Staging memories : Hou Hsiao-hsien’s A city of sadness
Document Type
Book
Publication Date
1-1-2014
Publisher
Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library
Abstract
In Staging Memories, authors Abé Mark Nornes and Emilie Yeh present an updated study of Hou Hsiao-hsien's landmark contributions to Taiwanese and world cinema, with particular emphasis on A City of Sadness (Beiqing Chengshi), the winner of the Golden Lion award at the 1989 Venice Film Festival. Staging Memories is based on Narrating National Sadness, one of the first hypertext analyses in film studies, and its analysis is couched in a general history of Taiwan, the political massacre that A City of Sadness recreates, and the history of Taiwan New Cinema. This background information is crucial context for viewers, and one of the reasons teachers have long valued the hypertext version of the book. The body of the text analyzes Hou’s style, representation of violence, and the complex manner in which he renders history in his oblique long-take style. The book ends with a chapter that examines a single sequence that unifies the various threads of the overall analysis.
DOI
10.3998/maize.13469763.0001.001
ISBN
9781607853381
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Nornes, A. M., & Yeh, E. Y.-y (2014). Staging memories: Hou Hsiao-hsien’s A city of sadness. Ann Arbor, Michigan: Michigan Publishing, University of Michigan Library. doi: 10.3998/maize.13469763.0001.001