Masculinity In Hong Kong Action Films Film Studies Essay

Masculinity In Hong Kong Action Films Film Studies Essay The study of film masculinity still tends to concern itself with the products of local society. The focus of the essay is to represent a close approach to masculinity in Hong Kong cinema. Chinese old traditional genres such as Kung Fu, historical costume drama, and the Chinese opera had been the staples of Hong Kong cinema since it has been established (Kei, 1994). This essay analyses two films of a uniquely Hong Kong perspective. The two main titles referred in this essay are A Better Tomorrow (Woo, 1986), the gangster image that revitalized the filmmaker s career by the success of his first gangster movie, and City on Fire (Lam, 1987), produces a city on fire season of new type of undercover agent movie early time in Hong Kong. Each film represents typical and modern Hong Kong gangster movie on earlier 80s. Both of these two directors created a new gangster and cop character in films, they defined a local cultural identity in Hong Kong filming industry and influence the stylist of west action cinema (Vesia, 2002). This essay approaches the study of masculinist text of my emotion tone and feels of the two films, and attends to address ideology of male relationship and gender difference as a masquerade. A Better Tomorrow tags with Hong Kong gangster leaders whose name are Ho (cast by Lung Ti) and Mark (cast by Yun-Fat Chow), and Ho was double-crossed and arrested in Taiwan. After he was released, Mark tries to persuade him to go to their old criminal life. But, Ho is more concern about his brother Kit (cast by Leslie Cheung) who is a Hong Kong police officer, and his responsibility for the death of their father. And Ho s gang leader was replaced by his old subordinate, Shing (cast by Waise Lee) who plays brother against brother Ho. At the end, Mark and Shing die, while Ho and kit were reunited and head back to prison. City on Fire concerns Ko Chow (cast by Yun-Fat Chow) is an undercover agent who betrayed his criminal friend to the police force. The criminal boss Fu (cast by Danny Lee), whose gang is terrorizing the town with numerous robberies and the forthcoming, big robbery of a jewelry store. Ko and Fu become friends as Kos mission is again to go undercover to Fus gang and give details to the police about the robbery. so the criminals could be arrested and sent to prison. Unfortunately, Ko notices it is too late to undo what hes done again, again he finds himself betraying a friend, but this time the results are more horrific. As described above, these are some features in common in these two films: both of them are extremely violent; both starred by Yun-Fat Chow who was the most famous Asian character; both revolve around the story of gangster and police; and both are talk about individual friendship and loyalty of male character. It is possible that gangsters and cops have something in common in our real world. It is also possible that an undercover has true friendship with a gangster while they are in the opposite position of the law. Furthermore, It is not surprising that the relationship between gangster and cop can reduced by true friendship. It is clear that the brave police and thriller gangster other side of them. If the main elements are cop and gangster, then it dig the deep inside of unknown natural character is the key point to solve. However, from Man on the Brink (Cheung, 1981) to On the Edge (Yau H. , 2006), undercover film seems trapped in a frame set an undercover agent end with a tragic death. However, there is no specific detail on describing the agent s mental activities that how to convince themselves to become an undercover agent, while they have a mission. Most of this genre of film only pays attention to the strategy and courage of agent. There is not on the characters actor on deep inside activities. While the undercover film has already manipulated by director nowadays, City on Fire is one of the transition or a stage that undercover film goes to a higher levels of representing. It is earlier to be accepted by the audience as these undercover become a real part of film. Ringo Lam and John Woo both are likely to represent the brotherhood in the film. Woo s undercover philosophy mind is If there is something reason may not from themselves, they have to do is to do , while Lam s philosophy is I would ra ther not to do it instead of Betraying my friends . Furthermore, the lighting and color of these undercover films are cold, Woo s film presenting a romantic atmosphere, whereas Lam always manifest warm and funny scene. For example, the last police chase scene in City on Fire, the background music is the allegro of Christmas songs, and originally the preceding is very depressed. These two directors are also good at editing some humor and plot on the film, such as By throwing food to attract beautiful women pay attention to small scene to rich a film so-called giant inside, detail outside in Lam s film. In my opinion, the