World cinema asian

3
Asian Cinema
(Eastern Cinema)
Covering,
– East Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan),
– Southeast Asia (Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia),
– Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
and Uzbekistan)
– West Asia (Iran, Arab, Turkish).
– South Asia (India)

*
*East Asian cinema produced in East Asia (China, Hong Kong and
Japan, Taiwan and South Korea.
*It is part of Asian cinema.
*Other countries include Mongolia,
Vietnam, Singapore, North Korea and Macau.
*The largest markets in East Asia are China, Japan and South
Korea.

CHINESE CINEMA
Chinese
Cinematic History

Beginnings
Cinema was introduced in China on August 11, 1896.
The Battle of Dingjunshan
 The first Chinese film, was made in 1905
 Directed by Ren Jingfeng.
 Made by Beijing's Fengtai Photography.
 based on an episode in Luo Guanzhong's historical
novel Romance of theThree Kingdoms.
 translated as Conquering theJun Mountain.
 a recording of a Beijing opera performance of the Battle of
Mount Dingjun and constitutes the first Chinese film ever
made.
 The only print was destroyed in a fire in the late 1940s.
ActorTan Xinpei in The
Battle of Dingjunshan, 1905

A Couple in Difficulty
 The country’s first feature film was “Nanfu, Nanqi” (A Couple in
Difficulty), with funding and distribution by the Asia Film
Company, and actual filming done by the Xinmin (New People)
Company.
 The script was written by Zheng Zhengqiu, and co-directed
by him and Zhang Shichuan.
 The actors were all from the theatre, and in keeping with the
prevailing theatrical custom of the day that men and women not
appear together on stage, all the actors were men.
 This film is now lost.
1930s, considered the first “Golden period" of Chinese cinema.

ZHUANG ZI TESTS HIS WIFE (1913)
In 1913, Yan shanshan founded the Hong Kong Meihua Film
Company with Li Minwei, the "Father of Hong Kong Cinema“
and the director of Zhuang Zi Tests His Wife.

 They were married on January 7, 1914. That same year, they filmed the
movie, Zhuang Zi Tests his Wife.
 Li played the role of Zhuang's wife and Yan Shanshan, who played the
role of the servant girl, became the first Chinese movie actress.
 It was significant because the tradition of feudalism was strong in China.
 So Yan’s role was a breakthrough for Chinese movies and Chinese
females.
 After that, Yan starred in The God of Peace(1926), Five Revengeful
Girls(1928), and Reviving Romance(1928), which were all produced by
Shanghai Minxin Film Company.
 She stopped acting in 1928 and she passed away in 1952 at the age of
56.
ABOUT

 Zhuang Zi Tests His Wife was adapted from a scene in a Cantonese opera,
Zhuang Zi's Dream of a Butterfly.
 The story goes, soon after Zhuang Zi dies, his wife finds a new lover.
 He is testing his wife to see if she is loyal to him.
 The role of Zhuang Zi was played by Li Beihai and Li Minwei played the role
Zhuang Zi's wife.
 Special effects were employed in Zhuang Zi Tests His Wife to make Zhuang
Zi's ghost appear. It was also the first time that special effects were used.
Zhuang Zi Tests His Wife was important for two reasons. One, it was the first
movie that was shown abroad, and two, it was the first time a female actress
appeared in a Chinese movie.
PLOT

 This is the first full-length film made in China
 Directed by Reng Pengnian and starring Shao Peng, A nameless,
real-life prostitute.
 This film is a documentary-type drama
depicting the sensational real-life murder
of a prominent Shanghai call girl by a
Shanghai businessman and his two
accomplices.
 The director made the film for a very small amount of money,
using amateur actors and a former call-girl.
 The film played in a theatre in Shanghai that was generally used
for first-run international movies.
Yan Ruisheng - 1921

Laborer's Love
 Laborer's Love is a 1922 short film (Silent) produced in China,
and premiered October 5, 1922 at the Olympic Theater in
Shanghai.
 It is also known as Romance of a Fruit Peddler and as "Cheng
the Fruit Seller".
 Productions by Mingxing Film Company, directed and written by
Mingxing co-founders Zhang Shichuan and Zheng Zhengqiu,
respectively.

