New Asian Films Analysis

NEW ASIAN CINEMA

French New Wave brought up the term New Wave. Truffaut and Godard were the pioneers of the movement and their two movies 400 Blows and Breathless made an influence and were the birth of New Wave. It brought forth hand-held cinematography and jump-cutting technique. As a consequent, its effect spread out such as Asia. In the context of New Asian Cinema, I would like to talk about New Wave Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japanese Cinemas.

In the late 1970s, New wave movement emerged in Hong Kong. It is characterized by realism and technical competence. Some directors had education in overseas and came back to the homeland they worked in televisions. After they gained some practice, they have entered into film industry. New Wave movement

The Boy From Vietnam, The Story of Woo Viet and Boat People show the problems of Vietnamese and Chinese refugee problems. The song of exile stresses on social and psychological issues which reflect cultural differences, racial discrimination, and isolation. After the first new wave movement, the second new wavers continue the trends. Some directors in this movement Wong Kar-Wai, Stanley Kwan and Fruit Chan can be given as examples. Wong Kar Wai cultivated loneliness, uncertainty, intimate relationship themes in his

Also, Taiwan cinema was under the influence of Hong Kong, Japan and America cinemas and it had to compete with that country. Therefore, in the 1980s the rules started to be more relaxed and less rigid. While those events were happening, some young directors took education in filmmaking in America and started their careers in their homeland, Taiwan. They create more innovative films by stressing on social and cultural issues that Taiwan deals with. HouHsiao-hsien is the leading figure for new Taiwan Cinema and his film His Son’s Big Doll (1983) is the chief film in this period which is based on Huang Ch’unming short stories. Characteristics of Hou’s movies include minimum camera movement but it is often long or medium takes. He uses empty room, abandoned places, rural environments, alone railways. In addition to this, using every day and less important events could be seen his story-telling. His movies also lay stress on urbanization process Taiwan culture, distinction between industrialization and rural life.For example, A city of Sadness shows the stress between natives and incoming Chinese nationalist. Also, the film of Edward Yang Taipei Story is an another example which shows conflicts between tradition and modernism. In a nutshell, The new wave reflects the reality in Taiwan society rather than dramatic