May 16, 1898 - Died Aug 24, 1956

 Three Japanese films from this decade of the 1950's made the "Sight and Sound" Critics and Directors poll  (2002) for the best films of all time. "Rashomon, Seven Samurai and Tokyo Story."        

                                  Photos from "Rashomon."

 

 

1952 . . . Akira Kurosawa's "Rashomon" won several awards including Best Foreign Film in 1952.  This film was at the beginning of the "Golden Age." Toshiro Mifune also got the world's attention in this film. Mifune is the subject of a recent documentary narrated by Keanu Reeves. I recommend this one!  It covers a lot of ground concerning the conditions these films were made under and how they were directed.  ("Mifune: The Last Samurai") is now streaming on Netflix.

 

  1954 . . . Two of Japan's most influential films were released. "The Seven Samurai" by Akira Kurosawa. Also in 1954 Kurosawa's "Ikiru" and Yasujiro Ozu's "Tokyo Story" were released.

 Photos of the "Seven Samurai"

 The American version of "The Seven Samurai" is "The Magnificent Seven" with Yul Brenner and Steve McQueen. 

 

1954. . . "Godzilla" was originally conceived by the Japanese as a comment on mankind and the products of their wars, a symbol of war. Godzilla is a creature created by radioactive fallout. It was also released in America as "Godzilla, King of the Monsters." Ishiro Honda directed this anti-nuclear drama. Godzilla became an international icon of Japan and inspired a whole subgenre of kaiju films.

 

 

 

1956. . . Kenji Mizoguchi died in 1956 and ended his career with a series of masterpieces including "The Life of Oharu" (1952), "Ugetsu"(1953), "Sansho the Bailiff" (1954).  

 "His films have an extraordinary force and purity. They shake and move the viewer by the power, refinement and compassion with which they confront human suffering." quote from Mark Le Fanu

 

  Yasujiro Ozu began directing color films beginning with "Equinox Flower" (1958), "Good Morning" (1959) and "Floating Weeds" (1958) which was adapted from his earlier silent film. He began his film career during the silent film era. He was a screenwriter and a director.

Ozu loved movies and would play hooky from school in order to go see the hollywood movies in the local theater. In 1923, he landed a job as an camera assistant in Tokyo at "Shochiku Studios" and three years later was made an assistant director and directed his first film the next year "Blade of Penitence."

 

 Be sure and watch some of these fascinating, timeless films. You can use the reference links below to search them out. Also you will find some of these streaming on Netflix and Hulu!

 

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Other articles you might like are:

"Japanese Anime"

"Surrealism in Film"

"Dark Comedy"

 

For more info here are some great links:

http://www.rogerebert.com        great film reviews

http://www.wickepedia.com 

http://www.criterion.com 

http://www.filmsite.org 

 

Japanese Anime

Definition. . . 
a style of animation originating in Japan that is characterized by stark colorful graphics depicting vibrant characters in action-filled plots often with fantastic or futuristic themes. 

A New Movement. . .
As the "Golden-Age" of Japanese Cinema (1950's thru 1960's)  came to a close, a new movement of Japanese film sprang forth. The (AH-nee-may) movement is sometimes referred to as the "Second Golden Age of Japanese Cinema." 

The talented directors of the "Golden Age" had golden budgets and would fill the theaters during their film era. Three of those were: 
 Kenji Mizoguchi (Born May 16, 1898 - Died Aug 24, 1956) 

Yasujiro Ozu (Born Dec 12, 1903- Died Dec. 12, 1963) 

Akira Kurosawa (Born March 23, 1910 - Died Sept 6, 1998.) 

After this "Golden Age" was gone, the theaters were not always filled; even though there were some talented directors during this time. 
A new era emerged. . . 

"Anime" arrives. . .

Japanese film has never been more popular than it is right now. In the United States, cities such as Seattle, WA have immense anime sections in book and video stores. For more than a decade,  fans have been exchanging anime over the internet and trading bootlegged movie files in an underground movement of crazed followers.

 Coming into the light, and catching on on all over the world, anime is on the rise from the sparse theater crowds after the "Golden Age" film era. Japan's film scene is full of anime features and films. An estimated 60 percent of Japanese film production is anime now.

In Japan, the box office gets a large percentage from anime features. In America, Disney movies get the most box office action; but that is changing as anime is catching on. Anime covers many subjects such as issues of growing up for teens, childhood stories, adult subjects and horror stories. 

Origin of Anime. . .
"Anime" could have derived from the Japanese "ukiyo" - the woodblock prints of the 19th century. Here, the artists conveyed movement with crude drawings. Sword fighting, dancing geishas, water movement were all in the form of line drawings.

Westerners struggle to create live-action cinema where the Japanese are more interested in evoking a particular mood through the careful use of color and expression. The  best way to appreciate anime might be a series of still drawings. Manga comic books (a large producer of comic books for adults and children in Japan) states that the Japanese public does not favor movement over composition as a principle of expression.

The following is a video trailer of "Princess Mononoke"

  

"Princess Mononoke" was the highest grossing film of any kind in Japanese history, in 1999. Directed by:  Hayao Miyazakki   "Titanic" finally topped it.

With the voices of:  Claire Danes, Billy Cruddup, Minnie Driver, Billy Bob Thornton, Gillian Anderson, Jada Pinkett Smith, John De Mita dubbed in English.

