Always in the Dark: A Study of Hong Kong Gangster Films
Gangster films came on the scene during the 1970s when Hong Kong's economy began to take off. The city's heyday was also the period these mafia dramas reigned. Despite being an integral part of Hong Kong cinema, the gangster film has hardly ever been singled out for study. This volume sets out to present a holistic view of the gangster film from multiple angles, including its roots in Chinese culture, the influence from foreign movies, its varied faces during different stages of development, and a who's who in this distinctive cinema. An attempt to trace how these works on criminals and their lives have evolved into a major film genre in Hong Kong.
236 pages with English edition in CD-ROM. Published in March 2014. Priced at HK$130. Currently out of stock. (Edited by Po Fung)
ISBN 978-962-8050-68-0
Contents
[Essays]
The Origins of Hong Kong Gangster Films
Po Fung
The Making of the Myth of Hung League and Shaolin
Sek Kei
Black Gangs, Black Path, and Black Film
Stephen Teo
Born in an Age of Turbulence: Emergence of the Modern Hong Kong Crime Film
Kristof Van den Troost
Chang Cheh, Kuei Chih-hung and the Birth of Hong Kong Gangster Cinema in the 1970s
Matthew Cheng
Alan Tang – From the Gangland Hoodlum to the Tender Hero
Lam Chiu-wing
Changing Colours: The Gangster Hero
Sam Ho
Discreet Charm of the Gangster
Mao Jian
Renouncing the Underworld: Society, Culture and Persistent Experimentation
Chow Sze-chung
Undercover Cops, Informants and Snitches
Winnie Fu
Inside and Outside the Circle: the Narrative Function of ‘Big Circle Boys' in Hong Kong Gangster Films
Po Fung
[Reminiscences]
Johnny Mak: Master of the Impossible
John Woo: Unique Aesthetics of Death and Violence
Ringo Lam: Acting on a Hunch
Wong Jing: Ekin Cheng Has That ‘End of an Era' Air
Manfred Wong: Young and Dangerous as a Teen Franchise
Herman Yau: Taking Reference from the Past
Johnnie To: Gangsters are No Heroes in My Films
[Appendices]
Biographical Notes