The Genre of Cinematic Analysis for Cultural Studies in Asia - Essay Example

Asian Studies In today’s era of globalization, geographic barriers have dissolved a great deal when it comes to accepting broad cultural practices. Popular culture encompasses a wide array of habitual, transmuted or borrowed processes, including affinity towards entertainment; expression of artistic freedom and so on. In the context of a country, acculturation can be defined as a collaborative means aligned to integrate the smaller aspects of territorial practices. Life in Hong Kong in the 1960s and 1970s began to develop an ethnic niche which was independent from the political authority of China. However, the Chinese colonialism prior to that era did shape the nationalistic pursuits of Hong Kong and contributed to the emergence of a unique cultural awareness, especially that which was reflected expansively in media discourses, for the aboriginal population. Those who migrated from the territorial regions could sense the shifting of political guards very well. Since then the cultural paradigm in Hong Kong has been recast quite a few times to fit the dynamic ways of life in the outside world, including the Chinese mainland. The overall atmosphere of this cultural identity has been presented in a number of in-house as well as foreign films, the most notable of which is Peter Chan’s Comrades, Almost A Love Story. In fact, films based on romantic plots have a major following in the commercial markets of Hong Kong (Cui, 2007, p. 21). While any thought provoking and critically acclaimed film provides a spectrum of intellectual contemplations, films that are regarded just as popular encourage cultural and behavioral adaptations on a massive scale (Ma & Ma, 1999, p. 84). This essay is going to incorporate the genre of cinematic analysis for cultural studies in Asia. It is clear from the preceding section that the purview of the study is based on the cinematic representation of Hong Kong’s popular culture. The ensuing part of the paper will elucidate the key literature findings from Comrades, Almost A Love Story and connect those findings to the socio-cultural context of Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China in the latter half of the twentieth century. According to Stacilee Ford (2002), the faculty of History and American Studies in the University of Hong Kong, typically American movies leave a lasting impression on the geo-cultural realm of the eastern world. She alludes to Micky Mouse and McDonald’s in order to underline the overwhelming impact of the occidental culture on the east (pp. 73-88). These terms have made their way into the popular dictum in Taiwan and Hong Kong. It has been studied that students tend to speak out more when they are encouraged to take part in discussions and debates on popular culture (Schroeder, 1980, p. 321). The fact that they can relate themselves easily to the latest Hollywood releases and American media in general helps them share their opinions in a candid manner. As it is, the impact of consumerism on modern lifestyle is difficult to undermine, and popular culture is primarily based on the absorption of consumer psychology (Cullen, 2001, p. 164). Peter Chan’s Comrades, Almost A Love Story depicts how territorial culture within a particular geo-cultural boundary influences the lives of people coming from outside. The typical country rube characters we find in some of the earlier Chinese films are substituted with mainlanders. This film “romanticizes the story of mainland immigrants of the 1980s and represents Hong Kong as a city built by mainlanders rather than a city apart from China” (Mathews et al., 2008, p. 71). Peter Chan’s film was released in 1996, a phase when the culture of Hong Kong and that of China was blending together courtesy of the common set of identity values. Hence the changeover from the social interpretation of culture from within to the more pervasive media-centric coverage of the same was quite imminent by the time Comrades, Almost A Love Story hit the theaters worldwide. The rapid growth of western consumerism and materialism was sweeping across the Asian countries and the people who were once appeared stubborn in defending the indigenous culture somewhat gave in to the consumerist agenda. America became a symbol of material possessions (Fu & Desser, 2002, p. 10). The subsequent bonding together of the lead characters of the film in New York makes the circle complete not just in fictional terms, but also in terms of how the true Asian identity of the protagonists is retained in the end (Lu, 2007, p. 123). For a major part of the 1980s and 1990s, Hong Kong has been the backdrop of many Hollywood movies (Stone et al., 2008, p. 33). As Rosenbaum (2004) points out, Comrades, Almost A Love Story seeks to explore the themes of fate in global market through an ethnographic lens. The present becomes a narrative precursor to the past, thus unmasking the intellectual pretences of communist idealism (p. 171). The characterizations of Li Xiao jun and Li Qiao signify the exchangeable nature of fate in modern era. The opening scene of the film gives an impression to the viewers that they are strangers to each other. The coincidental movements of the two main characters and the following course of events show how the director uses coincidence as a means to reveal their destiny and also to locate individual identity in a society driven by global economic controllers having a significant amount of bearing upon cultural moods as well as consumption of market commodities (Yau, 2001, p. 270). While pursuing their respective career paths, they fall in love with each other. However, the impossibility of romantic as well as economic success is revealed by the filmmaker in the way Qiao ends up earning her livelihood as a masseur. The stock market collapse, which forces Qiao to take up such a derogatory profession, can be seen as a symbolic intervention of the West in Hong Kong’s economy (Richter, 