Plot
 An unemployed carpenter finds temporary work selling
fruit from a pushcart.
 He meets and falls for a doctor's daughter, but her
father opposes the relationship due to the young man's
humble station, but he will approve a suitor who helps
to rescue his failing medical practice.
 The carpenter restructures the staircase to a gambling
club outside the doctor's office so that it collapses
whenever anyone walks on it.
 The resulting number of injured seeking treatment so
increases the doctor's income that he gladly accepts
the carpenter as his son-in-law.

 It is full-length feature Silent film in 1923 with the production
of "An Orphan Rescues His Grandfather"
 Director : Zhang Shichuan
 Screenplay : Zheng Zheng
 This is a story of an orphan who rescues his grandfather from his
own folly.
An Orphan Rescues his Grandfather

 The plot begins with a middle-aged man, Yang Shouchang, who
is happily married and has a son who is married.
 But tragedy strikes and his son has an accidental death.
 His son’s wife is pregnant, but an evil nephew convinces Yang
that the woman’s child is someone else’s.
 Yang then banishes her from the house and allows his nephew to
be the executor of his will.
 Eventually, the banished wife bears a son and he grows to be an
intelligent boy.
PLOT

 Meanwhile, the aging Yang sees his fortune being wasted by
his nephew, but builds a school for underprivileged children
with some of the remaining money.
 After the school is built, his grandson, unbeknownst to him,
attends the school and impresses him with his intelligence.
 Meanwhile, the nephew plots to kill Yang and take the rest of
the family money.
 But the plot is discovered by the young boy who tells Yang.
 Yang then kills his nephew in a confrontation.
 Before dying, the nephew tells Yang the truth and Yang
reunites with his daughter-in-law and grandson.

Legend of the White Snake
 Bai She Zhuan (1926) (Legend of the White Snake)
alternate title: Yi Chuan Bai She Zhuan (1926) (Legend of
the Demon White Snake)
 Silent.
 Direction: Shao Zuiweng.
 Screenplay: Shao Shanke.
 Cinematography: Xu Shaoyu.
 Cast: Hu Die, Wu Suxin,
 Jin Yuru, Wei Pengfei, Wang Wukong.

 The legend of the White Snake and the Green Snake emerged
from oral traditions, then in print, and in the modern era has
been related numerous times through operas, stage plays, films
and TV.
 Of the several motion picture versions the most widely known
and popular has probably been the 1993 Hong Kong production
Green Snake.
 Directed by Tsui Hark and co-starring Maggie Cheung and Joey
Wong.

PLOT
 In this 1926 release, the first motion picture treatment of the
legend. What is known is that Hu Die played the White Snake,
who transforms herself into a woman and falls in love with a
human.
 Early martial arts star Wu Suxin was the Green Snake, the White
Snake's friend and protector, who unfortunately also has a knack
for creating chaos.

SING-SONG GIRL RED PEONY
• China’s First “talkie” movie,
• Using the sound-on-disc technology, was made in 1931.
• Directed by Zhang Shichuan, screenwriter by Hong Shen.

OTHER SILENT FILMS
• Cheng Bugao's Spring Silkworms (1933),
• Wu Yonggang’s The Goddess (1934).
• Cai Chusheng’s Song of the Fishermen (1934)
• Cai Chusheng’s New Women (1935) translated
as New Woman.
• Sun Yu's The Big Road (1935).

CROSSROADS (1937 FILM)
Crossroads is a 1937 Chinese seriocomedy film
directed by Shen Xiling, starring Bai Yang and Zhao Dan

PLOT
 The film is set in Shanghai in 1937. Four young men, freshly graduated
are unemployed.
 Xu even thinks of suicide but his roommate, Zhao (played by Zhao Dan,
famous actor), convinces him to go back to his family instead.
 Liu decides to join the Communists and fight the Japanese in the North.
 Only Zhao and Tang, both dreamers (one wants to be a writer, the other
one a sculptor), prefer to stay in Shanghai, and both manage to find a
job.
 Meanwhile a new tenant, a young woman, Yang, who got a job at the
factory, arrives next to Zhao's place, they cross each other often at the
trolley station but they don't know they are neighbours....