difference between Lam and Woo is the theme of each film. Woos theme always is to revenge for friendship, brother, and lover, and this routine will never end with. While Lam s theme is to bury alive with the dead for friendship, brother, and lover, it is enough for regretless while lives. Different from Woo s films, they tended to romanticise the gangster figure without any moralistic judgment (Vesia, 2002). It is the main reason Lams film conveys this message to audiences. Finally, the myth letter in City on fire, Ko s lover to leaves audience an message that does she wait for Ko in Hawaii? Instead of the issue if China is relevant to lead and guide Hong Kong s future after 1997. Then, it can be said that nothing is perfect to make up to audience taste. Thus, Lam s films achieve the success of Yun-Fat Chow, and Chows performance is accomplishing Lams film. Yi-Qi (Code of Brotherhood) in Hong Kong gangster films: Codes such as brotherhood, filiality and loyalty are not just one sign to look at the masculinity onscreen, it also is familiar to the Chinese cinema which links to the social order both in the film and the society outside. Fuery points that code order signs as well as provide rules of exclusion, combination, and hierarchy (Fuery, 1997). As such, code in the social order of Chinese films representation is a social justice and the moral domain within different national and non-national settings (Berry Ann, 2006). It represents the symbols of ethnic heritage and the myth old tradition of a nation. The concept of YiQi ( ) is Code of Brotherhood which includes: Loyalty (Zhong ), Filiality (Xiaoà Ã‚ ¢), Benevolence (Ren ), Brotherhood (Yi ) to explore the wide debates around social structure, gender and nation in Chinese nation. These codes are the core of Chinese law and custom that the ordered nation refer to the debates within the Chinese moral health and local structure of the social problems. The Code of Brotherhood reflects reciprocal family-based relationships which with male privilege (Berry Ann, 2006). The family code related to the social and nation networks of power. It focuses on codes of behavior between subject and ruler, between father and sons, and between brothers.These rules often operates the Chinese mythic underworld-JiangHu ( )-it have its own rules in this world but it does not exist in the real world. There, Woo s gangster movies value Chinese traditional rules of family and friendship in Hong Kong modern society, brotherhood involves strong customary ru les that translate into a range of genres, from revolutionary comrade films to martial arts and gangster movies. And the code of honor applies to heroes on both sides of the law. In A Better Tomorrow, Ho and Mark are at ease only in all-male societies: the gang, or the taxi company in where Ho found the job. On the family ties, Kit refuses his gangster brother because of Ho s responsibility to their father s death, so Mark becomes Ho brother, in other words is to replace kit to be a substitute. Ho is trying to be a good man, but kit does not trust him. They father die for his son Ho. and Ho save Shing, Mark is crippled when he is revenged Ho. It is a sensibility that is well illustrated through Woo s characterization of Mark as a humble hero representing traditional codes of honour and bravery in a modern era (Vesia, 2002). Then, Ho and Mark steal the tape for Kit to risk their lives. This is a chain rule around Mark, Ho and Kit indicates the Code of Brotherhood that is typical Chin ese hero. Furthermore, the Code of Brotherhood has mythic status in terms of the contemporary Chinese culture and the order of society. Joseph wrote that the rules such as Filiality (Xiao) were right in Chinese old tradition (Needham, 1954). In City on Fire, the protagonist undercover employs death defying stunts. But, Lam ends his gangster film for memories the death of Ko Chow to executed criminals. In the last battle scene, Ko said to Fu (Danny lee Sau-Yin): I was an undercover agent, please shoot me, you still have time for it, because i own you too much. It was a kind of humanitys struggle with the friend and brother. They opposite position have been upgrade to a new level of the friendship. Ko resists on his bottom line of the distinction between gangster and undercover. But its a human debt on the friendship have never been fixed. Thus, at the end of City on Fire, Kos death perhaps is the best way to end his friendship debt. Because Ko was suffered by betrayed a friend earlier, his nigh tmare of intense fear, horror and distress feeling leads to He always blames himself due to betray his friends. It perhaps to arrange this death of character is to explain the injustice, violence as ongoing features of society. Both of the death of Mark and Ko is to the result of Loyalty (Zhong) to his friendship. And also it explains the Righteousness (Yi) why the true friendship is worth to risk their lives or sacrifices themselves for their brothers and friends. Finally, the Code of Brotherhood of Chinese