“Urban Cinema and the Cutural identity of Hong Kong” written by Leung Ping-kwan, which related to movies and the city of Hong Kong, is talking about the changes inside the city from the 1950s to the 1990s. Among these changes, some of them are concrete in terms of the city’s architectural and physical form represented in spatial form, others are abstract and intangible in terms of the complexity of culture, citizens’ ideologies, and the status of women.
Therefore, we can obviously tell their mutual intention, which is to discuss the history, or we say, the process of the transformation inside the city, via listing the plots of various movies and analyzing their means of expression and at the same time help the screenwriter presenting their ideas clearly. Movie is not only able to create a world beyond reality, but can also reflect the real society and subconsciously influence people’s view of the world.
I recognize the form of expression in exposing the changes in society through the film. From my perspective, movie is actually “an art form which comes from reality but higher than reality”. “Comes from reality” refers to that movies are based on life and many elements which calls up our memories or makes us fell familiar often have an original shape in the real world, while “higher than reality” means that movies usually represent in a subtle and gentle way by using rhetorical techniques such as metaphors and hyperbole.
Zhang Yifan 3036127385
Fascinating reflection on the continuous shift of movie depictions as meta-contextual changes of real-life cultures and the challenge of film as an attempt to capture this feeling. Your opinion on film as a second layer over reality is intriguing, reminiscent of the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer, who argues that art is one way of transcending reality. Do you think this holds true for all film (and art)?
Thanks for your comment. For the question at the end of your comment, I think it depends, but more likely to be yes. It depends both on the presentation of the movie as well as the spirit level of the filmmakers and the audiences. A good film may indeed transcend reality once it was presented in a proper way using magnificent artistic techniques to some extent. A person will map what he sees and hears in the real world onto the artifact of a movie, while adding some of his own processing at the same time. I always believe that a person who is rich in the spiritual world doesn’t just add elements of reality to a movie when he makes or watches a movie. And whether the good film with splendid and ample elements can be recognized depends on the audience‘s ability to sense and appreciate the abundance behind the movie. After all, a film is something shared by both the producer and the audience.