Throughout the 20th century, Hong Kong Movie has been one of the most influential genres of film in the world. Using a mix of action and comedy, Hong Kong Movie has helped make many of the world’s greatest actors into household names. In the past decade, it has seen an increase in the number of new, younger filmmakers taking on the genre.
The First Wave of Kung Fu Comedies
During the 1960s, the Chinese movie industry embraced a new style of cinema that would soon become known as wuxia. This style of movie was heavily influenced by American Western movies and Japanese samurai flicks. It also incorporated a wide range of different genres and themes. It was also a precursor to the influx of Hollywood films that were making their way into Hong Kong in the 1970s and 1980s.
Chang Cheh’s ‘One-Armed Swordsman’ was the first of this new wave and remains an iconic film for its influence on modern wuxia filmmaking. Its evocative fusion of elements from Chinese and Western culture is unmistakable and has been imitated by countless filmmakers since then.
A New Generation of Filmmakers Are Turning to a More Practical Approach
With the advent of the CEPA (Common Economic Policy) agreement in 2004, a number of filmmakers chose to head north to make films in mainland China. This has resulted in a shift in the creative approach to the genre. The result is a renewed focus on the development of scripts and cost control.
This trend is evident in a number of the top-grossing Mainland Chinese films that are released in Hong Kong, and the local productions that have been made by these new filmmakers. The resulting films are far more mature and sophisticated than the ones produced in the past, with much more emphasis being placed on character development.
The ‘Post-Glamour’ Phase of the Film Industry
After the 1997 handover, Hong Kong began to feel more pressure from mainland China to produce films that had more cultural relevance. This was reflected in a number of films that focused on social issues, including the political turmoil that occurred following the 1997 handover.
Despite the fact that many of these films had their origins in the past, the re-emergence of these themes has resulted in some of the most important films in the history of Hong Kong Movie. These films have not only served to strengthen the public’s sense of identity in the post-Hong Kong period, but they have also shaped the future of Hong Kong Movie as a whole.
Comrades – Maggie Cheung, Leon Lai
Peter Chan’s Comrades is probably one of the most underrated romance dramas in the Hong Kong movie industry. Its bittersweet tone strongly engages our emotions, and it is a film that is highly watchable for its subtle performances by the main cast.
The Narrow Road – Lilian Lee
Another film that deals with social issues, this is a film that takes place in a Hong Kong public housing building. It follows a woman named Li, who is getting older and her beauty has started to dwindle away. She finds some comfort in visiting her aunt Mei, who believes she has the secret to eternal youth.