masculinity, in other words, male bonding is one metaphor way to presents the Hong Kongs future relationship with China. Specifically, these films seem to represent the fantasy of a relationship between equals (analogous to a relationship between men) rather than between unequals (i.e., between men and women); and it is a fear of China that makes the homoerotic element such a compelling fantasy (Sandell, 1994). Male and man power can be seductive and attractive indorse to focus on the representation of Chinese cinema.the balance between sexual difference in cinemas which indicates fair relationship of brotherhood and unfair relationship between men and women. In A Better Tomorrow, The result to plot only one woman who is Kits wife and she is facing sharing suffering, and hinges on a male ethos of loyalty. In contrast, City on Fire is around the theme of loyalty and friendship between gangster and undercover agent at opposite position of the law. Kos lover appears in the film is slowing down the tension of the undercover, and it prevents the normal progress towards in terms of approach the reality of personal inter-relationship. Thus, it is successful to treat women in similar depth. When a woman is discussed, it becomes a wider study in Chinese cinema. Influence to the west: Reid point out that Woo has remade traditional martial arts genres by replacing swords and knives with guns (Reid, 1993-4). Woo said his action film was most inspired by earlier Hong Kong martial arts. Especially his mentor Zhang Che, his film is not only representing strong masculinity, loyalty, chivalry figures on the martial art action, but also he is emphasis on the symbolic slow motion to express this movement. However, Woo s stylistic influence upon Reservoir Dogs (Quentin, 1992) and True Romance (Scott Tarantino, 1993). Quentin also inspired from City on Fire (Lam, 1987) and it is upon the themes of city on fire season to express his passion and admiration to Hong Kong filmmakers. One might certainly conclude from this that Hong Kong action film industry achieves an oversea and cross-culture to such international visibility. Therefore, Kung Fu was the most popular elements both in Eastern and Western films. Kill Bill I II (Tarantino, 2003-4) describes how a woman overthrows patriarchal authority to revenge for her daughter. In the coffin box, Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman) was bury by Budd (Michael Madsen), then she use her learning from Chinese martial arts master Bai Mei (Chia Hui Liu) and gather all strength on one hand for breaking the coffin and then she can escape outside. Within the martial artists performance, clarity can be achieved not only through the precision of the movement but also an effort to focus the entire bodys energy in each gesture (Yau E. C., 2001). To compare earlier Hong Kong film patriarchal society, Tarantino s film represents the punishment of patriarchal hegemony. His work aims to explore the origins of the cool and the way in which images (or reputations) are echoed in the realm of popular culture (Poleg, 2004). And he is showing that there is no different between man and woman in our modern society. It also critics the corresponding to patriarchal authority of Hong Kong cinemas to arousing people conscience and social justice then seeking for the solution of the gangster in sin city. For instance, the yellow suit of protagonist Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill is to show his admiring to martial arts master Bruce Lee. Conclusion: Chinese cinematic imaginary provides a rich store of regimes of justice and power through which men relate to, and fight with each other (Berry Ann, 2006). Both Woo and Lam are dealing with the tension of loyalty and friendship and social order of Chinese traditional heritage, and also apply to heroes on both side of law. The difference is the theme Woo s revenging and Lam s burying for friendship, brother, and lover, they heroes from both side of the law is to justice the male bonding related to the unsteady society tone and the anxiety of Hong Kong s future after recover it in 1997. Both Woo and Lam focus on the relationship of male to indicate the changing representation of Hong Kong cinema. They are the new wave pioneering directors in order to balance the theme of the human relationship and entertainment with vision and sound effects. Moreover, western critics and film scholars also began to take Hong Kong action into mainstream theatre cinema seriously and made many key figure s and films part of their canon of world cinema. In short, Hong Kong cinema defines a new genre of hero image in action film valuing traditional distinctive feature of patriarchal authority. It also produces superstars such as Yun-Fat Chow who became a worldwide popularity star due to his cool performance. However, as the development of the modernization, directors pay attention to these women who are economic independence and autonomy character in order to appealing audience taste of female onscreen.

