This post discusses the evolving portrayal of female characters in movies. “Black Rose” and “Elevator Girl” are examples of two films that depict female characters in different social classes. The female protagonists in “Black Rose” represents the working-class desire for a more empathetic and justice-driven upper class, while the protagonist in “Elevator Girl” shows autonomy despite the patriarchal expectations of traditional Chinese society. By endowing female characters with beauty, intelligence, and physical strength, both films demonstrate the rise of female consciousness and the rejection of females as the stereotypical sexualized subject. However, as urban spaces transformed and the male gaze

Continue readingReading Response: Seng, E.

The article mentions that in the mid-1950s, the two main genres of Hong Kong Cantonese films, one of which was a noir thriller showing the lifestyle of the upper class, and the other was a melodrama set in the ordinary space of the working class, reflected the transformation of Hong Kong into a modern metropolis and the difficulties and social inequalities of the city, respectively. Although the films are not as elaborate as Hollywood films in terms of narrative, styling and visual techniques, shades of a shift in film content have gradually been seen in these films. In my opinion,

Continue readingReading Response: Seng

The article discussed the form of cultural identity of Hong Kong. There are both positive and negative images about the city. For example, in the film called Space is Gold, it emphasized the poor living conditions and the selfishness of people. It criticized the capitalist society. However, in the movie called Hymn To Mother, it showed a lawful and rational city with good education. It is the result of both western and Chinese culture, which is very ambivalent. Therefore, it is important to combine the Western and Chinese culture in order to understand the cultural identity of Hong Kong. During

Continue readingReading Responses: Leung Ping-kwan

According to the article, female vigilantes played an important role in Hong Kong noir films in the late nineteenth century. They were equipped with similar skills and empathy as those males, which illustrated female consciousness and independent spirit. Although many of them owned unattainable social statuses, this kind of film still provided great opportunities for the majority of working-class women to escape from routine factory work and housework. More importantly, they served as inspirations for women to realize the importance of pursuing their own personal life separate from that of families. However, nowadays, with the development of the film industry,

Continue readingReading Response: Seng, E.

In Urban Cinema and the Cultural identity of Hong Kong written by Leung, he pointed out the urbanization of Hong Kong cinema from the 1950s to the 1990s, as well as the how the movies produced at different periods relates to the everchanging social environment and links to the special cultural identity of Hong Kong movies. I would like to discuss further using a typical Hong Kong movie released in the 1970s. The Private Eyes, a movie by the Hui Brothers, is a commercial comedy that posts sarcasm to the corrupting social environment of Hong Kong in the 1970s. The plot surrounds

Continue reading[Reading Response: Leung P.-K.]

In the 1960s, foreign influence was extremely strong. People in HK can find western movies, TV series, books, magazines, and pop music almost everywhere. Those influences not only changed the city’s outlook but also the lifestyle and thinking. Also, the government promoted western cultures. However, China left some traditional cultures. During that era, there were many highly educated social figures who were from the Mainland who immigrated to Hong Kong, and their arrival strengthened the Chinese culture in Hong Kong. Therefore, the culture and politics were mixed and assorted.  This book gave us some examples of films at that stage,

Continue readingReading Response: Poshek Fu and David Desser