The nostalgia and representation of Hong Kong history in Mr. Cinema
Introduction
2007 is a remarkable time of Hong Kong, a decade after Handover to the People’s Republic of China by the United Kingdom. It’s worthy of remark at that particular moment not because of celebrating 10 years anniversary of the memorable moment but the time of reviewing the governance of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government and the commitment of how truly One country, two systems politic executing in Hong Kong. Stability and Prosperity in Hong Kong is the measurement of governance of Hong Kong SAR government appointed by People’s Republic of China government after British colonization. Hong Kong cinema responded this politic moment with several films regarding the decade after Hong Kong Handover, such as Wonder Women (2007), Hooked On You (2007) and Mr. Cinema (2007).
Mr. Cinema is directed by Samson Chiu Leung Chun, whose previous works Golden Chicken (2002) and its sequel Golden Chicken 2 (2003) are nostalgic film responding the yearning of Hong Kong in golden age of 70s and 80s in colonization period. Mr. Cinema is produced by Sil-Metropole Organization Ltd which is a leftist film company in Hong Kong, therefore the film is explicitly conceived as a commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the Hong Kong Handover.
Because of the pro-communist stance, Leftist in Hong Kong was the minority being neglected and taken out from the official Hong Kong narrative by colonist government. Mr. Cinema uses the point of view of a pro-communist leftist in Hong Kong to tell the forty years history of Hong Kong. Although Dipesh Chakrabarty (1998) stated “Minority histories” can change the discourse of the discipline without having to practice any principle of permanent revolution, the minority histories represented in Mr. Cinema is questioned if it can change the discourse of Hong Kong, and what it would like to change the discourse of Hong Kong to be? If “Minority histories” is neglected by official narrative, once “Minority histories” become official narrative, what history it would like to neglect? What history is represented in the film and what history is neglected in the film? The paper will talk about the problem of representation of controversial histories in Mr. Cinema.
Historical Background
The Hong Kong 1967 riots began in May 1967. They were caused by pro-communist leftists in Hong Kong, inspired by the Cultural Revolution in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), who turned a labour dispute into large scale demonstrations against British colonial rule. These riots became still more violent when the leftists resorted to terrorist attacks, planting fake and real bombs in the city and murdering some members of the press who voiced their opposition to the violence. Public support for the pro-communist leftists sank to an all-time low, as the public widely condemned their violent behaviour. The credibility of the PRC and its local sympathizers among Hong Kong residents was severely damaged for more than a generation.
Leftist Cinema in Hong Kong
Leftist cinema which depicts life of lower class in Hong Kong with realistic aesthetics and Utopian ideology, and was popular in Hong Kong in the 50s and 60s. But Cultural Revolution in 1966 had exacted irreparable damage on leftist cinema in Hong Kong. Some of leftist filmmakers were arrested or jailed for over a year due to 1967 riots (leftist called “anti-British movement” which also appears in Mr. Cinema). Some of leftist filmmakers quietly left Hong Kong and kept a distance from the film industry. The leftist cinema was never able to reclaim the glories of the 50s and 60s. In 1982, the leftist film companies Great Wall, Feng Huang and Sun Luen were merged to form Sil-Metropole Organisation Ltd which produced Mr. Cinema in 2007, and is to remain so up to this day.
Nostalgic representation as mourning utopianism
In nostalgia films history is presented in a stylized or allegorical form, and it may be placed on an imaginary plane. (Chan 2000, p256) In Mr. Cinema, history is presented in an allegorical form which conjugated leftist cinema, a pro-communist leftist family and Hong Kong history. The story is about a pro-communist leftist Zhou Heung-Kong (pronounced similar to “Left Hong Kong” in Cantonese, explicit connotative meaning) who grew up in the pre-1997 British colony of Hong Kong starting the from 1950s and worked as a film projectionist in leftist movie theatre. Leftist cinema is ubiquitous and has its allegorical meaning in the film.
The first establishing shot is Silver Theartre in Kwun Tong which is movie theatre operated by leftist from 1963 and was closed for reconstruction in 2009. The empty old movie theatre in present with the background song Ode to the Motherland (歌唱祖國) which depicts the sea of fluttering Five Star Red Flags (PRC national flag) at Tiananmen Square during National Day appears in the first scene. The scene following is leftist comrades gathering past old days and expressing their dreams related to their motherland, Mainland China with the same song Ode to the Motherland in background. The dream of Zhou is watching patriotic Mainland Chinese film and traveling to Beijing, specifically taking a photo in Tiananmen Square. The combination of those two scenes created the contrast between present and past. The present is empty theater waiting for closure, very few people watching the last screening alone in a dark ambiance while the past is cheerful, energetic, crowded and ambitious. The explicit contrast is not only about the passage of time, but morning the vanishing utopianism which is specific idealistic socialism in the film.
