Format and Requirement Minimum six full pages in length, double-spaced, and coherently written. ?Font siz

Format and Requirement

Minimum six full pages in length, double-spaced, and coherently written.  Font size 12.  Please italicize all film titles, book titles, and journal titles; indicate page numbers; maintain proper space and margins (one inch on all four sides); and proofread your paper.  For citation, either the MLA Style or the Chicago Manual of Style is fine.

Films and film clips screened or discussed in class since midterm

Rouge (Dir. Stanley Kwan, 1987)

Her Fatal Ways (Dir. Alfred Cheung, 1990)

Comrades, Almost a Lover Story (Dir. Peter Chan, 1997)

Durian Durian (Dir. Fruit Chan, 2001)

A Simple Life (Dir. Ann Hui, 2012)

Films of Stephen Chow

Flirting Scholar (Dir. Stephen Chow, 1993)

Shaolin Soccer (Dir. Stephen Chow, 2001)

Kungfu Hustle (Dir. Stephen Chow, 2005)

Films of Wong Kar-wai

Chungking Express (Dir. Wong Karwai, 1994)

Happy Together (Dir. Wong Kar-wai, 1997)

In the Mood for Love (Dir. Wong Kar-wai, 2000)

Please only use and choose from these above films as examples unless other relevant films have been approved by the instructor.

Dream, Journey, Identity 

Hong Kong cinema is more than martial arts and action.  The second part of the course examines dramas of love, fantasy, journey, and self-discovery in Hong Kong cinema.  Characters in these films seem to harbor a big dream: a “Hong Kong dream,” a “California dream,” or a “New York dream.”  With the passage of time, they attempt to create new identities for themselves: be a different person, go to a new place, enter a relationship, or feel nostalgia for the past.  Discuss the ways in which these characters change, pursue dreams, cherish old relationships, or search for new identities.  Please feel free to consult relevant discussions in Planet Hong Kong by Professor David Bordwell, the anthology A Companion to Hong Kong Cinema, and the special section “China and China Diaspora Film” in the online journal Jump Cut. (See the syllabus for details.)

In your analysis, you should refer to at least three films by three different directors.  Please also briefly comment on the stylistic characteristics of each of the directors and films.  Once again, like the midterm, both what you write and how you write are important.  Avoid simple generalization.  You need to refer to specific elements in the films.  Coherence, organization, and elegance are important criteria for good writing. 

Important note

Plagiarism is not tolerated. If a student’s paper shows a high percentage of similarity to existing online sources and does not cite the sources, this constitutes a possible case of plagiarism. All such cases will be reported to the Office of Student Support and Judicial Affairs immediately. That office will impose disciplinary action on the student if it determines that there is indeed plagiarism.