TY - JOUR
T1 - Poetics and politics of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s films
AU - YEH, Yueh Yu, Emilie
N1 - This article also published in S. H. Lu and E. Y.-y. Yeh (eds.) (2005), Chinese-language film: Historiography, poetics, politics (pp. 163-185). Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press.
PY - 2001/1/1
Y1 - 2001/1/1
N2 - Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien's films always have abrupt endings, which invite a reconstruction of the story piece by piece. These endings epitomize his film art - detached, distant and, at the same time, quotidian and compassionate. This style not only bears Hou's directorial signature but also encapsulates "Hou Hsiao-hsien" as a discursive object in Taiwan. In Taiwan's film history, no other director has ever been bestowed with as many international awards as Hou; and in the 1980s and 1990s, no other film director evoked as many polemics as Hou did. He is treated to harsh scrutiny by critics in Taiwan. What Hou Hsiao-hsien signifies at home is never truly about film, or film studies. Instead, the contradictory meanings that arise from him and his works represent a cobweb of authenticity, commodity, and discursive power. "Hou Hsiao-hsien," therefore, is a key to understanding Taiwanese cinema, its form, reception, and politics.
AB - Taiwanese director Hou Hsiao-hsien's films always have abrupt endings, which invite a reconstruction of the story piece by piece. These endings epitomize his film art - detached, distant and, at the same time, quotidian and compassionate. This style not only bears Hou's directorial signature but also encapsulates "Hou Hsiao-hsien" as a discursive object in Taiwan. In Taiwan's film history, no other director has ever been bestowed with as many international awards as Hou; and in the 1980s and 1990s, no other film director evoked as many polemics as Hou did. He is treated to harsh scrutiny by critics in Taiwan. What Hou Hsiao-hsien signifies at home is never truly about film, or film studies. Instead, the contradictory meanings that arise from him and his works represent a cobweb of authenticity, commodity, and discursive power. "Hou Hsiao-hsien," therefore, is a key to understanding Taiwanese cinema, its form, reception, and politics.
UR - http://commons.ln.edu.hk/sw_master/5313
M3 - Journal Article (refereed)
SN - 0277-9897
VL - 20
SP - 61
EP - 76
JO - Post Script
JF - Post Script
IS - 2-3
ER -