Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment [Paperback]

David Bordwell (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0674002148 | ISBN-13: 978-0674002142 | Publication Date: May 15, 2000 | Edition: Second Printing

Since the 1970s, Hong Kong has been home to arguably the world's most energetic, imaginative mass-market film industry. at its peak it surpassed nearly all western countries in number of films released, ruled th e east Asian market, and produced movies (ranging from John Woo's action pictures to the comic adventures of Jackie Chan) that have thrilled global audiences an attained cult status in the West. This book offers an informed and engaging look at how Hong Kong cinema has become one of the success stories of film history, and how it has influenced international film culture and the development of film as a medium. As sentimental and outrageous as Hong Kong can be, David Bordwell demonstrates that they are not merely crowd-pleasing; they harbour remarkable inventiveness and careful craftsmanship and in many cases rise to the level of a rich and delightful art. The author surveys the historical conditions that fuelled the rise of this cinema: the high output, shrewd entrepreneurship, changing world tastes, and a unique skill in action genres that cross cultural boundaries. Considering both the movies themselves and the bigger picture, he moves from deft and detailed analyses of many classics of this tradition to a broader assessment of the basic strategies and impulses of mass entertainment.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Hong Kong arguably offered the most dynamic popular cinema in the world between 1970 and the end of the century, and Bordwell (On the History of Film Style) was perhaps the most widely read figure in cinema studies during the same period. Surpassing Lisa Odham Stokes and Michael Hoover's City on Fire: Hong Kong Cinema (LJ 9/1/99), Bordwell's volume is the most comprehensive Western work on its topic to date. Bordwell first considers how the Hong Kong industry has functioned in its local context, then examines how it captured the East Asian market and achieved cult status in the West. Subsequent chapters survey local production methods, generic norms, stars, narratives, and the specificity of Hong Kong style. Finally, Bordwell shows how artistic experimentation makes the commercialized, profit-driven Hong Kong cinema unique. In so doing, he demonstrates that academic film scholarship can itself be fun, spirited, and of interest to a broad audience. Recommended for all libraries with film collections.
-Neal Baker, Earlham Coll., Richmond, IN
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

One of our most inventive film scholars, Bordwell (Film Studies/Univ. of Wisconsin) takes on one of the most over-the-top cinemas. For 20 years, the Hong Kong film industry was one of the world's most commercially successful and prolific. Recently Western critics have begun to recognize it as possessing a level of creativity almost equal to its financial successdespite its deep roots in genre traditions aimed at a mass audience. Bordwell examines how these elements interact in Hong Kong films to produce an art that is at the same time both popular and significant. He outlines the history, economics, and production techniques of the Hong Kong studios, particularly focussing on the genres that are most closely associated with their success (the kung-fu film, the swordplay epic, the gangster film, and the urban comedy). These historical chapters alternate with analyses of specific directors, with particular attention paid not only to such well-known filmmakers as John Woo and Wong Kar-Wai but also to some figures worthy of greater attention in the West (such as King Hu). Bordwell is clearly enchanted by the sheer physicality of Hong Kong film: its remarkable ability to convey ``filmic emotion at its most sheerly physical'' through a combination of razor-sharp editing styles, incredibly precise staging of action sequences, and the sheer virtuosity of performers like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. By rooting his analyses detailed readings of the film texts, he is able to conveyas much as mere words canhow this audaciously visceral cinema works. Ironically, Bordwell's decision to join the growing throng of authors with books on Hong Kong film comes at a time when the handover of the former British colony to the China, coupled with the economic shakeouts in East Asia, may well have doomed the island's film industry. Bordwell is not well known outside academic film circles, but he should be; perhaps this volume will give him the exposure he deserves. -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press; Second Printing edition (May 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674002148
• ISBN-13: 978-0674002142
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #447,045 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > History > Asia > Hong Kong

More About the Author

David Bordwell is Jacques Ledoux Professor Emeritus of Film Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds a master's degree and a doctorate in film from the University of Iowa. His books include The Films of Carl Theodor Dreyer (University of California Press, 1981), Narration in the Fiction Film (University of Wisconsin Press, 1985), Ozu and the Poetics of Cinema (Princeton University Press, 1988), Making Meaning: Inference and Rhetoric in the Interpretation of Cinema (Harvard University Press, 1989), The Cinema of Eisenstein (Harvard University Press, 1993), On the History of Film Style (Harvard University Press, 1997), Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment (Harvard University Press, 2000), Figures Traced in Light: On Cinematic Staging (University of California Press, 2005), The Way Hollywood Tells It: Story and Style in Modern Movies (University of California Press, 2006), and The Poetics of Cinema (Routledge, 2008). He has won a University Distinguished Teaching Award and was awarded an honorary degree by the University of Copenhagen. His web site is www.davidbordwell.net.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful, original, accessible, July 16, 2001

By 

"dm164" (Brooklyn, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment (Paperback)

Bordwell's book manages to balance the enthusiasm of a fan with the sharp analysis of a trained film scholar. Of all the books on Hong Kong film in English that I've read, this is the one that I keep returning to--it's chock full of original criticism (his shot by shot breakdowns of classic HK flicks are superb), that is well written and accessible (even if you don't have a PhD in cultural studies). Planet Hong Kong has led me to at least a dozen wonderful films I might otherwise have overlooked.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best popular-film book ever?, September 2, 2002

By 

David Chute (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment (Paperback)

Not just the best book about Hong Kong cinema but the best ever written about a popular commercial movie industry. It is a model of practicality, fresh observation, and original on-site research in an academic field dominated by received ideology and sociological condescension. Bordwell pays tribute to the highly specialized film craftsmen of Kowloon, world-class experts in delivering intense pleasure to a large audience. We hope that he plans to write many sequels. Are you ready for "Planet Bollywood"?

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on Hong Kong cinema yet, August 3, 2001

By 

Lisa R. Morton "lisam9" (North Hollywood, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Planet Hong Kong: Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment (Paperback)

For the history of Hong Kong cinema, Stephen Teo's HONG KONG CINEMA : THE EXTRA DIMENSION can't be topped; but this impressive book is far and away the best yet to examine this vital art film from the aesthetic angle. Bordwell also covers some of the financial makeup of the Hong Kong film industry, and even devotes space to the often-ridiculed Wong Jing. His chapters on Hong Kong editing styles are not just informative, they're absolutely inspiring. This book should be required reading for every film student!