Responses

1. The first phase of Hong Kong film history is the “Transition Phase.” It took place between 1945 and 1955. It represents the transition from Shanghai to Hong Kong (Zhang 151). The period was followed by the “Competing Studios” phase, which took place between 1956 and 1965. In this second phase, two film companies, namely: Cathay-owned MP&GI and Shaw Brothers competed for the market (Zhang 151). The “Reinventing Genres” is the third phase of Hong Kong film history. It occurred from 1966 to 1978 and was marked by the acultural revolution (Zhang 161). The relationship between Mandarin Cinema and Cantonese Film was divergent. The former was expensive, arty, and pretentious while the latter was cheap, simple, and unpretentious (Zhang 162-163). Thus, Cantonese Film became more famous in the market that its rival.
2. The ideological battle between KMT and the CCP took place during Shankun Zhang’s postwar career. The clash was demarcated by politics, but filming was the central focus in business (Zhang 158). Zhang, who was a controversial industry leader in Shanghai, collaborated with experts such as Li Zuyong to develop films of higher quality than the productions of Zhang’s mainland counterpart. Additionally, Li provided the financial aid to support the building of two film studios at Kowloon Chai.
3. The Cultural Revolution had detrimental impacts on Hong Kong Cinema. For major companies such as Cantonese paused their film productions for more than a year due to left-wing campaigning (Zhang 173). Furthermore, companies like Sun Luen Films, Union Film Enterprises, and Kong Ngee were forced to shut down (Zhang 173). During the era, Phoenix produced a popular play known as “The Battle of Sha Chia Bund,” which was an adaptation of a “revolutionary model Cinema.” The film dominated the period.

Work Cited

Zhang, Yingjin. Chinese national cinema. Routledge, 2004.