• The film industry continued to develop after 1945.
• Classics Film such as
• Spring River Flows Eastward (1947) by Cai Chusheng and Zheng
Junli,
• Crow and Sparrow (1949) by Chen Baichen and Zheng Junli
• Light of Million Hopes(1948) by Shen Fu.
• These films had high artistic value in screenplay writing, directing,
performance, cinematography, music, art design and other aspects.
Filmmaking developed more quickly in the 1940s than it had in the
1930s.

• the government saw motion pictures as an important
mass production art form and propaganda.
• The number of movie-viewers increased sharply, from 47
million in 1949 to 4.15 billion in 1959.
• In 1956, the Beijing Film Academy was opened.
• The first wide-screen Chinese film was produced in 1960.

• American-born Chinese
martial artist, instructor,
actor and founder of the
Jeet Kune Do martial arts
system.
• one of the most influential
and famous martial artists
of all time.
• widely known as the
greatest icon of martial
arts cinema and a key
figure of modern popular
culture

• Bruce Lee (November 27,
1940 – July 20, 1973) was a
• Hong Kong American martial artist,
• Hong Kong action film actor,
• martial arts instructor,filmmaker, and
• the founder of Jeet Kune Do.
Bruce Lee (Lee Jun-
fan)
Bruce Lee as a
Baby Jeet Kune Do
emblem

• 1971The Big Boss
• 1972Fist of Fury
• 1972Way of the Dragon
• 1973Enter the Dragon
• 1979Game of Death

Jackie Chan - 成龙 Chéng Lóng
 Chinese martial artist,
actor, director, producer,
stuntman and singer.
 one of the most well-
known names in Kung fu
and action movies
worldwide, known for his
acrobatic fighting style,
comic timing, and use of
props including furniture
and other set pieces as
improvised weapons.
 very popular and
successful singer

 2006Rob-B-Hood (寶貝計劃 )
 2005The Myth (神話)
 2004New Police Story (新警察故事)
 Twins Effect II (千機變 II - 花都大戰)
 Around the World in 80 Days
 2003The Medallion
 The Twins Effect (千機變)
 Shanghai Knights
 2002The Tuxedo
 2001Rush Hour 2
 The Accidental Spy (特務迷城)
 2000Jackie Chan Adventures
 Shanghai Noon

 1999 King of Comedy (喜劇之王)
Gorgeous (玻璃樽)
Who Am I? (我是誰)
 1998 Rush Hour
 1997 Mr. Nice Guy (一個好人)
 1996 Police Story 4: First Strike (警察故事IV之簡單任務)
Rumble in the Bronx
 1995 Thunderbolt (霹靂火)
 1994 Drunken Master II (醉拳II)
 1993 Once a Cop (aka Project S)
Crime Story (重案組)
City Hunter (城市獵人)
 1992 Police Story 3 (警察故事III超級警察)
The Twin Dragons (雙龍會)
 1991 A Kid from Tibet (西藏小子)
 Armour of God II: Operation Condor (飛鷹計劃)
 1990 Island of Fire (aka "The Prisoner") (火燒島)

JET LI - 李连杰 - LǏ LIÁNJIÉ
• won fifteen gold medals and
one silver medal in Chinese
wushu (martial art sport)
championships
• his sports winnings led to a
career as a martial arts film
star, beginning in mainland
China and then continuing into
Hong Kong. Then in the U.S.
• beginning with role as the lead
villain in Lethal Weapon 4,
first leading role in a
Hollywood movie was in
Romeo Must Die.

