September 28 Questions and Responses

1. What are the two dimensions of symbolic violence discussed by Teo in relation to the Election films?
There is a symbolic violence containing symbols that belong to the ritual and the law of the triads, for example everyone fighting over the phallic baton, and there is Pierre Bourdieu's symbolic violence of male domination which uses excessive violence to subjugate women into accepting there power as law.

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?
Teo argues that the Wo Sing Society represents a microcosm of Hong Kong in that it, like the society, is a self-governing entity within a larger state. The triads strictly guard their territory and live by their own determination of law. To uses the extremely problematic election of a chairman in Election to comment on Hong Kong's failure to elect a leader democratically after the 1997 handover despite China's promise of democracy, and Sek Kei comments that though it may be trying to appear democratic, the election in Election is anything but.

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?
Because the conclusion of Election 2 revealed China's part in the lawmaking agency of violence shown throughout the film. The PSB deputy chief tells the election victor, Jimmy Lee, to pass power down through family rather than go through these blood-soaked elections every couple of years. This shows the collusion between the Chinese government and the Hong Kong triads in protecting their respective investments in Hong Kong on the pretext of keeping the peace. To is stating that the Chinese are against democracy in Hong Kong because it negatively effects economic cooperation between China and Hong Kong.

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?
The violence portrayed in these films could certainly be considered mythical violence because as Benjamin states, mythical violence is not really destructive violence, but constructive in that it brings about new law, it is a lawmaking violence. However, in the Election films the violence is not constructing new laws, but is necessary to restore peace and stability to the society, they are trying to fix the already established law so things can return back to normal, how they have been before the election chaos ensued. Also, because guns are the main part of Teo's infrastructure of violence, the lack of guns within the Election movies makes the violence surreal. Benjamin says that mythical violence is a natural sense of law mixed with fate, and is meant to illuminate fate and also show the law of To's Destiny-machine in order to demonstrate the absurdity of the violence and the archaic laws under which the triads subject themselves to.

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

Yin violence is a more feminized violence that is said to describe the majority of the violence in the two Election films, whereas yang violence can be described as the more brutal and primitive violence (male-associated) violence seen in To's previous films. Teo says that none of the protagonists are remarkably masculine, most are slender and well-groomed, exuding a "yin-infused ambience of violence," and that a lot of the violence, for example when people are put in boxes is also a type of yin violence. I do not completely comprehend the distinction, because I do not see how certain violence can be feminine and certain violence can be masculine, the only thing is that they do not use the phallic symbols of guns to orchestrate their violence, but can't machetes be construed as phallic symbols? I just don't completely get what makes the violence feminine, except for maybe the fact that it breaks away from the typical genre expectations of other manly man action movies. The distinction assists to convey the political message of whether or not the violence will end for the sake of stability and the greater peace of society and the state, because To inscribes ambivalence about the existence of the masculine group and creates a crisis of masculinity while maintaining the ongoing survival of triad super-structure.

Sept. 21 ?s

Stephen Teo, Director in Action

Chapter 3 Conclusion (p. 98-100)

1. What do you think about Teo’s suggestion that To served the “author function” for the early Milkyway Image films? How does this complicate the assumptions of authorship criticism?

I'm not sure one can truly be an author unless they are in direct control of the creation of the film, and it is difficult to determine whether To can be considered an author on the films he produced, but then again the producer in Hong Kong, as Teo suggests, especially for a director/producer like To, is given a lot of creative control over a film and "directs the directors." All this has to be taken into consideration when calling him an author of all these films, because even thought the director is typically considered the author, a director/producer like To can have quite an influence as well, if not more so.

Chapter 4 Conclusion (p. 142-144)

2. What does Teo mean by his claim that To is the active agent in genre evolution and that in To’s films we see “a gradual shift in emphasis from social value to formal aesthetic value”? Explain what he means using The Mission as an example.
To is re-inventing genre conventions by ignoring the typical fast-paced, guns a blazing action scene and replacing it with his action through stillness and shutting out the outside world techniques, both of which were seen in The Mission, especially the mall scene, and place more of an emphasis on aesthetic value.