The utopianism in the past is also represented relating to cinema. Zhou lives in the rooftop of building with good and helpful neighbourhood which inherits the spirit of utopianism in leftist classic film In the Face of Demolition 危樓春曉 (1953). The same line “All for one and one for all” was told by Zhou to express his idealistic socialism. In the scene of meeting of theater staffs, pornography movie is described to make someone’s brain full of capitalism tumors. Patriotic movie is described to be able to correct those capitalism tumors. Zhou’s speech in the meeting mentioned patriotic literal art worker should strictly reject all icing cannon (those phases are widely used in Cultural Revolution). Desire (represented by pornography movie) is strictly repressed. The utopianism is selfless and free of human desire in here. In the scene of Zhou and his son picking a smaller watermelon to avoid being greedy. This greed-free behaviour is happened in front of the poster of a patriotic film Little Soldier Zhangga 小兵张嗄 (1963) about a soldier boy of Chinese communist forces fighting in the Chinese Civil War and the Second Sino-Japanese War. The sprit of Zhou’s greed-free and Chinese communist forces soldier are associated to imply the nobleness of socialist. The ending is the setting in first scene, very few audiences watching the last screening in a empty movie theater which will be closed soon and be reconstructed to a commercial building. The powerless change of Leftist theater representing utopian socialism to high-rise commercial building representing capitalism is farewell to utopian past.
The historical past in nostalgia film is reconstructed to remark past from present in order to foresee the future (Chan 2000, p256). Those historical utopianism is represented in the film by leftist cinema. The association of utopianism and leftist cinema does not only express utopian socialism in the past, but also conjunct the destiny of vanishment of both utopianism and leftist cinema in the present and the future more importantly.
Tragedy of Socialism
Beside mourning the utopian socialism through associating Leftist history and downfallen Leftist cinema, the pretence of Socialism is ridiculed through associating tragical life of a loyal leftist, Zhou’s family and Hong Kong history speciously (its speciousness will be talked about later).
The leftist comedy film Romance on the bus (1978) on screen tells the time of the initial stage of Economic Reform at 1978 indirectly. Romance on the bus is a remark of Leftist cinema, because its comedy genre changed the tradition of Leftist cinema which is serious ethic genre with strong educational tune. This change also responded the Economic Reform which changed planned economy of socialism to market economy of socialism with Chinese characteristics, an ambiguous concept between socialism and capitalism.
In that year, Zhou’s son Zhou Chong (pronounced similar to “Left-Middle” in Cantonese, connotatively means the political stance of next generation of leftist is not left anymore but middle) felt his heart painful due to heart disease in front of picture of Tiananmen while Zhou is talking about his dream of Beijing. It’s ridiculous that the moment of father yearning dream of socialism is the moment of son’s pain.
In the moment of Hong Kong Handover approaching (told by Zhou, it implies the time of after 1984, signing of Sino-British Joint Declaration), Zhou Chong’s left wing school educational background leads to his unemployment. Zhou’s socialistic behaviours (donation to left wing school and little salary in a leftist company) also lead to poverty of his family.
In the period of Economic Reform, there is a contrast between the rocky career development of Zhou Chong in Mainland and success of Zhou’s former comrade representing bourgeoisie in capitalism (not proletariat in socialism anymore). Bourgeoisie is praised by the chance of going Beijing (comparing to Zhou who is too poor to go), right to share his achievements which is his way of getting rich while praise does not happened on proletariat’s insistence.
The another ridiculousness of Zhou’s loyal socialism is revealed in the scene of the death of Ying due to her overworking for improving living standard while Zhou’s selfless bahaviours are not able to. The night before death, Ying’s complaint is accusation of Zhou’s socialism which sacrificed his family. Zhou got the news of death of Ying while Zhou feasted his leftist comrades for celebrating Hong Kong Handover coming a year later under five star flag. The association of those signs, aura of death, feast, celebration of Hong Kong Handover and five star flag connote the ridiculous pretence of Socialism which is utopian conceptually but causes tragedies eventually.
Representation of history
Hong Kong history is written in the film by conjunction of Hong Kong history and Zhou’s family, but its speciousness made the genuineness of history written is doubted. The sense of history in nostalgia genre refers not to the genuineness of what exactly happened in the past, but to the imagination of human history.(Chan 2000, p256) Whose history, what history is imagined in Mr. Cinema?
