Free Project: Taiwanese New Wave Research

Here, I would like to go into further detail on my podcast project's main subject, which is the Taiwanese New Wave. This would be beneficial as I would be talking about this cinematic movement on the podcast as a whole.

Some of Taiwanese New Wave's important figures such as (left to right) Wu Nien-jen, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Edward Yang, Chen Kuo-fu, and Jan Hung-tze (Producer). From Medium.com

To begin with, I would like to talk about the conditions of Taiwanese cinema before the movement began. The history of films in Taiwan began in the 1900s, in which Taiwan was under the rule of the Japanese (Hong, 2008). This resulted in film exhibitions in Taiwan with the purpose of benefitting the colonial rule. Films here are used to "educate the ignorant Taiwanese" to support the Japanese colonial rule (Lee, 2017). In effect, films in Taiwan at the time were produced as pieces of propagandas to entice support of the regime and its agenda. Later on, these practices continued when Taiwan fell under martial law following world war two in 1947, with Taiwanese films dominated by a studio system controlled by state bodies. 

These state bodies are the Central Motion Picture Corporation which was controlled by the Kuomintang (Chinese National Party in which its leader, Chiang Kai-shek was the man who declared Taiwan's martial law,) the China Studio controlled by the defence ministry, and the Taiwan Studio controlled by the provincial government (HIIST 1120: At China's Edges, 2019). As such, although Taiwanese films during these times have started to explore social and cultural issues within Taiwan, any content that was deemed to be politically sensitive or morally objectionable against China could still be removed or altered (Li, 2010). 

Later in the 1970s, Taiwanese cinema faced a period of decline due to the rise of television and the popularity of Hong Kong cinema. Many filmmakers struggled to compete with the high production values and commercial success of Hong Kong films, and the industry suffered from a lack of funding and support. Because of that, many filmmakers turned to independent filmmaking, creating films that explored more personal and experimental themes (Ma, 2007). Followed with the rise of independent filmmaking and China's grasp on Taiwan starting to loose, a movement called the Taiwanese New Wave began with the film In Our Time (1982). 

In Our Time (1982) Letterboxd

The film, an anthology, touches on "childhood, adolescence, and two different stages of adulthood. The film consists of four vignettes, each corresponding to a different stage of life, each marking a directing debut." (Twin Geeks, 2022.) These four young debuting directors are Yi Chang, I-Chen Ko, Te-chen Tao, and Edward Yang (IMDb, n.d.) The film's themes of disillusionment, alienation, and social dislocation resonated with a generation of Taiwanese youth who were grappling with similar issues in their own lives. Furthermore, it also portrays political issues such as Taiwan's relationship with China and the impact of American imperialism which also caught Taiwanese people's attention (Berry, 2018).

The movement was born out of other things as well. Firstly, it was inspired by a previous movement called the French New Wave (late 50s to early 60s), in which a generation of young critics turned filmmakers came to direct independent films characterized by an informal style of filmmaking, innovative approaches to narrative, and breaking away from traditional Hollywood conventions (Filmmaking Lifestyle, n.d.). Secondly, it was born from the frustrations of Taiwanese filmmakers on state of the film industry at the time which was dominated by formulaic and cheap melodramas and action films for a mass audience. Instead, the filmmakers wanted to explore the complexities of Taiwanese society and experiment new forms of storytelling (Chen, 2018).

Another source of inspiration for the Taiwanese New Wave, is a previous movement before the French New Wave called Italian Neorealism (1940s and 50s). This movement in Italy emphasised social realism, telling stories of everyday people dealing with the aftermath of World War Two. In particular, Italians wanted to express their voices through film focusing on realism, which previously was difficult under the facist rule. An inspiration to the French New Wave, some of neorealist film qualities is how the films focuses on the struggles of the working class, are shot on location with non-professional actors, and used improvised dialogue (Matt, 2022).

Shooting of Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Daughter of the Nile (1987). Taiwan Panaroma

During this period, a number of Taiwanese auteurs rose to prominence, creating films that were critically acclaimed both in Taiwan and internationally. Examples of such filmmakers are Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Tsai Ming-liang, and many others who created a new style of filmmaking that blended realism with artistic expression, and explored themes related to Taiwanese identity, politics, and social issues. Other characteristics of the Taiwanese New Wave films are long takes, a focus on environment alongside the characters, urban settings, in which filmmakers showcased the effects of Taiwan's accelerated urbanization, and many others. (Emerson, 2019) 

Some of the Taiwanese New Wave films offers a look of previously taboo subject materials, particularly about politics and the trauma it causes. Examples include A City of Sadness regarding a three month period in 1947 called the February 28 Incident where thousands of dissidents, real and suspected, were killed. Then there is A Brighter Summer Day depicting a period lasting 38 years (called the White Terror) of people living under martial law (Emerson, 2019). Both examples talk about the harsh nd gruesome reality of daily life under the Kuomintang and with the rapid urbanisation of Taiwan, these films asks questions about modernity and cultural identity (Filmmaking Lifestyle, n.d.).

The Taiwanese New Wave also has a manifesto (early 1987) in which 54 New Taiwanese filmmakers expressed three major concerns. The first criticizing the Taiwanese government for its filmmaking policies, claiming it was more interested in political propaganda and commercial filmmaking compared to cultural activities. Then, criticizing the mass media for its refusal to treat cinema as an important part of artistic culture. Lastly, criticizing Taiwanese film critics for supporting the idea that Taiwanese films should emulate films from Hong Kong and Hollywood (Emerson, 2019).

