Hong Kong Action Cinema [Paperback]

Bey Logan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 1996

From the dazzling choreography of martial arts movies to the gore of the "heroic bloodshed" genre, Hong Kong action films are masterpieces of style and fury, and a prime source of inspiration for Hollywood. Tracing the background of this enticing film genre from the influences of Chinese opera to the mixture of fantasy and fast-paced action of the present day style, this is essential reading for both the intrigued layman and the die-hard Hong Kong fan. Photos, 95 in color.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This is the most colorful and entertaining history of Hong Kong action cinema available. Bey Logan traces the genre from its genesis in the late 1940s until the 1990s, enhancing his story with biographies, select filmographies, and 10-best lists. Though Logan focuses on superstars such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, and John Woo, he also takes time to describe how Hong Kong action cinema blends with other genres. He devotes chapters of his book to Hong Kong comedy, horror, and fantasy as well as to the series of action films that feature female protagonists. Logan concludes the book by looking toward the future of this cinema and the "New Dragons Rising" who could be its next stars.

From Publishers Weekly

Followers of Hong Kong films know what action really is. The balletic, often violent, frequently absurd but always imaginative and entertaining cinematic output of that tiny island is leaping and chopping its way into the West, and Logan's book does an excellent job of clueing new followers into what's what and who's who in the Hong Kong action scene. Many of the top chop-socky stars, such as Jackie Chan, come from the rigorous classical training of Peking Opera, where actors are required not only to sing but also to tumble, dance and fight with traditional weapons. Logan shows how the popular story of 19th-century martial-arts hero Wong Fei Hung was blended with equally popular Peking Opera action to launch a new movie style in the late 1940s and how that style has exploded since then. Although most of the Hong King films shown in the U.S. are police action flicks, some of the nuttiest are the ghost stories and fantastical-historical reenactments of events from the semi-legendary past, many of which are given their due here. Author Bey (who has appeared in a number of Hong Kong films and is the editor of Combat magazine) covers the leading actors, the fighting females (who are rarely just romantic interests) and the transition that directors such as John Woo and Tsui Hark are making to Western studios?where many of the stunts copied from their films preceded them. For the reader just discovering Hong Kong cinema, this book is an excellent guide. For the old hand, it offers juicy tidbits on the past and present of this exciting and increasingly popular genre.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Overlook TP (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879516631
• ISBN-13: 978-0879516635
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #866,779 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #54 in Books > History > Asia > Hong Kong

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Base Line Reference for HK Cinema, July 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Hong Kong Action Cinema (Paperback)

Nice overview. Well written and well researched. Great section on Liu Chia Liang! Not in depth and not meant to be. It covers all the basics and leaves you wanting to know more. If you are unfamiliar with the world of Hong Kong Cinema, you couldn't go wrong renting any of the films discussed in this book. I like it alot.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Timeless Reference Book, August 1, 2009

By 

K. F. (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hong Kong Action Cinema (Paperback)

I've had this book since it came out in 1996, and I STILL go back to it a lot. It's a fantastic overview of HK action movies, and it covers the early origins of HK cinema, 60's movies, Bruce Lee, Shaw Brothers, Golden Harvest, Jackie and Sammo, Horror, fighting women, new wave wuxia, gunplay movies, etc., and it goes right up to about 1995. There's lots of various "top 10" lists of movies and fight scenes, and it gives a smattering of the historical context of some of these films and their subject matter. Since this book was published, we've seen the advent of DVD, and a greatly increased availability of these films. When this book came out, it was almost impossible to find decent quality versions of many Shaw Brothers films, but since the Celestial remastering in the early 2000's, there are now literally hundreds of Shaw movies available in pristine widescreen prints with original language. Similarly, there are many more Golden Harvest movies, and independents available as well. Given the luxury of choices we have now, Logan's book may not seem too in-depth; it's not, and it wasn't meant to be. But still (pun intended), this book really puts the whole HK movie tradition in perspective, and gives you the context for appreciating many of the films that are out now. I've found it very useful when I want to explore a subgenre that I wasn't too familiar with, like Hong Kong horror: this book gives you a nice background, as well as a listing of the classics of the genre for you to seek out. In a nutshell, this book doesn't cover slightly more obscure movies, themes or actors, but if you're looking for a solid baseline reference that covers the most important and influential movies, stars, directors and trends of HK action cinema, this is a valuable addition to your library.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars (does backflip to papery rustling sound), June 16, 2006

By 

Andrew W. Clark (ct, usa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hong Kong Action Cinema (Paperback)

Realizing (again) that i don't have to settle for american crud, i dug this book out and marveled again. Color, b/w photos, comprehensive listings (to '95), good taste, smooth and infectiously enthusiastic writing - A+!