The article discussed the urban space and Hong Kong identity represented in melodrama and noir thriller films in 1960s Hong Kong. One thing that fascinates me is the relationship between the two female protagonists, the working-class woman, and the female vigilante.
The female vigilante character is chosen to be the main character of Hong Kong movies in the 1960s because this period of rapid industrialization and modernization requires the women workforce to join in the construction of the society. Women, who originally belonged to the interior, domestic space, are now beginning to appear on the streets, in factories alongside men. To encourage and celebrate “the rise of women,” the strong female figure is adopted and welcomed by the populace, especially the working-class women who lived ordinary lives yet desired to be the heroine.
To depict the double life of the female vigilante under the mainstream male-centered narratives, those movies include many urban interior scenes. The living room serves as a space of public spectacle in the elite class and the bedroom is a space of intrigue that is only accessible to her “true sisters.” For working-class women, the living room serves as a hub for female bonding, communal exchanges, and gossip, and the bedroom is always a shared space. Two kinds of female protagonists living two separate lifestyles and having two sets of urban interior scenes is an indication of the disconnection between the actual and aspirational experience of modernity.
Yang Yiru / 3035844613
Excellent response which includes both summary of the critical historical context introduced in the reading as well as personal interpretation. I appreciate how you have extensively discussed the role of space in manifesting the shift in the role of woman, describing how different spaces were used in the films of that period to illustrate the lives of the women and their roles.