Today talking about the technology used in a film, we seldom think of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Admittedly, either elegant or swift movements of the characters are achieved with the help of special effects. I took those for granted when watching the film around six years ago. Jiang Hu, or the martial world, is a kind of romance embedded in the DNA of Chinese people. In our subconscious, it’s natural that people with a high level of Kung Fu can fly over a vast lake or fight in the air. Every time I watch a Kung Fu action movie, I read the audiences’ reviews. Occasionally I see them commenting how the special effect is playing a role in the film. Most of the time, people talk about the aesthetic design or the characters’ martial skills and relationships. Ackbar Abbas’s view, which is in a calm, distant and European style, for the first time makes me seriously consider the connection between martial romance and modern technology.
Wang Huiquan – 3035637515
I think, there are too many things in life that we have taken for granted, especially things that are so “every day” and seemed to be unspecial because they have been embedded in our lives for so long. Having been born and raised in Hong Kong, Ackbar Abbas questioned the everydayness that he encountered through films critically. Technology has enabled the film industries to depict narratives that were once lived only in our imaginations (flying people, flying cars, etc.). I would say that Abbas’ drew our attention to how the romanticisation of the past meet the cutting edge technology and transcend into a new kind of imagination. Maybe asking the questions regarding this newfound perspective/imagination would give more depth to your arguments.