degrees, these disparate elements: an intricate,
sometimes incomprehensible, melodramatic plot;
philosophical codes of honor based on mystical
beliefs; spectacular violence; brilliantly choreo-
graphed fight sequences; the conflict between
cops and gangsters; speeding vehicles; and lavish
production values. Their formal characteristics
include spectacular studio settings and natural
locations, saturated colors, moody lighting, con-
stant motion (slow and fast), disjointed editing
techniques, and extensive computer manipulation
of images and motion.
Between the late 1970s and early 1980s, a New
Wave of Hong Kong cinema emerged in the work
of such directors as Ann Hui, Yim Ho, Hark Tsui,
Allen Fong, Patrick Tam, Clifford Choi, Dennis Yu,
and others. Although many of these artists were
trained in U.S. or U.K. film schools, they made
movies that dealt with local experiences in a dis-
tinctly individual style. Remarkably, they worked
in both mainstream cinema and television. This
movement also stimulated change in the film indus-
tries of the People’s Republic and Taiwan. Impor-
tant early titles are Yim Ho’s The Extras(1978), Ann
Hui’s The Boy from Vietnam(1978), Hark Tsui’s The
Butterfly Murders(1979), Patrick Tam’s A Spectrum
of Multiple Stars: Wang Chuanru*[sic] (1975), Alex
Cheung’s The First Step: Facing Death(1977), and
Allen Fong’s Father and Son(1981).
During this time, the film culture in Hong Kong
expanded to include popular film clubs and academic
programs in film studies and filmmaking. However,
the strong personal style of the New Wave movies
clashed with the prevailing commercial nature of the
island’s cinema; by 1985, the New Wave spirit had
become diluted, and the movement was absorbed
into the mainstream cinema. Important titles from
this period include Hark Tsui’s Peking Opera Blues
(1986), Allen Fong’s Just Like Weather(1986), Ringo
Lam’s City on Fire(1987), John Woo’s A Better Tomor-
row(1986), and Kar Wai Wong’s Ashes of Time(1994).
Superstar performers like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan
(also a writer and director), Yun-Fat Chow, and Jet Li
were an equally vital component of the success of
these movies, one reason that they all went to Holly-
wood. Hong Kong directors who have worked in Hol-
lywood include John Woo and Sammo Hung.
While the Hong Kong New Wave was short-
lived, it stimulated cinematic innovations through-
out China, encouraged the movement of directors
between television and mainstream cinema, intro-
duced new genres, and tackled formerly taboo
subjects. The influence between Hong Kong and
Hollywood has gone both ways, with the Chinese
learning from such action directors as Sam Peckin-
pah and Sergio Leone and then influencing such
Hollywood directors as Quentin Tarantino (Reser-
voir Dogs, 1992, and the Kill Billmovies, 2003–4),
Robert Rodriguez (Desperado, 1995), Sam Raimi
(A Simple Plan, 1998), the Wachowski brothers
(The Matrixtrilogy, 1999–2003), Brett Ratner (the
Rush Hour films, 1998–2007), and Rob Minkoff
(The Forbidden Kingdom,2008). Action choreogra-
pher Yuen Woo-ping played a major role in many of
these movies.Taiwan By following European models, particu-
larly the Italian Neorealist movement, postwar Tai-
wanese cinema developed independently of Hong
Kong and the People’s Republic. In contrast to theBands of bloody brothersA Better Tomorrow(1986),
directed by John Woo, is considered a classic example of
Hong Kong cinema: violent action depicted in brilliantly
choreographed scenes. The image here, from the movie’s
spectacular conclusion, exemplifies Woo’s style: bright colors,
gymnastic feats, dozens of blazing guns, exploding
firestorms, blood galore, overwrought male bonding, and a
certain sly humor that suggests a surreal world. Woo was
influenced by such action directors as Sergio Leone and Sam
Peckinpah (see The Wild Bunch, page 475) and in turn was
widely influential on both Chinese and American directors,
including Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, and the
Wachowski brothers.1947—PRESENT: NEW CINEMAS IN GREAT BRITAIN, EUROPE, AND ASIA 469