The dialogics of representation : Shanghai in contemporary Hong Kong films

by Luk, Siu-leng

(Uncorrected OCR) Abstract of Thesis entitled The Dialogics of Representation: Shanghai in Contemporary Hong Kong Films Submitted by Luk Siii Leng For the degree of Master of Philosophy At the University of Hong Kong in Oct 2004 The craze of Old Shanghai in Hong Kong culture, especially in contemporary Hong Kong films, has been a focal point of interest among the academics. Through a revision of the previous studies of the issue, it becomes apparent that it requires a more comprehensive and organized research and a different approach to the subject. The thesis analyzes how a number of Hong Kong films about Old Shanghai are related to each other, by revealing the ongoing dialogues among different Hong Kong filmmakers. Through a study of contemporary Hong Kong films since the late 1970s, this thesis is aimed at tracing the circulations, transformations and recycling of the Shanghai cinematic images among nearly thirty Hong Kong films about Shanghai, although, we cannot trace the definite origin of these processes of adaptation. Chapter One introduces the method of study in this thesis - the concept of dialogism. The formation process of the Bund genre is discussed in Chapter two, analyzing the films interested in representing the dark, violent and sinful side of Old Shanghai. Chapter three studies the films about love stories in Old Shanghai, including a series of* cinematic adaptations of Eileen Chang's novels, and Chapter four focuses on the films with the setting of contemporary Shanghai in the 21st century, which are not yet studied by any previous research. The representations of Shanghai in Hong Kong films, being subject to political, historical and social changes in Hong Kong, have shaped how Hong Kong people decipher the images and meanings of the past and the present Shanghai. Although the 'real picture' of Shanghai remains unobtainable through cinematic representations, the analysis of different representations and their circulations can still illuminate our understandings about the two cities and the nature of cultural formation.