Days of Being Wild (1990) dir. Wong Kar-wai. The China Project

By the time Taiwan embarked on a full-fledged democratisation (and marketisation) in the 1990s, New Taiwan Cinema had somehow wound up in a conundrum where the movement had lost its momentum Then, after commercial success of many popular films made by the new generation of Taiwanese filmmakers in 2008, a new era, post-New Wave Taiwan Cinema began (Taiwan Post New Wave, 2020). Many of the New Wave's leading directors had already passed away (Edward Yang), going abroad (Tsai Ming-liang), and no longer making films (Hou Hsiao-hsien). 

That said, Taiwanese New Wave has resulted in Taiwan Cinema being positioned in the world cinema studies, and gained enormous popularity in global film circuits (Yeh & Davis, 2011). It also came to influence other Asian Cinemas like Hong Kong, China, and Japan. For example, Mainland China's Fifth Generation directors were drawn to the realism and naturalism of Taiwanese films (Chow, 2014). Then, in Hong Kong, prominent directors like Wong Kar-wai cited Hou Hsiao-hsien as a major influence on his film "Days of Being Wild" (Berry, 2010).

I have learned a lot about this movement and films in general from this research. The Taiwanese New Wave to me feels like a special proof of how films are often empowered by the conditions of society, time, and place in general, and in turn is able to unite people through its shared message and identity. During the time that the New Wave is flourishing, the people and the film are connected as one, born out of a desire to gain their identity as Taiwanese people from the clash of cultures between Japan, China, and the West that has flown into it. Yet, I also feel that the reason that the New Wave was able to gain popularity globally is because these portrayals of Taiwanese people felt real, natural, and compelling universally.

In terms of its production, considering I am going to pursue media production, I also gained a lot of knowledge regarding this. For example, the use of long takes that is frequently seen in the New Wave is an example of how to use realism through time in a film to create a more natural and realistic feel to the scenes. Other parts including the use of wide angle and medium shots to emphasise both the characters and the environment in the frame, as well as the characters actions. The production values of these films, mainly low budget production values with less-known actors and shot on location also relates to how independent filmmaking works, which I feel is the direction of filmmaking that I am trying to pursue in the future.

In the next post, I will research two of the movement's leading directors, which would be Edward Yang and Hou Hsiao-hsien.

References:

• Hong, G.-J. (2008) The coloniality of gender - duke university. Duke University. Available at: https://globalstudies.trinity.duke.edu/sites/globalstudies.trinity.duke.edu/files/file-attachments/v2d2_Lugones.pdf (Accessed: February 24, 2023).
• Lee, Daw-Ming. “How Cinema Arrived and Stayed in Taiwan.” Early Cinema in Asia, edited by Nick Deocampo, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana, 2017.
• A Brief History of Taiwanese Cinema (2019) HIST 1120: At China's edges. Available at: https://mediakron.bc.edu/edges/2019-final-projects/taiwan-under-martial-law/a-brief-history-of-taiwanese-cinema (Accessed: February 24, 2023).
• Li, Wei. 2010. "Taipei's Guling Street and the Origins of Taiwanese Cinema." Hong Kong: Academia.edu. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/529304/Taipeis_Guling_Street_and_the_Origins_of_Taiwanese_Cinema (Accessed: February 24, 2023)
• In Our Time (1982) (no date) IMDb. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085626/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_dr_sm (Accessed: February 24, 2023).
• D., P. (2022) In Our time: Life stages or the conception of the Taiwanese New Wave, The Twin Geeks. Available at: https://thetwingeeks.com/2020/04/09/in-our-time-life-stages-or-the-conception-of-the-taiwanese-new-wave/ (Accessed: February 24, 2023).
• Matt (no date) What is French new wave? definition & examples from Cinema, Filmmaking Lifestyle. Available at: https://filmlifestyle.com/what-is-french-new-wave/ (Accessed: February 25, 2023).
• Matt (no date) What is Italian neorealism: The movement that changed Cinema, Filmmaking Lifestyle. Available at: https://filmlifestyle.com/italian-neorealism/ (Accessed: February 25, 2023).
• Chen, J. (2018). The Taiwanese New Wave: A Historical Perspective. Journal of Chinese Cinemas, 12(2). doi: 10.1080/17508061.2018.1464130
• Emerson, A. (2019) The beginner's guide: New taiwanese cinema, Film Inquiry. Available at: https://www.filminquiry.com/beginners-guide-new-taiwanese-cinema/ (Accessed: February 25, 2023).
• Yeh, Y.-yu and Davis, D. (2012) Taiwan film directors, a Treasure Island. New York: Columbia University Press.
• Talk: New auteurs in Taiwan post-new wave cinema: Hou Chi-Jan, Lin Shu-Yu, and Cheng Yu-Chieh (2020) Taiwan Post New Wave. Available at: https://taiwanpostnewwave.org.uk/events/talk-new-auteurs-in-taiwan-post-new-wave-cinema-hou-chi-jan-lin-shu-yu-and-cheng-yu-chieh/ (Accessed: February 25, 2023).
• Berry, C. (2010). Transforming Taiwanese cinema: The career of Ang Lee. Hong Kong University Press.
• Teo, S. (2003). The influence of the Taiwanese New Wave on Hong Kong cinema. Asian Cinema, 14(2).