Reading response Seng, E. (2020). Noirs: The City, the Woman and Other Spaces. In Resistant City: Histories, Maps and the Architecture of Development (pp. 60-77). Singapore; Hackensack, NJ; London: World Scientific Press.

This article is expounding the phenomenon of the increasing frequency of female protagonists in Cantonese Films and the social reality.

The film tells that in the 1960s and 1970s, Hong Kong was influenced by traditional Chinese ideas, and the ideology in society was subtle and socialized by women.

However, through the movie ‘Black Rose’, she serves as the protagonist, and Miss Chen is a smart, brave female Robin in the drama, and helps the weakness in society. Obviously, from the character positioning, the author has reflected the author’s traditional patriarchalism in China and the dissatisfaction with male-dominated society, and then sets the anti-traditional character settings to satire the ignorance of the past society.

The film is not only the media but also the tool that disclose some issues that have been banned by society. This film allows us to reflect on the concepts of social setting, social ladder, etc., and how can we pursue true social fairness.

 

Leung Cheuk Man

UID:3036104620

1 thought on “Reading response Seng, E. (2020). Noirs: The City, the Woman and Other Spaces. In Resistant City: Histories, Maps and the Architecture of Development (pp. 60-77). Singapore; Hackensack, NJ; London: World Scientific Press.

  1. Lu Zhang says:

    I appreciate your clearly structured analysis of female figures shaped by Hong Kong films in the 1960s-1970s. There are several questions worth more reflection on: 1) Why did women frequently appear in HK films as the protagonists during that time? 2) How are those female protagonists shaped by their interaction with space and the city? 3) How did women serve as a tool/ method/ medium to narrate the city? Why? 4) How did woman-themed films capture and shot women differently compared with the male-centered ones?

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.