During those times when I have lost hope Essay

I cannot imagine life without Christina. In fact, I cannot remember a time in my life when she was not there with me or for me. More than best friends, we are like sisters. We shop together and we talk about everything and anything. And just like sisters, we too have our own fair share of misunderstandings and arguments but in the end, it is our bond of friendship that makes us kiss and make up. Christina was not my best friend when I was younger. In fact, we did not like each other. She was the type who was always hanging around with the cooler girls in school while I was the one who was always hanging around with the guys. So she was the princess and I was the tomboy. We could hardly look at each other because our crowds were of two completely different worlds. But an unfortunate event happened that made us talk to each other. You see, Christina and I were neighbors. And on that fateful rainy spring day, I got locked out of my house while my parents were out of town for a conference. I had to knock on the door of Christina’s house and her family let me stay until my parents got home. It was then that we realized that we were not really that different from each other. We liked the same movies and the same kind of music. From then on, we started hanging out in school and after school. Christina is a very optimistic person, the complete opposite of how I am. I always see the worse in things while she always saw the sunshine after the rain. During the lowest times of my life, she was there to cheer me up and always reminded me that there is no problem big enough that cannot be solved. She always told me that the problems that come my way are just challenges in life that I must overcome to become a stronger and more mature person. During those times when I have lost hope, her hug or simple pat on the shoulder would make everything alright because she makes me feel that I do not have to go through life alone. It is from Christina that I have learned that there is something good in every person and in every thing. I must admit that I am a very judgmental person but Christina has influenced me to be more open minded about how I perceive the people I meet and the things that I encounter. She would constantly tell me the cliche don’t judge a book by its cover and I would just laugh her off. But then she would remind me of the circumstances on how we started becoming friends. And she’s right that by her appearance alone, I will choose not to be friends with her. But she is also correct that since I took time to get to know her, I learned that her appearance alone does not define her entire being. Now, I am very careful with how I interact with people and that before I dismiss them and not want anything to do with them, I try to talk to them first and get to know a little bit of them to see if we have things in common. Another good thing that I have learned from Christina is how to take a break from school and all the other stressful extra-curricular activities that I have. I come from a very demanding family when it comes to school and my parents do not realize how much pressure they put on me to do well in school. So there are times when I would be awake for days, trying to prepare for an exam or a paper and would miss out on parties and shopping with friends. Christina taught me the importance of balance in life. For one, she is the type of student who can go to a party every weekend and yet still manage to get those A’s in school. She constantly reminds me that rest is important and that there is no use in studying all the time if I would be too tired or weary to take the exams. I have learned that there is a time for everything and that balance is essential to keep myself sane. But by far, the most important thing that Christina has taught me is how to love myself. My insecurities are like little battles for me everyday. When my boyfriend broke up with me for a girl who looked like a supermodel, all my insecurities started to envelope me. I started hating and doubting myself. There came a point when I found nothing good about myself and started wasting my life away. But Christina was there to pick me up and to shake some sense into my head. She, with some other friends, talked to me through some sort of intervention and told me all the good things that they see in me. They pounded in my head that unless and until I start seeing the good in myself, I will never be able to offer what I have to other people; and that if I didn’t believe in myself, then other people will start losing their faith in me as well. It was not easy to bounce back into the life I used to have: the more focused and idealistic me. But I am grateful that Christina was with me every step of the way, helping me collect the pieces of my life and putting them back together, as if completing a puzzle. Differences brought me and Christina together as friends. And it is differences that continue to bind us. I no longer consider Christina as my best friend but as my sister, someone that has shaped my life and continues to shape my life for the better. I just wish that someday I can give back to her everything that she has done for me as my way of saying how grateful I am that she is a part of my life.

Why was there a revolution in March 1917?

