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Three Times — Director information

this page still under construction

[draft]

Some of the better links on Hou Hsiao Hsien:

Wiki: Hou Hsiao-Hsien

IMDb: Hsiao-Hsien Hou

From podcasts on Chinese Cinema: Style and Meaning in the films of Hou Hsiao-Hsien (scroll down to March 15)

"strictly film school" — Summaries of many of Hou's best films including Flowers of Shanghai, the basis for the second story of Three Times

 

Hou Hsiao-Hsien (侯孝賢; 侯孝贤; Hóu Xiàoxián)

[from my lecture notes]

Taiwan film slow to mature because of Japanese occupation, issues with the mainland, and very strong economic neighbors (199) growth of technology sector of Taipei in 1980s, relaxation of censorship (200) tension between traditional Confucianism and rural life on the one hand and hypermodern capitalism on the other (201).

Hou Hsiao-hsien: "New Taiwanese Cinema" or New Wave, part of self-criticism of the country, supported by CMPC (Central Motion Picture Company)

Hou regarded as one of the world's greatest living directors (201)

Educated at National Taiwan Academy of Arts, founded 1957, in Taipei (http://www.sibmas.org/idpac/asia/twt002.html#8 )

Until 1990s, his films about issues of Taiwanese history and identity

Born China's Guangdong Province, 1947, emigrated 1948

1985 breakthrough film A Time to Live and a Time to Die. a poet of daily life, his meticulously composed long takes and meandering narrative structure reflect the rhythms of small town existence (202) ... affection with losers (206) as in "ordinary people, working class, gangsters and bargirls" (207); constraints and independence (206) and our Three Times definitely this.

Voted "Director of the Decade" in the 1990s by a poll of American and international critics) but films not widely distributed (wiki)

Films on my mind:

 

Director: HOU Hsiao Hsien (Chinese, Taipei)
Year released: 2005
Running time: 2:06
Setting: 1) 1960s industrial town, 2) 1911 courtesan's establishment, 3) 2005 Taipei
IMDb: Three Times
Release data (Box Office Mojo): Three Times

1966

Chen: main male protagonist who loves May

May: the main female protagonist

Haruko: a pool girl who works briefly at the place where May will work

1911

Mr. Chang: main male protagonist, diplomat involved with Taiwan's struggle for independence

Ah Mei-1: main female protagonist, a courtesan who is beginning to age

Ah Mei-2: a younger courtesan originally scheduled to take over the duties of Ah Mei-1

10-year-old girl: to be trained as a courtesan

2005

Zhen: main male protagonist, works in a digital photoshop and has a girlfriend names Blue

Jing: main female protagonist, a singer with epilepsy

Micky: Jing's female lover

Topics of focus for this film:

Context: Role of cultural contexts in shaping these romantic narratives (place, socio-economic group, time periods)

Layering: Is its use indicative of something cultural in Taiwan or East Asia or not?

Modes of communication, especially "letters" (in whatever form).

Role of music in the three stories.

On our schedule, this movie begins with Session 36.

First session: Scenes 00-06 (42 min.) Second session: Scenes 07-13 (39 min.) Third session: Scenes 14-18 (45 min.) Fourth session: open discussion (50 min.)

Availability: Media Center (Moffitt) — DVD 6514 / Netflix I don't think so