SOME OF HIS FAMOUS CHINESE FILMS
• The Shaolin Temple series (1, 2 and 3), which are
considered to be the films which sparked the rebirth
of the real Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, China;
• The Once Upon a Time in China series (Chinese
title: Wong Fei Hung), about the legendary Chinese
folk hero;
• Fist of Legend (Chinese title: Jing Wu Ying Xiong), a
remake of Bruce Lee's Fist of Fury (Jing Wu Men in
Chinese, named after the martial arts school);
• The Fong Sai-Yuk films, about another Chinese folk
hero. As one might expect from a martial artist of his
caliber, he performs most of his own stunts.

• 2006 Rogue
Fearless
• 2005 Unleashed/Danny the Dog
• 2003 Cradle 2 the Grave
• 2002 Hero
• 2001 The One
Kiss of the Dragon
• 2000 Romeo Must Die
• 1998 Lethal Weapon 4
Hitman
• 1997 Once Upon a Time in China VI
• 1996 Black Mask
Dr. Wai and the Scripture Without Words
(冒險王 Mo him wong)
• 1995 Meltdown
My Father is a Hero
• 1994 The Bodyguard from Beijing
(中南海保鑣 Zhong Nan Hai bao biao)
Fist of Legend
Legend of the Red Dragon

• 1993 Fong Sai-Yuk II; Fong Sai-Yuk
The Kung Fu Cult Master
(倚天屠龍記之魔教教主 Yi tian tu long ji zhi
mo jiao jiao zhu)
• Last Hero in China
(黃飛鴻之鐵雞斗蜈蚣 Wong Fei-hung chi tit gai
dau neung gung)
• Tai Chi Master
• Once Upon a Time in China III
• 1992 Once Upon a Time in China II
• 1991 Once Upon a Time in China
• Swordsman II
• 1989 The Master
• 1988 Dragon Fight
• (龍在天涯 Long zai tian ya)
• 1986 Born to Defense
• Shaolin Temple 3: Martial Arts of
Shaolin(南北少林 Nan bei Shao Lin)
• 1983Shaolin Temple 2: Kids from Shaolin(少
林小子 Shao Lin xiao zi)
• 1982Shaolin Temple

CHINESE DRAMA DIRECTORS
Zhang Yimou - 张艺谋 Chen Kaige – 陈凯歌 Jia Zhangke - 贾樟柯
Jiang Wen – 姜文 Zhang Yuan – 张元 Wang Xiaoshuai – 王小帅

ZHĀNG YÌMÓU (张艺谋)
 internationally acclaimed Chinese
filmmaker and cinematographer
 Zhang's first work, One and Eight
(as director of photography), was
made in 1984
 collaborated with Chen Kaige to
photograph one of the defining
Chinese films of the 1980s, Yellow
Earth (1984)
 in 1986, cinematographer and actor
— a role in Old Well that won him
Best Actor at the Tokyo
International Film Festival.

 directorial debut
 stars Gong Li and Jiang Wen.
 The cinematography (DP Gu Changwei)
use of rich, intense colors, giving the
film a strong visual impact.
 "Red Sorghum" garnered international
acclaim for Zhang and eventually won
the Golden Bear for Best Picture at the
1988 Berlin Film Festival.
RED SORGHUM- 红高粱 -
HÓNG GĀOLIÁNG-1987
Starring:
Cinematography:

Starring:
 Starring Gong Li & Li Baotian
 an early example of Zhang's unique use of
colors and lush cinematography.
 the first entry in Chinese cinema to be
nominated for an Academy Award for Best
Foreign Language Film.
 is set in the 1920s, tells the story of a
wealthy old textile man who marries a
juicy young bride and hires a desperate
young nephew and enslaves both of them
with his cruel will.
JÚ DÒU – 菊豆- 1991

 Nominated for an Academy Award for
Best Foreign Language Film in 1992
 noted for its opulent visuals and
sumptuous use of colors.
 shot in Qiao's Compound in the ancient
city of Pingyao, in Shanxi Province
 officials fearing that the story would
be taken as an allegory against
Chinese communist authoritarianism.
was initially banned from theatrical
release in China.
RAISE THE RED LANTERN -1992

THE STORY OF QIU JU- 1992
 won the Golden Lion for Best
Picture at the 1992 Venice
International Film Festival.
 It tells of a peasant woman, Qiu
Ju, who lives in a rural area of
China and whose husband
suffers a slight (a kick in the
groin) at the hands of the village
head. She then travels to a big
city despite her pregnancy but
has to deal with its bureaucrats
in order to find justice.