2002, p. 42). Again, the Micky Mouse becomes the mascot of Qiao’s later life as a masseur. The figure of Disney is borrowed straight from the pages of Americanized tales, epitomizing robustness and kindness on Qiao’s part. So Chan, quite diligently, infuses the notion that in matters of economy and culture, the people of Hong Kong are rubbing shoulders with their Western counterparts and this process certainly brings about change of outlooks for both of them. Sociological dimensions can be traced in the migration of Chinese mainland people to Hong Kong in search of living (Hamamoto & Liu, 2000, p. 299). There is a feeling of being ‘out of place’ for both Li Xiao jun and Li Qiao who do not belong to mainland China. Eventually they find themselves in an alienated surrounding after moving to Hong Kong. Thus, circumstances compel them to befriend each other. They make acquaintance with each other at the McDonald’s – a place which typifies Westernization and modernity: “In the film, McDonald’s is a symbolic bridge between the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and the U.S” (Ford, 2002, pp. 73-88). So the impact of popular culture in Hong Kong on people coming from other places is beautifully illustrated by Chan. It might be argues in relation to the thesis question that the screening of cultural notions has been done in the right spirit and with futuristic visions. The ensuing changes that occur in the lives of both the main characters owe a lot to the altered cultural domain they find themselves in. Cultural assimilation has an important role to play in modern man’s restless search for freedom and self-identity (Tan, 2005, p. 24). Li Xiao jun and Li Qiao represent cultural inhibitions that are common to countrymen, although Qiao is more well equipped to the urban lifestyle. The unassuming affairs of people from mainland China stand in stark contrast to the modernism of McDonald’s. The film portrays the process of acculturation in a society marked by capitalist economy and technological advancements (Richter, 2002, p. 42). Hong Kong’s identity as an emerging hub of commercialization is glorified in the film, discarding the popular notion that every new technological and economic ventures thrives only in the West. Even the cultural potpourri of a city like New York is shown as auxiliary to that of Hong Kong. In Comrades, Almost A Love Story, characters live in a high-tech world of pagers, TV monitors, audio and video cassettes and automated teller-machines. Li Xiao jun and Li Qiao struggle in the beginning to come in terms with this new technological features, but eventually adjusts to it. As a representative of indigenous Hong Kong cinema, Comrades, Almost A Love Story screens the role of mass-interceded modernity and its transitional rationales in the realms of capitalist consumption and technical reproduction of the West (Lo, 2005, p. 119). Li Xiao jun and Li Qiao’s visit to the ATM underscores “the film’s approach to the forces of capitalism – the market economy, consumerism, and various forms of commodification – is decidedly more liberal and permissive than is required by, say, an orthodox Marxist conceptual framework” (Chow, 2007, p. 107). So the apparently diametric cultural entities of the West and the East are questioned in the course of the film, demonstrating how Hong Kong surpasses its predecessors in terms of boasting of an equally heterogeneous culture. Coming to the cultural impacts of the modern Hong Kong society on mainlanders, one might be tempted to analyze the character of the male protagonist of the film Li Xiao jun. He is a prototype of country bumpkin who lacks imaginative as well as intellectual instincts to cope with the changing setup of Hong Kong’s mainstream society. In other words, Xiao is a bit inept with the process of acculturation. Early in the film, he can be easily identified as an outsider to Hong Kong, for he seems to be sluggish in adapting to the role he is given at McDonald’s. He also lacks fluency in English or Cantonese, another trait that makes him a stand out identity in the beginning of the film. However, he gets acquainted with the culture of Hong Kong and becomes an illustrated chef. Since his existence is shown to have an inseparable bondage with his female counterpart Li Qiao, it goes without saying that Qiao plays a major role in bringing about the necessary changes in Xiao. On the other hand, Li Qiao is portrayed in Comrades, Almost A Love Story as an opportunist who possesses a good disposition of entrepreneurship. The usage of symbolism in Comrades, Almost A Love Story is to a great extent channeled at portraying female characters who have authority and cunning. Here the role of media discourses come into contention as women characters in many Asian films have too often been subjugated to male dominance. But in case of this particular movie, media plays a pivotal role in reversing the stereotyped notions about how women should feature in the context of a global gender identity (Gan, 2005, p. 46). Even though both Qiao and Xiao hail from mainland China, a place which is outdated compared to Hong Kong in many respects, she shows a characteristic propensity to adapting with the changing socio-cultural and economic climate of Hong Kong (Stokes & Hoover, 1999, p. 148). The title ‘Comrade’ has been used in the film almost as an ironic monitor for the strikingly different ways of society’s functioning in Hong Kong, compared to the same in mainland China: “Time and again, we hear Li Qiao addressing Xiaojun teasingly as “Comrade Li Xiaojun,” always at moments when she wants to remind him that things work differently in Hong Kong and that they are no longer in China” (Chow, 2007, p. 118). Chan presents Li Qiao as a self-driven woman who works hard to earn money and refrains herself from doing things that might expose her origin. Thus, throughout the course of the film we never see her speaking in Mandarin tongue, which is of course the provincial language of mainland China. Her