Response for 9-28

1.What are the two dimensions of symbolic violence discussed by Teo in relation to the Election films?

Symbolic violence referring to violence containing symbols, according to law and ritual, and symbolic violence referring to violence of male domination are the two dimensions of symbolic violence discussed by Teo. The first refers to, for instance, the triads fighting over a baton, a phallic symbol, or another physical object with a symbolic meaning. The second refers to the triads as a patriarchal power which subjugates its members, men are ruled and controlled by other men in accordance to the laws of the gang.

2. While gangster/triad films are an internationally comprehended genre, why does Teo argue that the Election films present a distinct localized version of the genre? What are some of the parallels and contrasts between the fictional world of the Wo Sing Society and the politics and history of Hong Kong as a whole? Specifically, how have general elections worked in Hong Kong since the 1997 transition?

To’s films portray the triads in confrontation with each other and the police. In Election, the triads elect a new leader and violence erupts once more. In the 1997 transfer of power, many triads were uncertain of their future in a new unified Hong Kong – China. China doesn’t want democracy in Hong Kong, and the democracy inside the Wo Sing Society is a false one.

3. Why does Teo argue that Election 2 is the more political of the two films? In what way does it comment on socio-economic changes since the 1997 transition to Chinese rule? In what ways does Election 2 draw parallels and contrasts between the mainland Chinese government and the Wo Sing Society?

It directly shows the conflict between the Chinese government and the Hong Kong triads. It shows a democracy, of sorts, in a Communist leaning society. In addition the struggle of triad interests versus Chinese interests. A parallel, however, can be drawn between the triad elections and Hong Kong elections in that the triad leader is chosen by a closed cabal of high ranking individuals similar to how Hong Kong’s chief executive is chosen.

4. Here’s another attempt to tackle Walter Benjamin’s concept of mythical violence. Earlier in the book, Teo describes mythical violence as “a meta-critique—a form of violence that critiques the violence in our midst.” (p. 8). If this is the case, then what is the commentary in the Election films on the violence of the triads and modern urban environments?

It critiques the struggle of power and desire for stability with an unknown future.

5. What is the distinction between “yin” violence and “yang” violence, and how does Teo use this distinction to suggest why the Election films stray from genre conventions? How does this distinction help convey the political message of the film?

Yin violence is a “feminine” violence that is devious, clumsy, and confused. Yang violence is a “masculine” violence that is sober and clean. Election uses yin violence, men using a feminine approach to violent acts. The violence is messy. Swords are used as opposed to the traditional gun in action genre films.

Response for 9-21

3. What are some of the factors contributing to the so called “unevenness” of the films discussed in this chapter? Why does this unevenness present obstacles to discussing To as an auteur? Why does this unevenness present obstacles to discussing the films in terms of genre?

The unevenness comes from many sources. First, To co-directs many projects with another man, Wai. To’s job is to make things filmable and filmed in interesting ways, while Wai job is to write the stories and come up with the themes. The two director on a project can lead to an unevenness to the films produced.

Second, To works in multiple genres. He does not work in a set genre and often combines genres.

Because his work in uneven it is hard to judge To as an auteur because typical auteurs work in a single genre and their work is consistent. To’s films have inconsistencies and blemishes because he makes “one [film] for the people, one [film] for the critics.” He dives between the popular and high culture which adds to the inconsistency of his films.

4. Explain this tricky claim in your own words: “If we look at To’s career as a system of correlated elements, we can begin to consider inconsistency as one element in his authorial system.” Why does Teo consider inconsistency as a possible value rather than only a fault?

If there is a pattern of inconsistency then maybe it is conscious and stylistic of To’s filmmaking approach. It is just another condition of what make his films solely his own.

5. To understand Teo’s argument about To and Postmodernism, take the following small steps, and consider the relationship between your answers:

a. If genre is considered to be a social institution which leads to constraints on the author, in what ways do filmmakers (including To) “overcome structural constraints as part of a movement of postmodern cinema”? Hints: What does Teo say about generic plurality on p. 147 and sectarian modes of thought on p. 148?