Russia was a very backward country compared with the other European countries. There were few factories before 1890 and there had been little industrial development in Russia. By 1990, however, many peasants were leaving the countryside to work in the towns and industry made twice as much in 1990 as in 1890. This meant that towns like Moscow and StPetersburg grew up quickly. In these towns grew slums where the working class, that had previously not existed at all, lived. The increased population of the towns meant there was more pressure on Russia's farmers to produce more food, which could not be done with the medieval farming methods still in use. In other words Russia was in the middle of an industrial revolution when the Tsar was forced to abdicate in 1917. All other European countries had been through the same process, but without such a drastic side effect. Whereas in England and France the government had changed to accommodate the needs of the new social order, in Russia these changes had been used as an excuse to get rid of the Tsar. Therefore, it was largely the Tsar's inadequacy as a ruler and the mistakes he made that led to a revolution in 1917. Tsar Nicholas was not a strong ruler and was out of touch with the needs and realities of his country. He himself was extremely wealthy and surrounded by only the good things in life, and associated only with the aristocracy. He ruled as an autocrat, unaided by any parliament. Nicholas succeeded in keeping power by the secret police, the Okhrana, military power and censorship of the press. Nicholas believed he was chosen by God. Influenced by one of his ministers, Pobedonostev, he forced the Russian Orthodox religion on other ethnic groups, especially the Jews, and on the people in schools, the army and work places. This made him even more unpopular than before, with his use of terror to oppress his people. In 1905, there was nearly another revolution. The causes of that demonstrated the bad feeling against the Tsar, as did the number of anti-government publications when censorship was relaxed in 1903, and the strikes and demands when the Tsar tried to set up government-approved unions. In 1904 Tsar Nicholas tried to unite his country by going to war with Japan over parts of the crumbling Chinese Empire. This led to many humiliating defeats and a display of Russian incompetence in organisation. This further increased the bad feeling towards the Tsar. All these, coupled with failed harvests and low wages, resulted in a peaceful protest on 22 January 1905, which was led by Father Gapon. Father Gapon organised a strike and a petition that requested better working conditions, an elected parliament and an end to war. He marched with the workers to present the petition to the Tsar at the winter palace, not knowing that he had left the day before. When they arrived at the palace, the soldiers turned on the crowd and started firing. That day became known as ‘Bloody Sunday'. In the same year, the Tsar's uncle was shot, there was an increase in peasant riots, there was mutiny on the battleship Potemkin, printers went on strike and there was a general strike where practically everything closed down towards the end of the year. Tsar Nicholas survived the events of 1905 because then and afterwards the army supported him, and made sure that by March 1906 all revolution was crushed and its leaders were either dead, exiled or in hiding. Nicholas was lucky in that the great massof peasants blamed the land owners and not himself, and that censorship of the newspapers was still in place. He also protected himself by agreeing to the October Manifesto. This was a list of promises given by the Tsar that was drawn up by Witte. Included in it were promises for a Duma or parliament elected by the people, civil rights, uncensored press and the right to form political parties. This was successful in taking pressure off the Tsar and secured the middle class's support of the government. It did not, however, satisfy the revolutionaries and later on it appeared that they were right in regarding the Manifesto with suspicion. Although there was freedom of expression, newspapers were fined if they printed anything offending the Tsar, and the Duma was so limited that it was virtually ineffective. In it the proletariat and the peasants were highly under-represented. Even so the Tsar failed to accept it as a governing body and it was only by the time of the fourth Duma that he begun to work with it. After 1905, life did begin to change in Russia and a key figure responsible for these changes was Stolypin, the Prime Minister appointed by the Tsar. He used the army to exert the Tsar's power in the countryside by setting up military courts that could sentence and hang a person on the spot. The hangman's noose became known as Stolypin's necktie. The terror this caused was heightened by the still-active Okhrana that had many informers. People were required to carry internal passports and travellers to register with the police of the area they were staying in. In 1911, Stolypin affected changes in the countryside to make agriculture more productive. Peasants could buy land from their neighbours with money borrowed from a peasant's bank set up by Stolypin. The aim in this was to create a wealthy class of peasants loyal to the government, kulaks. 