Stars, Fandom and Identity in Chinese Film - Essay Example

Stars, Fandom and Identity Films influence human lives in many ways. Importantly, lead actors usually inspire the audience. Uniquely, the characters can also inspire other actors. These representations shape the identities and characters of the imitators in some of the films. Aspects of popular culture of iconic actors have also played a major role in shaping the general objective of the films. In this view, the film industry has experienced transformation in various fields. According to Teo (1997), Hong Kong’s cinema has evolved by adopting a unique style reaching its apex during the transition from the 1950s to 1960s.This essay will focus on the movie, Forever Fever (That is The Way I like it,) and the main character, Hock. The discourse will examine in detail how the identity of Hock is transformed in many ways by being a fan of Bruce Lee and John Travolta. The film, Forever Fever, was produced in 1998. It features Hock (Adrian Pang), a fan of Bruce Lee, working in a local supermarket. The initial scenes of the film show Hock’s friends trying to entice him to accompany them to the cinema show that features Bruce Lee. Hock is a big fan of Bruce Lee’s actions following the many films he has acted in. Bruce was regarded as the best martial artist and a pop culture figure in the 20th century. Besides, he was a role model for many actors. Through his actions, many actors have adopted his style of acting and acquired his characters. Based on these facts no one can deny the role and the influence Bruce Lee has had on the film industry. Hock is surprised when he finds that the movie shown is not the one he expected. Initially, he gets bored with the movie but is later inspired by the dancing styles he sees from John. At the same time, an advert is made about a dancing competition where the winner was to win five thousand dollars. Hock develops an interest to participate in the contest, but the problem is that he has no dancing skills necessary to win the competition. Hock knows that if he wins the competition he will have more money enough to buy a motorcycle. The inspiration makes Hock enroll for a dancing class in one of the local schools. He is inspired with the works of John Travolta in the film Saturday Night Fever (directed by John Badham in 1977). The scenes in the movie portray how the lifestyle of Hock conforms to his role models (Bruce Lee and John Traolta). The way he leads his life and the kind of activities that he does clearly show a determined personality who wants to achieve his goals. This is depicted in the type of relationship that he develops towards the family members and friends. The change of events shows the extent of self-transformation as well as the identities possessed Hock The purpose of watching films is to educate and entertain the audience (North-Coleman, 2008). Indeed, one can argue that the knowledge gained from the films has helped in shaping the culture of Hock. His case is similar to the situation presented in the character of the Sing-Song-Girl in the Hong Kong cinema. The character in the Sing-Song –Girls captures the materialistic and cultural tendencies of the Chinese culture. The representation of John Travolta and Bruce Lee in this context support the ambitions set by Hock with a view to simulate the tactics portrayed by these icons. The determination to enroll in a dance class clearly supports the initiative set by the Hock to emulate the culture of the two icons. He even seeks help from Mei, who supports him in his plans. It appears that Hock does not realize how Mei feels for him. The imitation process also affects the type of relationship that he has for the people around him. Hock drops Mei for Julie, a girl in his dance class who dates one of his rivals. Forever Fever portrays its characters with the same qualities as the original Saturday night fever cast, and it has elements of comedy and humor that is not present from the original story. It is the elements of humor that gives Forever Fever the excitement in its presentation. Hocks’ Siblings are also influenced by the culture of imitation. Beng develops an idea from the culture that permits people to change their gender. Hock’s brother Beng is eventually kicked out of the house when he announces on his 21st birthday that he wants to change his gender. At the end of the film, Hock wins a dancing competition and gives cash to his brother to perform an operation when he attempts to commit suicide. The fun of the movie lies in the aspect of watching Hock and his friends imitating their favorite iconic actors while leaving their fates in parity with the action of the mentors The activities performed by Hock with a view to imitate the lifestyle of Bruce lee greatly affects his lifestyle and transforms his way of thinking in the movie. Bruce Lee was an American-Hong Kong martial artist who featured in many action movies. Bruce Lee featured as the main character in most of the moves where he represented the weaker side fighting, the stronger side. His main role in these movies was to display the martial arts and to win fights. Hock likes martial arts and he uses Bruce’s performance to develop his career. This is clear from the way he uses a clip from the movie Enter The Dragon in pursuing his dreams. Performing these martial arts and imitation of the traits changed the identity of Hock as well as his self-formation. In most cases, martial arts are associated with Asian culture, a culture that Hock understands. Same