S0611 Asian Cinemas: China and India

Until recently the Western public has been largely ignorant of the long tradition and rich production of films in China and India, esp. Bombay. It was only during the last decade that popular Hindi or \'Bollywood\' films like Sometimes happy, sometimes sad which enjoy tremendous popularity in India and the Indian diaspora have also increasingly been consumed by a Western audience; likewise, films like the Hongkong-made Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon have heightened the West\'s perception towards martial arts films from the \'Far East\' and the emergence of a new generation of directors from Taiwan and mainland China.\r\n

This course gives students an opportunity to explore examples of the cinematographic experience of these two Asian countries and invites them to discover the peculiar dramaturgy and filmic language of their respective cinematic traditions. The aim is to provide the students with knowledge of the history of Chinese and Indian (Hindi) cinema, introduce them to some \'classics\' and examine what it is that has given those films their \'classical\' status. Students will be enabled to situate films within their socio-political frame and to understand Chinese and Bollywood narrative conventions in relation to the respective cultural traditions. The students will learn to see beyond the \'melodrama and music\' or \'swordfight and kungfu\' formulas that seem to dominate the filmic traditions as perceived by a Western audience. In the Bollywood context some \'special features\' like the star system and the diaspora film of the 1990s will also be discussed.

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Most Chinese and all Hindi films will be shown in English or with English subtitles. The sessions will be devoted to analyses and discussions of the films. Students are expected to deliver short papers in class, presenting aspects of production and reception and the students\' assessment of relevant cinematographic traits of the films.

\r\nThe students will be required to spend extra time on viewing the films to be discussed in class.