assimilation, as opposed to that of Xiao, happens quickly and in a smooth manner. Therefore, when she moves to New York she hardly faces any trouble to adjust to the altered culture. Another notable character who fails to imbibe the changing cultural patterns is Pao. His relationship with Qiao takes him to New York City where he is eventually killed. It might be noted that Pao makes no attempt whatsoever to adjust himself to the cultural standards of New York. Wearing an expensive gold jewelry may not lead to any untoward incident in Hong Kong, but it is certainly going to spell trouble in certain parts of New York. Due to Pao’s ignorance, he is killed by a gang of robbers who wanted to snatch the jewelry from him. Another school of thought, propounded by Sul Ali in his analytical review of Comrades, Almost A Love Story, involves Chan’s objective of seeking a better cultural setup. All the characters are mere vehicles of this prognosis; they just conform to what the filmmaker want them to do. It is like climbing the ladder of development in terms of shifting from the native mainland culture to the high-tech culture of Hong Kong and the United States of America (The College of Wooster, 2009). Moreover, this school of thought can be justified by Xiao’s initial reluctance in pursuing a better future. It is only after he falls in love with Qiao that he makes the necessary adjustments. In essence, Comrades, Almost A Love Story may be categorized into the sub-genre of emigrant films that became quite a phenomenal topic of discussion upon release. It can be stated without an iota of doubt that this sub-genre is essentially central to English language films made on Asian settings. What sets this substratum apart from other types of romantic movies is that it has an underlying political theme which is treated sensitively by the director and script writer. On one hand, the protagonists’ struggle for survival in a posh and materially indulgent Hong Kong society is a giveaway to the later events in the film to come. On the other hand, their initial scratchiness in matters of choosing a right career for themselves and right partners does not meliorate until the end of the film, where they reunite in another continent faraway from where they started from. The credit of the filmmaker lies on how the cinematic tools such as plot progression and climax are introduced at the crucial junctures, so that the linear method of narrative does not get hampered at all. To quote Ruthie Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle, “Forget the “almost” in the title of this sweetly poignant film from Hong Kong. It is most definitely a love story with the most appealing star-crossed lovers since Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in “Sleepless in Seattle” (Hearst Communications Inc., 1997). Taking into consideration the different scholarly viewpoints, it might be concluded that Comrades, Almost A Love Story presents a cultural diaspora that encircles popular practices and humankind’s struggle for existence alike. The filmmaker without injecting any element of preaching shows how a culture can absorb alien elements without losing its fundamental integrity and dynamism. It is indeed a worthy topic to be included in the curricula of cultural studies in Asian contexts. References Chow, R. (2007). Sentimental fabulations, contemporary Chinese films: attachment in the age of global visibility. New York: Columbia University Press. Cui, M. (2007). The Cinema of Wong Kar Wai: Chinese and Western Culture Differences in Narrative Cinemas. Boca Raton, Florida: Universal-Publishers. Cullen, J. (2001). Popular culture in American history. Malden, Massachusetts: Wiley- Blackwell. Ford, S. (2002). Movies, McDonald’s, and Micky Mouse: Hong Kong Student Reflections. Journal of American Studies of Turkey, 15, 73-88. Fu, P., & Desser, D. (2002). The Cinema of Hong Kong: History, Arts, Identity. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Gan, W. (2005). Fruit Chan’s Durian Durian. Aberdeen, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press Hamamoto, D. Y., & Liu, S. (2000). Countervisions: Asian American film criticism. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Hearst Communications Inc. (1997, October 8). ‘Comrades’ -- No Almost About It Prize-winning film returns for brief run. Retrieved October 1, 2009, from http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1997/10/08/DD18802.DTL Lo, K. (2005). Chinese Face/Off: The Transnational Popular Culture of Hong Kong. Aberdeen, Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press. Lu, S. H. (2007). Chinese modernity and global biopolitics: studies in literature and visual culture. Honolulu, Hawaii: University of Hawaii Press. Ma, C., & Ma, J. (1999). Culture, politics, and television in Hong Kong. New York: Routledge. Mathews, G., Lü, D., & Ma, J. (2008). Hong Kong, China: learning to belong to a nation. New York: Routledge. Richter, G. (2002). Benjamin’s ghosts: interventions in contemporary literary and cultural theory. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press. Rosenbaum, J. (2004). Essential cinema: on the necessity of film canons. Baltimore, Maryland: JHU Press. Schroeder, F. E. H. (1980). 5000 years of popular culture: popular culture before printing, Page 91. Bowling Green, Ohio: Popular Press. Stokes, L. O., & Hoover, M. (1999). City on fire: Hong Kong cinema. New York: Verso. Stone, A., Chow, C. W., & Ho, R. (2008). Hong Kong and Macau City Guide. Oakland, California: Lonely Planet. Tan, S. (2005). Challenging citizenship: group membership and cultural identity in a global age. Aldershot, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. The College of Wooster. (2009). Climbing A Ladder. Retrieved October 1, 2009, from http://www3.wooster.edu/chinese/Chinese/reviews/comrades.html Yau, C. E. (2001). At full speed: Hong Kong cinema in a borderless world. Minneapolis, Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press. Read More

