Reconstructing the Dialogue between Taiwan New Cinema and the “Post-New Cinema”: A Comparative Study on the Cinematic Arts of Ho Wi-ding’s “Terrorizers” (2021) and Edward Yang’s “Terrorizers” (1986)

Abstract

In commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the world-renowned Taiwan New Cinema movement in 2022, extant scholarly efforts have predominantly centered on an exploration of cinematic realism as exemplified in the works of Hou Hsiao-hsien and his successors. However, the influential repercussions of Edward Yang, a prominent figure in the Taiwan New Cinema paradigm, and the modernist and postmodernist aesthetics, stylistic elements, and visual motifs characteristic of his works on the cinematic endeavors of the “Post-New Cinema” generation remain a scholarly gap. Consequently, an exploration of the multi-dimensional facets encompassing dialogue, interconnection, continuation, inheritance, and transformation within the realm of cinematic historiography, transitioning from the Taiwan New Cinema to “Post-New Cinema,” emerges as an imperative avenue for research. Hence, the research situates Ho Wi-ding’s cinematic tribute, Terrorizers (2021) dedicated to Edward Yang, as a case study for analysis and contextual dialogue with existing scholarship on “homage films”. Using theories of intertextuality, it focalizes on the cinematic arts between Ho Wi-ding’s Terrorizers (2021) and Edward Yang’s Terrorizers (1986). An exhaustive analytical lens, encompassing various aspects of cinematic arts including narrative motifs, visual composition, mise-en-scène, editing strategies, and the languages of cinematography, is employed to contribute substantively to the ongoing discourse on intertextuality within the ambit of contemporary Taiwan cinema. To conclude, the influential impact of Edward Yang’s cinematic aesthetics and stylistic legacies on the contemporary cinematic milieu in Taiwan, thereby inaugurating a nuanced dialogue between the epochs of Taiwan New Cinema and the “Post-New Cinema” generation regarding their cinematic arts.

Presenters

Ting-Ying Lin
Assistant Professor, The Master's and Doctor's Program in Teaching Chinese as a Second Language, National Chengchi University, Taiwan

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

Arts Histories and Theories

KEYWORDS

Cinematic Arts, Taiwan New Cinema, Post-New Cinema, Edward Yang