Beijing bicycle in the light of contemporary theories on space/place
The severe verticality of those skyscrapers, glass pyramids and high rises of modernists icons represents a striking contrast to the styles of old city
Economic, globalization and urbanization have fundamentally changed topographic and social spaces in contemporary urban China.
“Urban topography” –glamorous public spaces, glittering global sites, and luxurious apartments along the shadowy street corners of gray profession “Hutong”
The urban experience is replacing the rural one in representing China’s identity and national experience.
The fundamental transition to urban China is best captured in contemporary Chinese fiction and film.
The city is no longer simply a passive backdrop, a stage , a setting or existential environment, but a major player, a crucial dramatic element in the drama of modernization and globalization.
Beijing, has a hundreds of years history, their contemporary urban modernization and fundamental transformation can be said to have experienced a historical compression.
The “reality” of the city or the town, urban place, is already the result of the cultural act of classification. “the notion of the city’ the city itself, is representation.
“The city constitutes an imagined environment, what is involved in that imaging—the discourses, symbols, metaphors, and fantasies.”
A place is a locale invested with human meanings and actions “meaningful location” it is specifically located. Place has gained importance in the theory of human geography as the locale for the forming community, personal or national identity and negotiating diverse economic, social and global forces.
Space is understood as bother being produced by socioeconomic forces and cultural practices, and producing politics, knowledge and social power and social relations. Space is a social product.
While watching this film for the first time, I just started to cry…I cried a lot… every time I watch this film I break into a sobbing mess. Iʼm just happy to love a movie this much.
—Quentin Taratino
Rolling Thunder Pictures
created in 1995, but closed in 1998
set up under Miramax Films
distributed independent, cult, or foreign films to theatres.
‘uncovers the missing pieces of film story, past and present’ –Tarantino
(The Beyond, Chungking Express, Detroit 9000, Mighty Peking Man, Sonatine, Switchblade Sisters)
The Miramax Problem
–Delaying release (Shaolin Soccer–shelved for 3 years)
–Re-editing the films (Princess Mononoke)
–Baring retailers from ‘legally’ exporting authentic DVD’s of the films
—Commonly dubs the films to avoid subtitles (Anime films mostly)
Asian in Hollywood
–Production companies are combating this revolt, and export issues, by producing their own ‘asian films’
–Shifting production of ‘Asian’ away from the geographical site of Asia
–At most-Asia is a shooting location
–We must look beyond onscreen representation to undertand a film’s true identity
Different between Columbia Pictures filmProduction Asia and Dream works
Asian films can be made outside of Asia
– This is important for Asiaʼs cross-pollination (and place in the global world)
• But Asia is still tied to Asian regional identity
• Asian hubs are created inside the domestic home or places (Chinatown)
– This remains the key to reading Asia around the world
• Kung Fu Panda is about recognisable Asian symbols
– not regional identity
Fascinating transnational film
• Transnational in vision and sentiment
• Christopher Doyle (cinematographer)
– Australian
– Migrated to Hong Kong in the 1970s
– Shoots Western and Eastern films
– ʻA visionaryʼ – Wong Kar Wai
“A film is about wanting something more” -WongKar Wai
–through the movie “california dream” characters dream about another bigger world.
–seem like the Asia film. film projects its ASIAN OUTWARDLY
How the broder-crossing feeding loop is not only expanding the exhibition of “chinese elements” but also shifting the production of ‘chinese elements’ away from the geographical site of China
DreamWork’s Kung Fu Panda
–successfully to America’s computer animation tech and prototypical Hollywood narrative, the “chinese elements’ borrowed from the martial arts cinema in Hongkong.
–conjoined with the Hollywood narrative of the self-made hero (panda), perpetuate the myth of the “american dream” making it universally appealing,
–it presents a interesting phenomenon: American film-makers ‘paying tribute to ‘Chinese Kungfu’
–a manger from animation studio says ‘ Chinese film industries must undergo full-scale marketization follow Hollywood’s commercial strategy as produces like Kungfu Panda.
–‘China-born, American-raised.’–a new understanding of Chinese cinema
–the line btw the chinese and the un-chinese becomes de-essentialized. both are now used for labelling and transnational marketing purposes.
