Kung fu is a cinematic genre investing on the discourse of the “real”.
From Kwan Tak Hing, Bruce Lee, Jacky Chan, Jet Li to Donnie Yen, cinematic
representations of kung fu are inextricably intertwined with realism – real
techniques, real fighting and real body.
This paper is a theoretical reflection of “real kung fu” as a cultural
imaginary and its transfiguration since the 1950s. The discussion will focus on
recent developments of the genre in two major industries – digitalization of kung
fu in Hollywood and recent return of kung fu masters in Hong Kong through coproduction.
Through a parallel analysis of kung fu productions in a global context,
this project outlines and predicts possible reinventions of the genre in the first
decade of the 21st century.
On the one hand, the notion of “real kung fu” is reinvented by digital
technology. By applying Jean Baudrillard’s idea of “simulacra and simulation” to
the context of kung fu cinema, Leon Hunt’s tripartite scheme of authenticity and
Edward Said’s Orientalist discourse are (de/re)constructed in an age of digital
production. Through a scrutiny of The Matrix (1999) and Kung Fu Panda (2008),
I will demonstrate that the convergence of digital cinema and digital gaming
creates a new spectatorship that redefines kung fu with an alternative
understanding of body, time and space.
On the other hand, the Ip Man trilogy (2008-2010) and Legend of the Fist:
The Return of Chen Zhen (2010) show that there is a possible return of kung fu
masters in local martial arts co-productions. Instead of a nostalgic return to the
established genre in the 1970s, these realist kung fu films reinvent the genre by
synthesizing different paradigms of realist styles and renegotiating the longstanding
difficult relationship between nationalism and modernity. / published_or_final_version / Comparative Literature / Master / Master of Philosophy
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:HKU/oai:hub.hku.hk:10722/174546 |
| Date | January 2011 |
| Creators | Wong, King-tung., 黃競東. |
| Publisher | The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) |
| Source Sets | Hong Kong University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | PG_Thesis |
| Source | http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B47849885 |
| Rights | The author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patent rights) and the right to use in future works., Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License |
| Relation | HKU Theses Online (HKUTO) |
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