In the reading, Leung discussed how people’s views of the city are expressed in the films, along with how films played a role in building and transforming the local culture and its interaction with political situations. Among the films which criticize the inferior living condition of the poor in contrast to the luxurious place of the rich, there were also films showing other aspects. Some films also show the city as an acceptable rational place, while other shows how people adapt to and find a way to survive in the city. In the chapter, the author observed that, at the

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It is interesting how The Elevator Girl resulted in the spread of composite buildings. Coming from a Canadian background, buildings with multiple functions are definitely not widespread there like it is here. The film’s direct influence on Hong Kong architecture is fascinating to see.  The use of female vigilantes in Black Rose embodies the dual worlds present in the city. The movie addresses the increasing social inequality between the rich and poor in modernizing Hong Kong and the camera shows a privileged viewpoint by going between these contrasting worlds. The female vigilantes also present a duality because of how the

Continue reading[Reading Response]: Seng, E.

From the second reading (“Noirs”), we can tell that film brings a contrast to architectural creations by giving a storytelling aspect to buildings, which can induce new feelings and perceptions of them. As we can see in the film “Elevator Girl,” where the protagonist takes people to different levels in a private building, it introduces the building typology and proves that film has a significant impact on the world of architecture. Additionally, in the same reading, it is mentioned how female figures started to be commonly used in films, such as female vigilantes as protagonists. The reason behind this is

Continue readingReading Response: Seng, E. 

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

Continue readingReading Response: Seng, E.

The chapter in Urban Cinema and the Cultural Identity of Hong Kong depicts how Hong Kong has been in a certain sense of ambivalence, including the inequalities between rich and poor and the opposition between city and country. The formation of Hong Kong culture has also been complicated, both foreign and traditional Chinese cultures were presented. Films act as a medium to present this characteristic of Hong Kong where the colony identity indicates Hong Kong as an “urban city” and the mother country China is defined as a “rural country”, at the same time, some movies imply a denial of

Continue readingReading Response: Leung P.K.

These several sections discussed the Hongkong films in 1950s and later serve as a cultural medium to express directors’ understanding of the city Vs. country and rural Vs. urban. Mainland China at that time is a socialistic country and represents “rural”. Hongkong, on the contrary, as a  capitalistic city colonized by Britain, represents “Urban”. Western culture has been greatly advertised since the last century by the HongKong government through pop parties, fashion shows, the Miss Hongkong Pageant, and so on. Zhu Chenrui 3036098455

The writing, Noirs: The City, the Woman, and Other Spaces, focus on the history of the film industry in Hong Kong during the 1960s. It introduced the major film genres to readers, namely the melodrama and the noir thriller set in a working and high society. Personally speaking, it makes me start to learn that film has become a mirror that reflects significant national issues, specifically in the text it is the great political, and cultural tensions in Hong Kong at that time. This article makes use of multiple classic films to support the use of the special method —

Continue reading[Reading Response: Seng, E.]