Chapter 5: The Uneven Auteur

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?
Directors overcome genre constraints by blending genre and form and by applying the progression of postmodern cinema throughout the world to current generic forms, therefore advancing genre elements and allowing further progression of postmodern cinema.

b. How is the answer to a. related to the “uneven market capitalist conditions” and the history of Hong Kong in the 1990s?
Because of the great amount of changes (socially, politically, etc.) occurring at the time, film itself had to apply said techniques in order to create a new kind of cinema.

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

Perhaps that some elements or forms of the past are so bad that they are good, that even though certain elements of film throughout the years is overused and cliche, it still appeals to the masses and as such deserves some sort of recognition. With the evolution of breaking away from genre constraints, filmmakers can choose to incorporate elements of camp and kitch as an homage to films in the past or expand upon them to create new and revolutionary forms of camp and kitch.

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?

Due to the myriad of cultural presence in Hong Kong, genres cannot be specifically defined and must therefore be brought under a "broad church" definition. Filmmakers like Johnnie To must blend and adapt to an ever-changing, ever-growing audience, and must do so in a way that is seen as "uneven." However, To uses this inconsistency to create a large range of unconventional, but still widely acceptable films that easily support him with his title as an uneven auteur.

Johnnie To, Assignment Due 9/16

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

I liked this film more than I liked the Mission, it felt like it had more depth of character and plot, where I identified with the characters more and got more involved within the plot. I enjoyed most seeing what happens to the heroes after the climactic blazing gun battle, which took place much earlier than in most action films, perhaps to show the aftermath. Showing what happens to these badasses once they are emasculated physically and mentally evokes a very visceral and sympathetic feeling for the viewer, one that has them rooting for Jack and Martin to get their vengeance while also feeling bad for them, especially Martin. This duality of emotions is not characteristic of action genre films, but A Hero Never Dies is a welcome anomaly that forces the viewer to think deeper than gun fights, car chases and professional killing machines.

Stephen Teo, Director in Action
Chapter 1: Introduction

2. What are some of the broad characteristics of the jianghu? What genres are associated with this concept?
It refers to a world in which gangsters, hired killers, police detectives, etc. operate according to a fixed group of codes and rituals, and the action is based on these codes and rituals. Genres associated with jianghu are action, western, gangster movies, etc.

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”?

In urban Westerns, the infrastructure includes modern technology such as cars, lifts, elevators, cell phones, the internet, TV, and of course, guns. In the traditional Western, guns are equally as important. As is said in the book, the two most successful American movies, the gangster and the Western, all incorporate men with guns. To incorporates both within his movies.

5. What are some of the key characteristics of “Kowloon Noir” and what is meant by the term “Destiny-machine.”?
It is another way to describe the "dark side of masculine values, it is To's paradoxical take on fate in the action film, where the men bond in a fatalistic fashion and the women stick out like sore thumbs." A destiny machine refers to larger, impersonal and often sinister systems bearing down on the characters.

Chapter 4: Directed by Johnnie To

7. In the discussion of A Hero Never Dies, what is the distinction between “mechanical fatalism” and “heroic fatalism”?

Mechanical fatalism is described as a mechanical wheel of fate, worked out in a series of events flowing one from the other, that eventually catches up with the hero no matter what he does, an unstoppable fate machine if you will. Heroic fatalism in the is determined by the human actions, such as treachery and betrayal, loyalty and faithfulness, and so on.

8. In The Mission, what are some of the strategies and techniques To uses to make the gunplay “as aesthetically abstract as possible”?

By incorporating Kurosawa's methods of "Movement within stillness," which he achieves naturally through music, sound effects and montage. He also cuts off the outside world once action begins, enclosing the protagonists in an inner world in which no one from the outside can enter.

Gabbeh, Gabyay!