 Starring: 葛优 Gě Yōu
 based on the novel of the same name
written by Yu Hua.
 To Live featured an epic framework about
the resilience of the ordinary Chinese
folks, personified by its two leads,
amidst three generations of historical
upheavals throughout Chinese politics of
the 20th century.
 banned in Mainland China at the time
due to its satirical portrayal of various
policies and campaigns of the
communist government. It won the Grand
Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival as
well as the Best Actor Award for Ge You.
TO LIVE - 活着 –
HUOZHE - 1994
• Writer: Yu Hua

• Shanghai Triad (摇啊摇，摇到外婆桥- yao a yao, yao dao
waipo qiao 1995)
• gangster drama
• The film is set in the criminal underworld of 1930s
Shanghai
• Keep Cool (有话好好说 – you hua haohao shuo 1997)
• a small-scale film about life in modern China
• Starring by Jiang Wen
• about a young bookseller in 1990s China, marked a move
away from earlier period pictures of Zhang's earlier work to a
more realistic or documentary period
• Not One Less (一个都不能少-Yī gè dōu bù néng shǎo 1999)
•Made in the neorealist/documentary-drama style
• won 10 international film award including awards at, São
Paulo International Film Festival and the Venice Film Festival
(including the Golden Lion award for Best Picture).
• using a troupe of non-professional actors

• The Road Home (我的父亲母亲; Literal translation: "My Father
and Mother")
• featuring Zhang Ziyi, is a simple throw-back narrative centering
around a love story between an unidentified narrator's parents.
• nominated for and won several prestigious international film
awards at the Sundance Film Festival, Berlin International Film
Festival
• Happy Times (幸福时光 Xìngfú Shíguāng; 2000)
• relatively minor film by Zhang, represented his second foray
into modern Chinese city life
•an official selection for the Berlin International Film Festival in
2002.
• Hero (英雄 Yīng Xióng) 2002
•Chinese martial arts, drama and adventure film
•his first foray into the historical fiction genre
•a huge international hit. one of the few foreign-language films to
debut at #1 at the U.S. box office, and was one of the nominees
for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2003 Academy Awards.

• House of Flying Daggers (十面埋伏 shí miàn mái fú) 2004
• more of a love story than a typical martial arts film.
•Use of strong colors again is a signature of Zhang in this
movie
•the film and its director were fairly heavily criticized locally in
China. Many Chinese critics felt that the film lacked a strong
storyline or message, that the dialogue was poor, and that
Zhang was simply trying to appeal to Western audiences with
heavily choreographed fight scenes and extensive use of
computer-generated imagery.
• Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles ( 千里走单骑 qiān lǐ
zǒu dān qí) 2005
• starring Japanese actor, Takakura Ken
• return to the more low-key drama that characterized much
of Zhang's earlier pieces.
• The film stars legendary Japanese actor Ken Takakura,
who wishes to repair relations with his alienated son,
eventually led by circumstance to set out on a journey to
China.

