An exploration of the Hong Kong film market chronicles its history and worldwide influence, profiling its most important films and figures while providing photographs, filmographies, and a video guide.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
By including a history of Hong Kong's movie industry; interviews with 31 leading filmmakers, actors, and actresses; plot summaries of some of the better and more influential Hong Kong films of the post-war period; and "recommended viewing" lists from 12 critics, Hong Kong Babylon provides a complete introduction to one of the world's fastest growing and most inventive filmmaking industries. It is especially charming and enlightening to read the discussions in which Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, John Woo, and Chow Yun Fat reflect on their industry in their sometimes stilted English, explaining far better than any Western critic could just what it is to be part of this frenetic business.
From Library Journal
The recent stateside popularity of action star Jackie Chan (Rumble in the Bronx) and director John Woo (Face/Off, Broken Arrow) has focused more attention on Hong Kong cinema. Journalist Dannen and film buff Long have produced a useful book on the genre that is one part history and three parts reference work. Dannen opens with a short but informative report on the current scene that first appeared in The New Yorker; a series of brief interviews with and filmographies for leading creatives follows. Long provides plot synopses of over 300 films (with key credits), and the book wraps with a dozen international critics ranking the major films. As valuable as this work is, accessibility to these films is limited even on video, so libraries may want to use discretion in ordering.?Thomas J. Wiener, "Satellite DIRECT," Vienna, Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good introduction to the Hong Kong Cinema.,
By
This review is from: Hong Kong Babylon: An Insider's Guide to the Hollywood of the East (Paperback)
Hong Kong Babylon is one of the better books about the wild and entertaining world of Hong Kong Cinema. The writers briefly touch all the bases with the information provided. Get this book and the one by Bey Logan and you'll have a nice overall view of this cinema.
Strongly recommended.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read it for Barry Long's wonderul summaries!,
By The Magician "tale99" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Hong Kong Babylon: An Insider's Guide to the Hollywood of the East (Paperback)
Unfortunately, Fred Dannen's interviews are much too short so if you're looking for an in-depth look into the Hong Kong film business this isn't it. However, the book has a substantial section summarizing/commenting on hundreds of films and they are wonderfully written by Barry Long, a true connossieur of Hong Kong cinema.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good basic intro to HK cinema world,
This review is from: Hong Kong Babylon: An Insider's Guide to the Hollywood of the East (Hardcover)
As some of the other reviews here suggest, this is a bit of a cut and paste job-- Dannen's New Yorker piece on the triads thrown together with reviews and lists compiled by others. But the field has been so spottily documented to date that the serious info and critical context provided here is of real value, even if, as is suggested in one of the reviews above, "Sex and Zen and a Bullet in the Head" is probably a better choice for the fan who just wants to know what cool movies to rent. I would also recommend a British book which should be available here, "Hong Kong Action Cinema" by Bey Logan.
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