Hongkong Cinema Essays Examples

The Hong Kong martial arts films have evolved over time in terms of theme, plot and style. While some transformations in terms of themes have occurred in response to historical events pitying China and other countries across the globe, other transformations have occurred as a result of development technology. There have been significant changes in the style, colour, and music among other film settings. This essay looks into the generic characteristics and historical evolution of Hong Kong martial arts, action, and/or gangster/crime-thriller films in terms of theme, plot, and style. Three movies used as illustrations for this discussion include: Enter the Dragon, Drunken Master and Infernal Affairs. The discussions look into changes in the themes of films over the years, characters as well as the styles used. Two of these movies (Enter the Dragon, Drunken Master) were produced in 1970s whereas the rest Infernal Affairs was produced in 2002. The three films provide an illustration of the changes in themes, plot, character and style of Hong Kong films over time.
The pacing of the film Enter the Dragon is faster compared to rhythm in the film Drunken Master. In the scene depicting the final fight between Bruce Lee and Han, in Enter the Dragon, the actors fight at a very fast pace, each kicks and blows moving at a very fast pace. The musical rhythm resonates with the fast pace at which the actors are fighting. This varies significantly with the rather sluggish fight between Jackie Chan and his nemesis in the Drunken Master.
At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Hong Kong film industry had just been founded. The style used in producing films was very different from what was used in 2002. Firstly, there was very little interest in authentic martial arts. Martial arts films were, therefore, produced relying upon artificial elements which were not authentic in nature. The film producers relied heavily on supernatural characters to make their films interesting. Some of the common acts in the films include throwing magic darts, possessing palm power and pretending to be flying. This style was dominant in the films that were produced in the period of time ranging between 1900 and 1930. This however began to change when the Hong Kong based Cantonese film industry produced the first authentic films. One of the notable developments in the Hong Kong film industry is the shift from the use of artificial elements in film production to the use of authentic elements with characters depicting authentic martial arts skills.
There is also a change in the theme of the Hong Kong films in that initially, characters within the movies fought for any reason. Characters in films could use any excuse to break into fighting with the main objective of showing off their martial arts skills. However, through the years the film industry developed in such a way that the fighting was orchestrated by more serious issues. Themes that were portrayed in the films revolved around protection of moral values and the protection of the traditional Chinese values. In Enter the Dragon, the main actor Bruce Lee works with a detective to fight drug trafficking, a social menace. This means that the Hong Kong film industry developed from focusing on superstitions in the earlier years to working on issues affecting the society such as drug trafficking and racism as depicted in the film Enter the Dragon.
Comedy is introduced at some parts throughout the evolution of the Hong Kong films industry. The use of comedy is particularly evident in the 1978 The Drunken Masterfilm starring Jackie Chan. The script writer in this film uses humour to make the film more interesting besides presenting a number of lessons to the audience. It can, therefore, be noted that comedy as one of the styles in the production of films has been used extensively in the Hong Kong film industry. The role of comedy is not only to make the film interesting but also to ensure that the intended message is accurately communicated to the audience. There has, therefore, been a shift in the styles used in the Hong Kong film industry to make sure that the intended message is accurately conveyed to audiences in the most captivating manner. Humour is used to improve the entertainment value of a film thus causing it to attract a larger audience and its ultimate success.
Music in Hong Kong has also evolved over time. From the times when no sound existed in films to the use of blaring music to bring suspense among other effects in the film, the Hong Kong film industry has undergone huge transformations. The development of the industry has responded to technological changes through the adoption latest technology in the use of sound in film production. Blaring sound effects have been used in the 2002 film Infernal Affair to create suspense. The use of such effects ensures that the audience’s attention captured and maintained throughout film. The use of blaring sound has played a very effective role in ensuring that the film captures and maintains the attention of the audience and that the intended message is effectively delivered to the audience.
There has also been a shift in the characters that are depicted in Hong Kong film industry. When the industry was founded, the characters involved were majorly people who possessed supernatural magic skills. Such characters could fly or jump unfathomable heights. Such fictitiouscharacters ruled the film industry for a considerably long period of time. However, as interest in authentic martial arts skills developed, the number of fictitious characters reduced and was, therefore, replaced by authentic actors who are well trained in martial arts skills. The skills displayed by the actors in the films are a product of their learning and professional training rather than the use of technology to portray non-existent moves. It can, therefore, be argued that throughout the development of the film industry, there has been a considerable shift from the use of stage managed characters to the use of people who are actually trained in the skills being portrayed in the films.
In the 2002 film Infernal Affairsthe main characters are portrayed fighting drug trafficking among other criminal activities within the society. The development of the themes from merely entertainment to films that seek to address specific issues in the society is witnessed in the entire evolution of the Hong Kong film industry. This depicted in the fight against drug trafficking in the 1978 film Enter the Dragon and the 2002 film Infernal Affairs. In both films, the main protagonists are depicted fighting such social evils as prostitution and drug trafficking. In some situation, the staring actors fight the social evils single-handedly while in other situations they are assisted by the police.
The use of music in the production of films in the Hong Kong film industry has also evolved over the years to reflect the changing tastes of consumers as well as the knowledge and skills of film producers. Initially, there was extensive use of Jazz music in the production of soundtracks for Hong Kong films. In fact between 1960 and 1970 jazz constituted the major sound track for film producers in Hong Kong. The use of jazz sound in films produced in the Hong Kong film industry had a profound impact on the quality of films produced by firms in this industry. Firstly, consumers were delighted considering the manner in which the sound blended with the films’ progression. The use of jazz as films sound track was very common among film producers in the Hong Kong film industry. This was critical because the quality of the sound track greatly influences the perception of the quality of a film.
Jazz sound track was used in the film Enter the Dragon. The producer of soundtrack for this film combined jazz with some elements of Chinese music to make the music appealing to the global audience. The evolution of film sound track has been fuelled by the technological advancements in the music and sound sector. It is also important to note that the needs and tastes of consumers have played a critical role in influencing the choice and nature of sound track for films. As concerns the Hong Kong film industry, several changes have occurred in the development of sound track to make sure that the quality of the films meets the expectations. While in the past, Jazz sound was the most prominent sound track in Hong Kong films industry, there has been a recent introduction of more sound effects to enhance the entertainment value of the films.
The introduction of blaring sound effects is one of the changes in the style of Hong Kong films that has played a major role in improving the entertaining value of the films. Sound effects ensure that the films produced meet the expectations of the audience in regard to the quality and entertaining value of the films. There has, therefore, been a development in the film industry from plain music to a level in which specialized sound effects are used to enhance the message being portrayed at a particular scene within the industry.
The Hong Kong film industry has evolved over time since its founding at the beginning of the 20th century. Among the changes that have been witnessed in the industry include a shift from supernatural characters specializing in magic to characters who depict authentic martial arts skills and the introduction of films whose themes revolve around fighting social evils like drug trafficking and prostitution. The sound track in music industry has also shifted from plain music to the soundtrack that is enhanced by special sound effects.