Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Document Type

Poster

Publication Date

Fall 12-4-2019

Faculty Advisor(s)

Dr. Jessica Sternfeld

Abstract

Hong Kong: a city characterized by Jackie Chan, kung fu, and its surprising “in-betweenness.” Not quite Eastern and not quite Western, Hong Kong has been placed in a unique position due to its recent handover from Great Britain to China. As a result of this handover, the people of Hong Kong have displayed various attitudes towards their previous, foreign system of democratic government and their new, Communist system of government. Hong Kong’s cultural identity is closely tied with the handover, and in this paper, I analyze how the film music of Hong Kong movies have conveyed ideas about their cultural identity. Specifically through the analysis of A Better Tomorrow (1986), Beast Cops (1998), and In the Mood for Love (2000), I illustrate how Hong Kong’s attitudes toward their governing powers and their cultural identity have changed over time. When Hong Kong was a British colony, A Better Tomorrow (1986) conveyed a sense of sentimentality and the inclusion of Cantopop songs give the film a clear sense of Cantonese-ness. A year after the handover, Beast Cops (1998) displayed the dissatisfaction of Hong Kong-ers towards both British and Chinese governments through its use of popular music and leitmotifs. In the Mood for Love (2000) is punctuated by musical themes of longing and injustice – representing the desire of Hong Kong to be autonomous and free. Hong Kong’s unique political history merits a close examination of its movies, thus demonstrating how films, and film music, can serve as an important marker of cultural identity.

Comments

Presented at the Fall 2019 Student Scholar Symposium at Chapman University.

Bibliography

Chan, G. (Producer) & Chan, G. (Director). (1998). Beast cops [Motion picture]. Hong Kong: Media Asia Distribution.

Hark, T. (Producer) & Woo, J. (Director). (1986). A better tomorrow [Motion picture]. Hong Kong: Cinema City & Films Co.

Wong, K. W. (Producer) & Wong, K. W. (Director). (2000). In the mood for love [Motion picture]. Hong Kong: USA Films.

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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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