Hong Kong Cinema: Film as a Way of Life. Visions, Channel 4, 8 June 1983

The new generation of young filmmakers in Hong Kong 1983 prove that there is much more to Hong Kong cinema than kung fu.As broadcast, with interstitials

[@chiangkimyew8624]

Wow , What A Good Documentary ...!!!

[@yohei72]

Really fascinating look at the variety of Hong Kong film outside the stereotypical confines of martial arts and action movies (and to be clear, I love HK action movies), from the days just before the Jackie Chan/John Woo era transformed HK popular film.

[@Coolestmovies]

A testament to why Hong Kong cinema will forever be superior to mainland Chinese cinema; its filmmakers created their works in an environment of FREEDOM, experimentation, uncensored social and sociopolitical commentary, genre-crossing, celebration and shattering of traditions, and of course some of the most kinetic editing and action design in world cinema history. China, on the other hand, at this time was a non-entity, barely past the cultural revolution that destroyed so many lives (after countless OTHER “Great Leaps” backward), its filmmakers forced to make the most inane, boring CCP-approved propaganda that never escaped the countries borders, and the few films that did - like the fifth generation stuff - was by default banned at home because god forbid they might shine a light on the failings of the one-party system or otherwise persuade people to think for themselves. TO THIS DAY, mainlander cinema is still beholden to the Communist Party and its draconian rules; it just looks more slick, but it’s still about fronting various government policies both foreign and domestic. Sickening that Hollywood is so desperate to bend over for Mainland market share when it was HONG KONG - and Hong Kong alone - that gave “Chinese” culture to the modern world and literally changed American cinema once the latter incorporated its filmmakers and their inimitable style into its movies.
Oh yes, and yay Facebook; this video was posted four years ago, and gets two comments on the same day, no doubt due to someone linking this on and FB discussion group.

[@yohei72]

That's a little simplistic, isn't it? The harsh description of mainland China's grip on culture is fair. But Hong Kong cinema at this time was hardly a bastion of unfettered freedom and sociopolitical comment. There's a fair amount of discussion in this documentary about the censorship imposed by the British colonial government, and about the difficulty filmmakers have in doing anything outside the narrow and quite conservative confines of Hong Kong's commercial cinema.

[@Coolestmovies]

@@yohei72 -- Not simplistic at all, although I do appreciate your rational response. There's actually not that much discussion about British censorship in this doc. Yes it's mentioned, but I can tell you from first-hand experience that TONS of Hong Kong movies had strong anti-British aspects to them, made other explicit socio-political statements, and tackled countless social issues unique to the culture in directly critical fashion. The 'new wave' filmmakers profiled in this piece really codified such themes and in doing so launched a new style of filmmaking that continues, if sporadically, to this day (see the Ying E Chi films, or Herman Yau's politicized works like FROM THE QUEEN TO THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE or even the more recent TEN YEARS) The "narrow and quite conservative confines of Hong Kong cinema" that you refer to in no way explains the kinds of liberal, boundary-pushing exploitation fare the colony's film industry was producing all through the 1970's and which eventually led to the creation of the still-celebrated Category III classification, under which all manner of decidedly UN-conservative movies were cranked out with abandon, including many that took hard shots at the occupying British.
And no matter what amount of "censorship" the British may have enacted on paper - and my own research into this has revealed it to be paltry in comparison to the draconian thought control exercised to this day on the mainland - the fact remains that they were very, VERY lax landlords. They allowed a free press to flourish in Hong Kong (now it's fighting for its survival against the CCP). They encouraged all Hong Kongers to vote in a successful multi-party system that helped make the city the international financial and travel destination it was from the 60's right through to the turn of the century before it became infested with bumpkin-mannered mainlanders and CCP group-think at the political and educational levels. And they allowed people to FREELY assemble and protest anything they liked, including British laws and regulations. China, as you well know, allows NONE of that. They suppress. They censor. They silence. They misdirect. They lie worse -- and to a much larger captive audience -- than Donald Trump could ever dream of doing. And if you don't follow the rules there, they 'disappear' you until you follow the one-party line, or they disappear you permanently. Colonial-era Hong Kong was comparable to that? Sorry, but I don't think so. Thus, I thoroughly stand by everything I said above. In no way is anything I'm stating a simplification, but thanks for the opportunity to discuss it further. :)

[@AZAR7787]

@@yohei72
Hong Kong cinema gave so many talents to the world, its unbelievable. Hong kong cinema will forever be superior & will never be forgotten. Mainland chinese cinema is shit. Its all censored & propaganda based. Ofcourse your gonna speak for mainland. You guys are living under a dictatorship & the closest things to modern day slaves. Plain & simple!

[@yohei72]

@@AZAR7787 You may want to re-read what I wrote, more slowly and carefully. If you're capable.