1967 riots, a critical moment of either Leftist in Hong Kong and Hong Kong, made Colonial government realized the pro-communist leftist as a threat to their governances. It is a piece of history that is often considered as taboo and being neglected and taken out from the official Hong Kong narrative. Tsui Hark’s Dangerous Encounters of the First Kind 第一類型危險 (1980) was banned because of the plot of putting a handmade bomb in a movie theater which is easily associated with the violent happened in 1967 riots. The controversy of its nature is never solved because history tried to forget. The rhetoric of “citizenship”, of “community” and “belonging” was first deployed on a grand scale as anti-Communist counter-propaganda. As a palliative to the summer of riots, bombs, and murders, a “Hong Kong Week” had been hastily worked up to include popular entertainments, exhibitions, fashion shows, and a float parade. (Turner, 2003 p24) Thus, leftist in Hong Kong were socially and politically placed outside of the hegemonic power structure. 1967 riots and leftist history have been subaltern pasts.
Subaltern pasts — aspects of there time — knots — thus act as a supplement to the historian’s pasts and in fact aid our capacity to historicize. What have called “subaltern pasts” may be thought of as intimations we receive — while engaged in the specific activity of historicizing — of this ontological “now”. (Chakrabarty 1998, 27) Chakrabarty suggested that subaltern pasts can provide a clear picture of history. Mr. Cinema as initiating the idea of telling a Hong Kong story from the perspective of the leftists for the first time, but does it act as a supplement to this subaltern past? Does it help us understand the Hong Kong history?
The length of this piece of history is surprisingly short. There are only three scenes in a short montage (about 1 minute) in this 100 minutes length feature film.
Scene 1: News clip reporting the government has sent riot police to embank the left wing union.
Scene 2: Leftist leader briefing others two important objects for protests, the whistle for gathering and the broom for displaying their slogan “Chinese people cannot be insulted”.
Scene 3: Bleeding Zhou was back to his rooftop home and argued with his rightist neighbour about the nature of riot as patriotic or messing up Hong Kong.
The film represents this subject as patriotic, defensive, suppressed that gainsay the violent image of this subject. This glance at past superficially interpreted this piece of controversial history. Its slightness does not complete history, even make it more ambiguous.
1989, June Fourth Incident, another critical moment of Hong Kong is avoided to be represented in this Hong Kong story from the perspective of the leftists. This avoidance of facing dispute is dishonest and self-deception. The only scene implicating June Fourth Incident is the scene that Zhou’s former comrade pass away during emigration trend after 1989. The time of 1989 is only implied subtly by the dialogues between Zhou’s leftist comrades:
I heard Fong has immigrated.
Yes, he left yesterday.
Why did he leave that fast? Yes
I have to decided to immigrate too.
Didn’t you say you would never leave even die?
Time has changed.
The line “Time has changed” even made the moment more ambiguous. Any judgment cannot be found in this scene, even a single word related. 1989, June Fourth Incident become subaltern past of Hong Kong history from perspective of leftist. 2003 Protests against article 23 on 1 July is also totally neglected and taken away from this Hong Kong story from perspective of leftist.
Benjamin stated to articulate what is past does not mean to recognize “how it really was.” It means to take control of a memory, as it flashes in a moment of danger. (Benjamin 2003) Mr. Cinema represented the subaltern past of leftist speciously, and even also avoid their taboo self-deceptively and take control of our memory. If the official narrative written by colonist was a lie, leftist is trying to tell a bigger falsism concealing their disgraceful history.
References
Benjamin, Walter. “On the Concept of History” Selected Writings, Vol. 4. Ed. Howard Eiland and Michael W. Jennings. Trans. Edmund Jephcott et al. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2003.
Chakrabarty, Dipesh Chakrabarty. “Minority Histories, Subaltern Pasts” Postcolonial Studies Volume 1 №1 (1998): 15–29. Print.
Chan, Natalia Sui Hung. “Rewriting History: Hong Kong Nostalgia Cinema and Its Social Practice Natalia Chan Sui Hung” The Cinema of Hong Kong: History, Arts, Identity. Poshek Fu, David Desser. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002. 252. Print.
Cheung, Esther M K. “The Hi/Stories of Hong Kong” Cultural Studies Volume 15 Issue 3–4 (2001): 564–590. Print.
Jameson, Fredric. “Third-World Literature in the Era of Multinational Capitalism” Social Text Autumn №15 (1986): 65–88. Print
Turner, Matthew. “60s/90s Dissolving the People” Narrating Hong Kong Culture and Identity. Pun Ngai, Yee Lai-man. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 2003. 24–50. Print.
Golden Chicken. Samson Chiu Leung Chun. 2002. DVD. Panorama Entertainment, 2002.
Golden Chicken 2. Samson Chiu Leung Chun. 2003. DVD. Panorama Entertainment, 2003.
Hooked On You. Law Wing-Cheong. 2007. DVD. Media Asia Group, 2007.
In the Face of Demolition. Dir. Li Tie. 1953. VCD. Zhu cheng video, 2003.
Mr. Cinema. Dir. Samson Chiu Leung Chun. 2007. DVD. Joy Sales Film & Video Distributions, 2007
Wonder Women. Dir. Wong Chun-chun. 2007. DVD. Deltamac, 2007.
