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Keywords
Academic libraries, Public libraries, Cinema, Film, Special libraries, Hong Kong
Abstract
This research outlines the Hong Kong film industry with examination of key actors, directors, films, and production companies within the martial arts genre of Hong Kong Action Cinema. Hong Kong Film Award winners and nominees, core films within genres, and core reference works both general and theoretical from experts in the field of Hong Kong martial arts film research have been highlighted. Web sites are suggested that provide reviews of Hong Kong martial arts films, biographical information on a variety of actors and actresses as well as comprehensive bibliographic information on select films. Also included are commercial Web sites that provide Hong Kong martial arts films.
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Hollywood of the East
Known as "the Hollywood of the East," Hong Kong cinema is a major industry in the market of world cinema. In the USA, movies like The Matrix have mass audience appeal due to the Hong Kong style of movie making. Words like "hyper-kinetic," "heart-stopping," and "jaw-dropping" have been used to describe action scenes utilizing the Hong Kong style. What is the Hong Kong style? Whether you ask the fan or the film critic, answers are similar. Watching a film from the Martial Arts genre of the Hong Kong film makes one feel both invigorated and exhausted. Film-makers and actors continually amaze the audience with astounding stunts and intensive fight choreography. Safety of the actors runs secondary in Hong Kong martial arts films. The audience comes first!
Inherent in the Hong Kong style is focus on longer fight sequences, intricately crafted fight choreography, slow motion shots, long shots instead of close-ups, and the fast pacing of the fight scenes. Historically, small budgets and down to the wire deadlines define the Hong Kong style.
In 1997, the handover of Hong Kong from British authorities to the People's Republic of China created questions about the existence of the film industry. To answer, this research provides an outline of the Hong Kong film industry in relation to the martial arts genre of film. Discussion includes key actors, films, directors,...