America became a symbol of material possessions (Fu & Desser, 2002, p. 10). The subsequent bonding together of the lead characters of the film in New York makes the circle complete not just in fictional terms, but also in terms of how the true Asian identity of the protagonists is retained in the end (Lu, 2007, p. 123). For a major part of the 1980s and 1990s, Hong Kong has been the backdrop of many Hollywood movies (Stone et al., 2008, p. 33). As Rosenbaum (2004) points out, Comrades, Almost A Love Story seeks to explore the themes of fate in global market through an ethnographic lens.

The present becomes a narrative precursor to the past, thus unmasking the intellectual pretences of communist idealism (p. 171). The characterizations of Li Xiao jun and Li Qiao signify the exchangeable nature of fate in modern era. The opening scene of the film gives an impression to the viewers that they are strangers to each other. The coincidental movements of the two main characters and the following course of events show how the director uses coincidence as a means to reveal their destiny and also to locate individual identity in a society driven by global economic controllers having a significant amount of bearing upon cultural moods as well as consumption of market commodities (Yau, 2001, p. 270). While pursuing their respective career paths, they fall in love with each other.

However, the impossibility of romantic as well as economic success is revealed by the filmmaker in the way Qiao ends up earning her livelihood as a masseur. The stock market collapse, which forces Qiao to take up such a derogatory profession, can be seen as a symbolic intervention of the West in Hong Kong’s economy (Richter, 2002, p. 42). Again, the Micky Mouse becomes the mascot of Qiao’s later life as a masseur. The figure of Disney is borrowed straight from the pages of Americanized tales, epitomizing robustness and kindness on Qiao’s part.

So Chan, quite diligently, infuses the notion that in matters of economy and culture, the people of Hong Kong are rubbing shoulders with their Western counterparts and this process certainly brings about change of outlooks for both of them. Sociological dimensions can be traced in the migration of Chinese mainland people to Hong Kong in search of living (Hamamoto & Liu, 2000, p. 299). There is a feeling of being ‘out of place’ for both Li Xiao jun and Li Qiao who do not belong to mainland China.

Eventually they find themselves in an alienated surrounding after moving to Hong Kong. Thus, circumstances compel them to befriend each other. They make acquaintance with each other at the McDonald’s – a place which typifies Westernization and modernity: “In the film, McDonald’s is a symbolic bridge between the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, and the U.S” (Ford, 2002, pp. 73-88). So the impact of popular culture in Hong Kong on people coming from other places is beautifully illustrated by Chan.

It might be argues in relation to the thesis question that the screening of cultural notions has been done in the right spirit and with futuristic visions. The ensuing changes that occur in the lives of both the main characters owe a lot to the altered cultural domain they find themselves in. Cultural assimilation has an important role to play in modern man’s restless search for freedom and self-identity (Tan, 2005, p. 24). Li Xiao jun and Li Qiao represent cultural inhibitions that are common to countrymen, although Qiao is more well equipped to the urban lifestyle.

The unassuming affairs of people from mainland China stand in stark contrast to the modernism of McDonald’s. The film portrays the process of acculturation in a society marked by capitalist economy and technological advancements (Richter, 2002, p. 42). Hong Kong’s identity as an emerging hub of commercialization is glorified in the film, discarding the popular notion that every new technological and economic ventures thrives only in the West. Even the cultural potpourri of a city like New York is shown as auxiliary to that of Hong Kong.

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