Commercial interaction : Chinese elements & American film culture
mutual benefits via three issues
–management of ‘difference ‘under economic and cultural globalziation
–the issue of authorship or agency in the structural power geometry and transnational mediascape
–the definition of Chinese cinema in the accelerated transnational feeding loop of production,exhibition and reception/consumption.
Tarantino actively introduce Asian films to the US via Miramax.
HERO
directed by Zhangyimou
zhang’s new move was facilitated by Taratino.(commercial type)
The Miramax DVD cover again like ( chunking express) creates the illusion of Taratino’s authorship by tiering the verbal info
Line 1 -Quentin Tarantino, Line 2 -presents, Line 3-Jet Li, Line 4- Hero
Zhangyimou’s name is completely missing on the cover, replaced by the Tarantino-Jet Li duo
Tarantino’s “usurpation’ of authorship is so effective that any illusion of Tarantino being involved.
ZHANGYIMOU’s commercial strategy
–combining martial arts
–pan-chinese mega-stars
–Tan Dun’s music
–Christopher Doyle’ s cinematography.
–his own reputation as a Chinese trailblazing director.
We have to consider the complicated interactions between the original authorship and Taratino’s symbolic authorship, especially in terms of how such symbolic authorship reshapes Chinese cinema in the transitional theatre.
–“viewing the compromise as necessary for accessing the US commercial market. The outstanding box office performance seemed to have vindicated Zhang’s sacrifice. (Miramax requested a 20 mind reduction to tighten the rhythm for the sake of the US commercial market. )
–All parties(including Zhang) confirmed Taratino’s “surrogate parent’ role as crucial for the film’s American release and commercial success.
–>the film needed a Tarantino-like figure to be successfully introduced to the American mass audience &Zhang was fully aware of the necessity of collaboration, despite its predication on power inequity.
Week2 Reading : Made in China, sold in United States and vive versa- transitional “Chinese” cinema between media capitals.
“Chinese” cinema as cinema made with “Chinese elements’ that are dissociated from a geographical location or national identity, and are consequently extracted, appropriated and produced by international media capital.
What make CHUNGKING EXPRESS to be famous in the western?
1. Media capital distributes (Quentin Taratino: Miramax).
Wong Kar Wai’s Chungking Express release on 1996, and was the first film distributed by Quentin Tarantino’s company, Rolling Thunder, associated with Miramax.
Quentin Taratino as “surrogate parent” his company , rolling Thunder Picture is ” a film buff’s dream to give the theatrical experience to films that might never seen in this country” he encourages America’s film-buff community to embrace.
His Actions:
–> create a new style of titling “Chuncking express” by the eye-catching bold yellow font, such graphic design creates a hierarchy in ordering the US audience’s cognition of a foreign-language film. (Quentin Tarantino–> foreign film title–> foreign director)
–>He detected the film trailers, there are two different version of the trailer.
Hongkong trailer (2.5 mins) emphasis the Hong Kong mega-star cast, the directo, the mean-street atmosphere and the postmodern aesthetic style. it strives to deliver an impression of pure mood and rhythm.
The US trailer (1.5mins) offers the narrative and the context, with the voice over, showing the “mystery and romance” it highlights Miramax and Rolling Thunder Pictures as the presenting companies, before showing the director Wong Kai Wai.
Hongkong Film trailer: the stellar cast, the director and his distinctive style. while striving to transcend geopolitical specificity an d narrative homogeneity.
The US trailer: begins with the Hongkongess or foreignness, then seeks to make it universal (legible, digestible and desirable for US audience)
2. Domestication and Foreignisation ( Wong Kai War)
What makes the ambiguous is whether the film is subtitled, dubbled or in original english. The Solution is REMOVING ALL DIALOGUES ( it gives the impression that the film is in english and also faster cutting and the establishment of the music culture in 1990s ) Wong’s MTV style (fragmented visuality, collage of international pop music, flashy stylisation and intense affectively) as demonstrated in Chungking Express, made it an ideal sample that both represented the Hongkong exotica and would potentially resonate with the America audience.
Management of domestication and foreignization ————–“surrogate Parent” figure of Quentin Tarantino (Thunder Rolling Picture) –>the film was placed in a lineage akin to the Euro-American connoisseur taste, independent of Hollywood commercial cinema, and at the same time commensurate with contemporary American cult culture.
vickiedeng 