Chén Kǎigē - 陈凯歌
• His films are known for their visual flair and
epic storytelling.
• first movie, Yellow Earth (1984), is one of
his most famous and important works
• His most famous film in the West, Farewell
My Concubine (1993)
• n 2002, Chen made his first, and to-date
only English-language film, Killing Me
Softly, a thriller starring Heather Graham
and Joseph Fiennes

Chén Kǎigē Movies
• Farewell My Concubine
(1993)
•nominated for two
Academy Awards and
winner of the Palme d'Or
at Cannes Film Festival
Temptress Moon
(1996)
• Together (2002)
• about a young
violinist and his
father
•The Emperor and
the Assassin 1999
• Technical Prize at
the Cannes film
festival in 1999

Jiāng Wén - 姜文
Native of Beijing in New York
 Chinese film actor and director
 Jiang became renowned in China for his
starring role in the 1992 TV series A
Native of Beijing in New York, which
made him one of the well-loved actors
of his generation.
 Jiang wrote and directed his first film in
1994, In the Heat of the Sun, adapted
from a novel by Wang Shuo.
Wang Shuo

Jiang Wen Starring Movies
Red Sorghum Hibiscus Town
Green Tea
Warriors of Heaven & Earth
Devils on the Doorstep
The Missing Gun

Jiang Wen Directing Movies
 In The Heat Of The Sun
 adapted from a novel by Wang Shuo. A
tale set in the Cultural Revolution
 won the Venice International Film
Festival's Best Actor prize for its young
lead actor Xia Yu as well as the Golden
Horse Film Awards for Best Picture and
Best Director.
Starring Xia Yu

Jiang Wen - Devils on the Doorstep
 set during the Japanese occupation
of China in the early 1940s
 won the Grand Prix in the 2000
Cannes Film Festival.

ZHANG YUAN 张元
• Little Red Flower (看上去很美 2006)
• Green Tea (绿茶, Lü cha (2003)
• I Love You (我爱你, Wo ai ni) (2003)
• Seventeen Years (过年回家, Guo nian hui jia) (1999)
• Crazy English (疯狂英语, Fengkuang yingyu) (1999)
• East Palace, West Palace (东宫西宫, Dong gong xi gong)
(1996)
• Danish Girls Show Everything (Danske piger viser alt) (1996)
• Sons (儿子, Erzi) (1996)
• The Square (广场, Guang Chang) (1994)
• Beijing Bastards (北京杂种, Beijing za zhong) (1993)
• Mum (妈妈, Mama) (1992)

JIǍ ZHĀNGKĒ -賈樟柯
• 2006 - Still Life (Sanxia haoren)
(三峡好人) (Winner of the Golden
Lion Award at the 63rd Mostra of
Venice)
• 2004 - The World (Shijie) (世界)
• 2002 - Unknown Pleasures (Ren
xiao yao) (任逍遙)
• 2001 - In Public
• 2000 - Platform (Zhantai) (站台)
• 1997 - Xiao Wu (小武)
• 1996 - Dudu
• 1995 - Xiao Shan hui jia
• 1994 - Zai Beijingde yi tian
His films treat themes of alienated youth,
contemporary Chinese history and globalization, as
well as his signature usage of the long-take, colorful
digital video and his minimalist/realist style.

Other Directors
• Wang Xiaoshuai (王小帅)
• Beijing Bicycle (2001)
• LU Xuechang (路学长）
Kala.My Dog (卡拉是条狗)
Lou Ye (娄烨)
Suzhou River (苏州河)
陆川 (Chuan Lu)
Kekexili: Mountain Patrol
Guan Hu ( 管虎） Dirt
(头发乱了)

Chinese Comedy Direct –
Féng Xiǎogāng 冯小刚
0 Banquet aka Ye Yan (2006)
0 A World without Thieves aka Tian Xia
Wu Zei (天下无贼) (2004)
0 Cell Phone aka Shou Ji (手机) (2003)
0 Big Shot's Funeral aka Da Wan (大腕
) (2001)
0 A Sigh aka Yi Sheng Tan Xi (一声
叹息) (2000)
0 Sorry Baby aka Mei Wan Mei Liao (没
完没了) (1999)
0 Be There or Be Square aka Bu Jian Bu
San (不见不散) (1998)
0 Dream Factory aka Jia Fang Yi Fang (
甲方乙方) (1997)
0 Lost My Love aka Yong Shi Wo Ai (永
失我爱) (1994)
Big Shot's Funeral

Lost My Love
Dream Factory
Be There or Be Square
Sorry BabyA Sigh

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