The author generally discusses about the role of architecture and gender in representing cities in two film genres that is prominent in the 1960s, which are melodrama and noir thriller. She emphasizes those films because it is perceived through the female lens, and how it depicts a historical shift from patriarchy to women’s emancipation and freedom.
What I find most resonating is the impact of architectural design on the representation of the city in the films: Black Rose and Elevator Girl. Black Rose shows the differences in the ways people from different social classes live in the city. I believe it signalizes that films could reveal the social dynamics of that time. Meanwhile, Elevator Girl shows the first high-rise building and how it is not accessible by most people. It highlights that films can introduce architectural concepts which are new, shown in the film by depicting that not everyone has access to it.
Dave, Liong. 3035902415
I appreciate your clearly structured analysis of female figures shaped by Hong Kong films in the later half of the 20th century. There are several questions worth more reflection: 1) Why did women frequently appear in HK films as the protagonists since the 1960s? 2) Black Rose and Elevator Girl respectively shaped 2 sorts of women — upper class & working class. Why did Hong Kong’s noir pay much attention to these two social classes at the early age (especially in the mid-1950s & mid-1960s)? 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?