Teo says there is no essentialist text at the same time there is. To’s films combine multiple forms of genre like comedy, for example, is separated into slapstick and romance in “Love on a Diet”. Sectarian modes of thought describe the values a film portrays that are typically a religious matter like charity (Christianity) or death and reincarnation (Buddhism).

b. How is the answer to a. related to the “uneven market capitalist conditions” and the history of Hong Kong in the 1990s?

There was a lot of anxiety in Hong Kong in the 90s because of the economy and the future turnover from British control to Communist China. At the same time, HK’s film industry was being influenced by outside forces. Directors had to adapt to the changing social and political conditions of the times.

c. How is the answer to a. and b. related to the claims that “postmodernism is a social theory that celebrates kitsch and camp, the bad along with the good”?

The films of postmodern directors were made to be commodities for popular consumption. Their imperfections make the films unique and interesting to a postmodern audience who finds inconsistencies and imperfections in the film a part of the film culture and art.

d. Tie all of these answers together: Why has the Hong Kong film industry and audience produced such a “broad church” definition of genre? How is this "broad church" related to Teo's claims about unevenness in the films in this chapter?

These films all fall into specific genres at the same time they fall into many genres. The films also deal in social and political subjects unique to HK. Also, they are made by directors interested in both the popular and higher film cultures. With the restrictions of film placed by genre, and the conflict of ideas of the director’s views of society and politics creating an unevenness of films, the definition of genre must expand to encompass all these related ideas.

P.S. I tried but I don't fully understand all these terms about genre.

Response for 9-16

1. Write a brief response to A Hero Never Dies.

I liked the film, especially the use of lighting. The low key light with occasional use of color like red and blue made the film dynamic and interesting.

The story line was a little strange, but made for ample opportunities for action sequences.

2. What are some of the broad characteristics of the jianghu? What genres are associated with this concept?

A jianghu is an action film driven through ideas of righteousness, loyalty, and bonding.
Gangster, hired-killers, and detective genres are associated with jianghu.

3. What are some of the key elements of the so-called “infrastructure of violence” associated with both traditional Westerns as well as “urban Westerns”?

The “infrastructure of violence” are the tools used by characters to commit their violence. A few examples being: transportation (horse, train; cars, boats), communication (letter, telegram; cell phone), and most importantly weapons (guns).

4. Explain in your own words the concept of “mythical violence” and what function it serves in the films of Johnnie To. You may consider looking at additional discussions of the concept later in the book (consult the index).

“Mythical violence” in film is an archetypal form of violent acts and a stylization of the act. In other words, the violence on screen represents real violence and struggle and is stylized by film language to get its point across.

5. What are some of the key characteristics of “Kowloon Noir” and what is meant by the term “Destiny-machine.”?

“Kowloon Noir” is characterized by a shift in alliances, cross-alliances, misalliances, and coincidences that take place in the present. The “Destiny-machine” is the impersonal and sinister force of fate acting on the protagonists in the film. In many cases, everyone dies in the end.

6. Summarize in your own words Teo’s argument about the relationship between genre conventions and To’s “auteur function.” Why does Steve Neale argue that it is inappropriate to equate genre with auteurism?

Genre is a term, describing a type of film, established by the populous. Similar films based on subject matter and film language fall into particular genres, like comedy or sci-fi. An auteur is a director who has a particular method of telling a story unique to him and usually deals in a set subject matter or “genre”. Auteurism, in Neale’s mind, is of higher culture, while genre is of popular culture. A genre director must conform to a film style to make a profit, while an auteur is not seeking profit but aesthetics.

Response to "Gabbeh"

The color in "Gabbeh" was amazing. The colors were saturated and bright. Color was also used in the narrative: yellow and red were the sun, green the plants, and blue the sky and water. These colors and elements combined all equal life. The story was about life, marriage, and birth.

I also enjoyed the surrealist elements in the narrative. How people would fade in and out of the picture. How the uncle teaching the children of color pointed at a color and then took the color in his hands. And how the old woman spoke and touched Gabbeh in one shot, then in a subsequent shot the woman still spoke but was speaking to no one.