15% took up this offer and Stolypin's theory appeared to have worked with record harvests in 1913. The poorer peasants became labourers or factory workers. Four million were encouraged to cultivate land along the Trans-Siberian railway but found that it was already taken by rich land speculators. They then returned, angry, to European Russia. In the towns there was an industrial boom that meant production increased by 100% between 1906 and 1914. The workers, however, did not benefit from this increase with the average wage being under what it was in 1903. In 1912, an important strike took place in the Lena goldfields in Siberia that led to 170 dead workers and 375 wounded. This had a similar effect to Bloody Sunday and gave way to many workers' protests. These changes affected some, even if very little, improvements in Russia and would have led to more had had they not been interrupted by the First World War. The war meant that the fourth Duma had to be dismissed, just when the Tsar had begun accepting it. However, at first the war seemed good for Russia; initially there were successes and the people supported the Tsar but even at first the similarities to the Russo-Japanese war were obvious, except that the effects would be far worse as it would be a far longer war, giving the Tsar more time to make mistakes. The early enthusiasm for the war dwindled quickly as losses mounted high. The soldiers went to the front without proper warfare or equipment as basic as boots for the cold and wet. They blamed their officers for their ill organisation. Life was hard in the towns also. There was little food and what there was, was sent to the soldiers but often did not get to them. People were starving in the cities and there were huge bread queues. Prices went up as there was a shortage of nearly everything but the workers' wages did not. Coal was unavailable and as the factories closed. People were hungry, cold and unemployed. Morale also dropped as stories from the front told of misery and defeat. In September 1915 Tsar Nicholas made a great mistake by taking over the running of the war. This was such a massive error because the people now blamed him for the suffering brought about by the war. It also meant that he left Russia in the hands of Rasputin and Alexandra. The Tsarina was not popular as she was thought to be a German spy and Rasputin was infamous fir his behaviour. Together they replaced the able ministers of the Duma with favourites or men that would do as they were told. The Tsar lost support continually until March 1917 as he was held responsible for the war and things it had caused. By March 1917 the proletariat did not only want their physical needs satisfied but they also wanted political change. On the seventh forty thousand workers from the Putilov engineering works went on strike in Petrograd. The next day they were joined in their demonstrations by thousands of women. Over the next few days men and women demanded food, fuel and better conditions together. On the twelfth soldiers joined the strikers and marched with them to the Duma. Instead of shooting at the crowds, they shot at their officers. The Tsar had lost the support of the army. The Tsar could not survive revolution this time. He had lost the support of the army that had been very important to him in keeping control by suppressing any opposition. Underneath him the people had always been divided into different political factions but this time only a portion of the aristocracy supported him. On 15 March, the railway workers did not allow the Tsar's train into Petrograd. Certain army officials entered the Tsar's compartment to ask him to abdicate but the Tsar had already decided to do this in favour of his brother as his son's medical condition meant that there would be added difficulty to his ruling. However, Russia had had enough of the Tsars. Some people think that abdication was the biggest mistake of all as it meant certain ruination for the Romanovs. The 1917 revolution was the result of a combination of factors. In the short term, the First World War was an important cause, but there was a growing dissatisfaction with the Tsarist regime and the economic and social hardships it caused, that nearly boiled over in 1905. Everything that ever happened or did not happen in Russia could be shown as a reason for it but what made it so significant was what happened after the overthrowing of the Tsar with the Provisional Government and Lenin.

Aspects Of The English ( Anglo American ) And Spanish...

Name: Instructor: Course: Date: Aspects of the English ( Anglo-American) Spanish societies that arose in the Americas prior to 1790 Introduction The Europeans have contributed much to United States development from time immemorial. The north of America was colonized by Europeans. Their culture, social ideas, and language were common to those of North American. Consequently, European influence pre dominated their territories situated on the North despite losing their control politically. Civilization in America began between fifteen to forty years ago. By then the northern land was occupied by huge sheets of ice, which lowered the levels of sea leading to the bridging of North America and Asia (Gellman). Nomads from Asia made the way into America as they followed wild game. The arrow point found in Clovis evidenced their emergence. Burial practices and tools had been found in several sites in South and across North America. With time, a big number of the settlers engaged themselves into agricultural activities forming communities and tribes leading to the emergence of their own distinct languages. Tribes dominated large areas of America, which gained regional value thus leading to rise of highly of advanced empires. These empires instigated rivalry to the great empires, which were in Europe. These people never had a unified identity hence arose difficulties in their reference by historians. Initially, Europeans referred to the natives as Indians. Christopher ColumbusShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Americo Paredes Georege Washington Gomez Essay1720 Words   |  7 Pagesfictional, Paredes revealed an accurate depiction of the area in his novel, with aspects that have reverberated to today. As a Border City, El Paso, Texas, like Brownsville, had historical influences on both Mexico and the United States (Overmyer-Velà ¡zquez 8). 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