The Poetics of Chinese Cinema

This book examines the aesthetic qualities of particular Chinese-language films and the rich artistic traditions from which they spring. It brings together leading experts in the field, and encompasses detailed and wide-ranging case studies of films such as Hero, House of Flying Daggers, Spring in a Small Town, 24 City, and The Grandmaster, and filmmakers including Hou Hsiao-hsien, Jia Zhangke, Chen Kaige, Fei Mu, Zhang Yimou, Johnnie To, and Wong Kar-wai. By illuminating the form and style of Chinese films from across cinema history, The Poetics of Chinese Cinema testifies to the artistic value and uniqueness of Chinese-language filmmaking. 

.1 Introduction: The Poetics of Chinese Cinema Gary Bettinson.-.2  Five Lessons from Stealth Poetics David Bordwell.-.3Red Poetics: The Films of the Chinese Cultural Revolution Revolutionary Model Operas Chris Berry.-.4            Renewal of Classical Painting Aesthetics Combined with a Contemplative Modernism in the Early Work of Chen Kaige Peter Rist.-.5       Poetics of Two Springs: Fei Mu vs. Tian Zhuangzhuang James Udden.-.6 Remaking Ozu: Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Café Lumiere Emilie Yueh-yu Yeh.-.7 Hong Kong Puzzle Films: The Persistence of Tradition Gary Bettinson.-.8 Can Poetics Break Bricks? Song Hwee Lim.-.9 Poetics of Parapraxis and Reeducation: The Hong Kong Cantonese Cinema in the 1950s Victor Fan.-.10 China as Documentary: Some Basic Questions (Inspired by Michelangelo Antonioni and Jia Zhangke) Rey Chow.