In Noirs: The City the Woman and Other Spaces, it is suggested that women served as a tool to narrate the city and its social conditions at the time, in a way representing the transition from a traditional to a modern, more industrialized society. Hong Kong noir thrillers preferred female vigilantes as protagonist because the female body and gaze served as a counterpart to male narratives, and this happened in tandem with the wave of feminism occurring in the 20th century. Also, at that time, Hong Kong was starting to recruit more and more women factory workers, so that heightened their social status as a result of their greater financial independence. The popular portrayal of female vigilantes in these types of films mirrored these changing social statuses, as they symbolized women’s independence and empowerment. Therefore, use of insular female spaces in film, like urban interiors, could be used to highlight the shifting between societal values. Along with these changes arose the “doubleness” of Hong Kong, where there was one perspective of the working class and their needs, along with the desires of the upper class to do good for society.
Cai, Amanda
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You have shown good understanding on the context of the reading and the depiction of women and interior spaces. I appreciate your summary on the reading and the role of females and their depiction on screen in the 20th century. The “doubleness” is a good observation that draws from the vigilante narrative.