as Bruce Lee, John Travolta is another actor whom Hock admires. John Travolta was a professional actor and singer. Hock’s passion in winning the prize by singing was inspired after observing the actions of a professional actor. John Storey states popular culture is defined in six different dimensions. He looks at popular culture in many aspects based on the changes that occur as culture changes. John storey argues that fan culture is about public display. Drawing from theories presented by John Storey, a fandom is consumption of many texts. He states that fans will review the text to examine how the texts were composed (Storey, 2010). Actions expressed by Bruce Lee and John Travolta depict cultures from different cultures. Their interaction with different cultures streamlines the transfer of ideas and traditions associated with such cultures. Few people have an impact on the society in terms of transforming the culture and lifestyles in different generations. Bruce Lee has left a legacy not only in the American culture, but also in the whole world. Bruce lee is an icon who has changed many people’s perception of life. The idea of emulating the acts of various icon plays a key role in shaping the identity and the formation of the lifestyle of an individual (Duffett, 2013).Hock is no exception. Based on the scenes from the movie, Hock fits in the cultures of different societies even though he has not had time to interact in certain environments. For instance, martial arts require training. To achieve perfection, a person must practice the sport for many years. In the Asian culture, martial is part of the school curriculum. It calls for extreme determination to perfect the skill of martial arts Hock’s fandom interacts with his desire to help in shaping his roots and routes of his identities from different perspectives. First, by emulating the characters actions, he can acquire and develop a new trait that he did not possess before. In the same context, it offers Hock an opportunity to deliberate on their lifestyle. Hock can analyze his origin, his culture, and the way of life and then come with the way he wants to lead his life. He can decide on the best practices to adopt and the worst practices to abolish in order to pursue a perfect lifestyle. Hock is determined to make his life to be the same as the lifestyle of Bruce lee. He spends nights practicing moves and actions of Bruce lee using the clips from enter the dragon in front of the mirror. The movie Enter The Dragon got famous because of the martial arts displayed by Bruce Lee. Since then, the plot of the movie has made other producers to copy the format and the actions represented in the movie. In fact, most of the movies in Hong Kong adopted the technique of martial arts to as a technique of identifying their culture. In the 1970s, Kung Fu movies were popular in the American culture and Bruce took the American culture with storms. Within a short period, he was a household name in man societies. Since then, many cultures have admired these martial arts and acting techniques. His m image as mostly identified the black male. In the movie Bruce mostly presented the weaker camps. The same concept applies to Hock’s life. His family makes his life difficult. Both parents are strict, has younger sister obsessed with the romantic novels and a brother who is a doctor, but has unethical manners. Since Bruce rose to fame, African American popular culture and Asian America culture have continued to feature in the film industry. The situation appears exciting when Hock repeats the film he had seen.. The impression portrayed by John Travolta on Hock suits his lifestyle, and he decides to incorporate that in his life. The aspect of repeating the actions of the movie portrays the affection that Hock has in martial arts and dancing. Although one may argue that, he liked dancing because of the advert about the competition to purchase a motorcycle, I think he liked dancing just from the moves displayed by John Travolta. Adrian pang portrays a relaxed naturalism in portraying the character of Hock. This quality increases the authenticity in his portrayal. This character is the protagonist and with real feelings by expressing his moment just like the regular people. In conclusion, the movie forever fever casting Hock and his friends is one of the movies that appreciates previous icons such Bruce Lee and John Travolta. The two icons have been influential in shaping the character of personalities all over the world. The paper sought to examine the impact of the actions of the icons on Hock, an actor in the film forever young. It is a fact that through films, one can promote cultural integration among communities. Different societies have different ways of managing their lifestyle. For instance, the relationship between the American culture and the Asian culture shows transformation that has happened over the yeasr. In this context, we can conclude that the two icons played a central role in shaping and reforming the identity of Holt together with his friends and siblings. References Duffett, M. (Ed.). (2013). Popular Music Fandom: Identities, Roles and Practices (Vol. 1). Routledge. Teo, S. (1997). Hong Kong Cinema: The Extra Dimensions. British Film Institute North-Coleman, C. M. (2008). From easy rider to easy writer: An examination of non-traditional writers and their road to literacy. Storey, J. (2010). Cultural studies and the study of popular culture. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. Read More