Hayao Miyazaki (referred to as "the Walt Disney of Japan" rolls up his sleeves and draws his films himself! Mr. Miyazaki sometimes animates his characters flat with only a suggestion of dimension by solid wash shading. 

 "Spirited Away" in 2002 outgrossed "Princess Mononoke" when it was released in July 2001. A few of his other films are "Kiki's Delivery Service" (1989); "Castle in the Sky" (1986); "Warriors of the Wind" (1984) and "The Castle of Caglicatro" (1979)

Following is a video trailer for "Spirited Away"

 
These are more photos "Princess Mononoke"

                                                                                                                                      

"My Neighbor Totoro" is another movie drawn by Miyazaki

 

 




"Animation unleashes the mind. These movies are so alive, intelligent and inventive that adults may get more out of them than children." Roger Ebert









"Totoro" is a children's film made for the world we should live in, rather than the one we occupy. A film with no villains, no fight scenes, no evil adults, no kids fighting, no scary monsters. No darkness before the dawn. A world that is benign. A world where if you meet a strange towering creature in the forest, you curl up on its tummy and have a nap. It has been voted the best family film of all time, right behind "Toy Story" and ahead of "Shrek." 
quote by Rober Ebert    "It makes me smile and smile and smile."

Ebert also says, "Great animation can make the mind sing."
"Realistic films show the physical world: animation shows its
essence." 

You can find a good collection of anime streaming on Netflix and other streaming networks.



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For further animation study here are some great links:
http://www.rogerebert.com           for reviews by Robert Ebert

http://www.imdb.com                movie database

http://www.criterion.com 

http://www.filmsite.org               AMC film site 

http://www.otakuusamagazine.com      Oraku  (voted best anime magazine in the U.S.

http://www.youtube.com           #anime   "Top 20 Anime Every Fan needs to Watch"  

    You might also be interested in these blogs:
Martial Art Movies
http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.com/2017/12/martial-art-movies.html
The Golden Age of Italian Cinema

http://the-golden-age-of-italian-cinema.html 


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Japenese Poetry

Japanese Poetry

My love of poetry has inspired me to introduce you to a beautiful form of poetry. I will give you a few simple rules so you can write poems in this Japanese style.  

There are many types of Japanese poetry, however, I will introduce you to only two so you can try them.

1. What is a haiku?

A haiku is a Japanese poem consisting of three lines and 17 syllables.  Each line must contain a specific number of syllables.  The first line has five syllables, the second line has seven syllables and the third line has five syllables. The haiku is one of the most beautiful of poetic forms.

Here is an example of a poem written in "haiku" form

(5 syllables)  proud, free butterfly:
(7 syllables)  I wanted to fondle you;
(5 syllables)  bright wings ripped.
       (2)  you died.

(5) soft? skin does not age
(7) only the image darkens,
(5) bodies remember. . .

(5) body and body. . .
(7) same as always, nothing more. . .
(5) a slight pause in time. . .

(5) at dawn I picked two 
(7) flowers: at noon
             I sold one
(5) to fill my stomach. . .

What are the rules for making a haiku?

As mentioned, the haiku contains three lines. With syllables alternating 5, 7 and then 5.  Rhyming is not necessary.  Rules regarding word repetition, punctuation and capitalization are left to the writer's discretion.

Go ahead an try composing a "haiku." There many subjects to choose from:  War, Nature, Love, Politics, Music, Art, Global Warning, Relationships, whatever you are inspired by!

Thousands of haiku are composed every year, and for the most part, represent Japanese subjects such as landscapes, seasons, birds, insects, flowers, phases of the moon and other natural phenomena. Haiku offers a writer the chance to suggest a scene, a landscape or a mood that is open to interpretation. It is left to the reader to fill in the details of the painting suggested by the writer or Haiku Master.  

History of the Haiku. . .

Haiku was officially born in Japan at the beginning of the Tokugawa shogurrate (1603-1770). The haiku style grew out of the popular pastime known as Renga, in which one or more poets supplied alernating sections to short, five-lined verse known as tanka verse. The seventeenth century poet, Matsuo Basho (1644-94) elevated this form into a high literary form. Today haiku remains the most popular form of literary expression in Japan and its popularity in the West continues to grow.

II. What is Naga-uta?

 Japanese poetry form of 5, 7, 5 syllables is called a "haiku."  The form 7,7 is called a "renga" and when a "haiku"and renga are linked, the resulting form is called a "tanka." A series of "tankas" is called a "naga-uta."

Example of a "naga-uta" form poem

(5) In my former life:

(7) I blind beggar of fourteen,

(5) one day touched your life. . .

(7) You, wilier street-urchin,

(7) were fifteen, having wise eyes.

by:  Aaron Brown

I hope you have the chance to try writing in this style. It is magical!

  

  










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Related blogs you might be interested in:

Cinema of Hong Kong
http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.com/2017/06/cinema-of-hong-kong.html 

 Martial Art Movies
http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.com/2017/12/martial-art-movies.html

The Golden Age of Japanese Cinema
http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.cp,2107/06/the-golden-age-of-japanese-cinema.html 

Japanese Anime
http://earthoceanfire.blogspot.com/2017/05/japanese-anime.html

 

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