My initial reaction of this film was one of confusion. I thoroughly enjoyed the cinematography, editing, and sound, but the plot was, unusual at best. My favorite scenes were the one's in which some part of the gabbeh/rug were immersed in water and the random flowers or apples would float by, just enthrallingly beautiful. I loved the pregnancy and birth scene, when the fog roles in and the baby is never shown being born but the consecutive images of the hen laying the egg, the wet red wool being thrown on the rock and the goats milking was a different but highly interesting way of showing birth, particularly because I doubt censorship regulations would have allowed the actual birth to be shown. Overall this was a far more experimental, yet enjoyable nonetheless version of Iranian cinema that I certainly was not expecting

MOI Response and Punishment Questions :)

Moment of Innocence:

This is the second time I've seen this movie (first time being in 227). The only thing I could recall from the first viewing was the ending and the bread and flower metaphor. That being said, I enjoyed it just as much if not more this time around. The masterful blending of documentary and narrative is fascinating to watch, especially when it just jumps from one to the other, for example with the boy and the girl going from being young people recruited for a film to young Makhmalmaf and his cousin in the blink of an eye. It's confusing at first, but once one realizes what is going on, they go with it, it is not unwelcome or an intrusion to the story.

This film is a bit more obvious with its revolutionary themes than Kiarostami's films, seeing as this is a film meant to make a film documenting the times of the Shah and Makhmalbaf's own rebellious past. I cannot specifically recall what the bread and the flower are supposed to mean but my assumption is that the flower is love and the bread is revolution, and she has to choose. I also enjoy the comedic nature in this film, between the mother and daughter and the policemen and the young actor playing him. It added a lighthearted, whimsical feel to the movie. The editing is also extremely well done and turns what would seem a mundane slice of life kind of film into a lyrical and fascinating piece of cinema.

Negar Mottahedeh, “New Iranian Cinema”

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 were to avoid showing the contours of their body with their movement or dress, and men and women were to avoid looking at each other with desire and were to have no physical contact. In a Moment of Innocence, these constraints are upheld, but because they are using primarily children so the rules are a little less strict, but this is why the adult cousin was always shown off-screen or in the distance, and the women in the story were all properly covered up. This lacks realism because even the most religious of women did not wear their veil in a private setting amongst family members.

3. Paraphrase in your own words Makhmalbaf’s quote about complex metaphors and the plurality of meaning (starting on p. 179). Respond to his quote in relation to our in-class discussion about political content and effective communication to wide audiences. According to Mottahedeh, what were some of the general solutions to the problem of cinematic language and intelligibility?

Since Iranian audiences are not familiar with traditional Western cinema and filmmaking style, Iranian filmmakers must work extra hard to create there own national cinema that transcends typical narrative structure but also allows its native viewers to understand what is going on. They do this by creating allegorical figures, displacing plots, deferring cinematic closure, and using repetition to create a new kind of cinema.

4. What have been some of the key feminist objections to the representation of women under the rule of modesty in Iranian cinema. If these films are claiming a degree of realism, what broad tendencies in the representation of women complicate those claims?

They say that women are represented "as colourful, fetishised spectacles of native primitivism or as domesticated housewives." Also, they are not realistically portrayed because of, again as said above, many women do not veil themselves when they are in private. However, due to censorship, women are forced to dress and act in ways that are depicted as unrealistic, unless the filmmaker utilizes certain tricks like long shots or off-screen space.

5. How is the feminist debate different in the national and international contexts?

Nationally, women demand to be depicted in a less stereotypical light, internationally however, "rather than being concerned about realism, the more relevant question for a cinema like Iran's concerns specific conventions used to construct Iranian women on the screen in the first place." People outside of Iran are unaware (typically) of the cultural nuances of Iranian women and therefore just see the portrayal of women as the culture of Iran rather than as sexist or stereotypical.

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?

"Colour functions to escape, subvert and disrupt the conventional organization of the plot." For example, girls carrying bouquets, the dye-making process and the spinning and weaving of colored thread all interrupt or postpone key points in the plot.