On a side note: parts of the film reminded me of films by Alejandro Jodorowsky like wandering through the desert and the goat giving birth; the strange, bizarre, and gross elements, mixed with the surrealist narrative of "Gabbeh" reminded me of "El Topo".

Response for 9-9

2. What were the general restrictions of the “Rule of Modesty”? How does this relate to some of the stylistic decisions we saw in A Moment of Innocence? How did this lead to problems of realism for Iranian audiences when watching domestic interior scenes?

Women had to be veiled at all times and men and women could not make eye contact. In A Moment of Innocence the young cop and the young woman can’t make eye contact when they speak. The young woman covers her gaze and looks in a perpendicular direction as the young cop. Also, when the cop and young cop go to get a uniform the tailor is constantly yelling off-screen at someone to help out the two gentlemen. The “Rule of Modesty” is unrealistic to Iranian audiences in terms of interior scenes because in reality women do not veil themselves in interior spaces like their home, or in front of related men like their husbands. In film, women must veil themselves because the audience is watching the people on screen.

6. According to Mottahedeh, what function does the spectacle of color serve in Makhmalbaf’s Gabbeh, and how does this relate to the codes of realism and linear narrative?

Color in Gabbeh disrupts the temporal and spatial continuity of the film. Temporal and spatial continuity is the backbone of conventional narrative filmmaking. The color does not attempt to make the film appear more real, but it gives a new perspective on how to find truth in film other than through the conventional realistic narrative methods.

Response to "A Moment of Innocence"

Personally I love the film because of the editing. A scene is shown from one perspective and then from another and the audience must reevaluate their understanding of the previous scene. For example, one scene follows the cop and the young actor playing the cop. During the scene a young woman interrupts the cop and the actor from rehearsing the incident by asking what time it is. Later, in the next scene following Makhmalbaf and his young actor, the two find a young woman to play the role of the woman who distracted the cop on the day of the incident. They choose to use the young actor Makhmalbaf's cousin. The two young people walk through the streets and then separate. The young woman wants to know what time it is and asks around. Eventually she passes a young man in uniform and asks for the time. This moment is a repeated moment in the film but is arrived at in two different ways. What seemed insignificant in the first scene was the culmination of the second.

I also liked the comedic aspect of the film with people arguing. For example, the girl (Makhmalbaf's niece) and her mother (Makhmalbaf's cousin) about not being allowed to act in the film and having to remain indoors. The arguing made the film more relatable because it shows people displaying their frustrations and how they deal with them. And to some extent hearing and argument it comedic, that's why people watch Jerry Springer.

Response for 8-31

2. What function does repetition of locations serve both within individual films and between films? What does Bransford mean by “visual rhymes” (what is the analogy with poetry)?
The repetition of locations is to help establish an association between places and ideas. The visual rhyme is the use of a location through its repeated use to create an association with an idea.

3. According to Bransford, why does Kiarostami stage most of his action outdoors? How does this affect Kiarostami’s visual style (mise-en-scene and cinematography)?

Outdoors Kiarostami does not have to worry about censorship issues as much. Shooting outdoors creates a documentary look to his films but also allows Kiarostami to use the frame with in a frame with windows and doors. He also uses the beauty of the landscape and geometry of streets to conceal or frame characters.

7. What were some of the key changes in the second phase of his filmmaking career (1986-1988)?

His films were void of religion and revolutionary ideals. He returns to the subject of social turmoil before his concerns of the subject were warped by the ideals of the Islamic Revolution.

9. Why does Dabashi constantly use the term “sur / real” to describe Makhmalbaf’s work, particularly in the discussion of A Moment of Innocence, Gabbeh, and The Silence?
His films are seen both as realist and surrealist. He uses both actors and non-actors in roles in his films.

10. How does Dabashi position Makhmalbaf’s work in relation to discourses about colonialism?

Colonialism of Europeans puts Europeans at the top of understanding and Others outside not able to understand the world. Dabashi argues Makhmalbaf, an Other, has an understand of the world equal to that of Europeans who would discredit his sense of knowing the world.