Craziness and Carnival in Neo-Noir Chinese Cinema offers an in-depth discussion of the “stone phenomenon” in Chinese film production and cinematic discourses triggered by the extraordinary success of the 2006 low-budget film, Crazy Stone. Surveying the nuanced implications of the film noir genre, Harry Kuoshu argues that global neo noir maintains a mediascape of references, borrowings, and re-workings and explores various social and cultural issues that constitute this Chinese episode of neo noir. Combining literary explorations of carnival, postmodernism, and post-socialism, Kuoshu advocates for neo noir as a cultural phenomenon that connects filmmakers, film critics, and film audiences rather than an industrial genre.
Author(s): Harry H. Kuoshu
Series: Chinese Literature and Culture in the World
Publisher: Palgrave Pivot
Year: 2021
Language: English
Pages: 166
Preface
Contents
About the Author
List of Figures
Chapter 1: Introduction: Crazy Stone Phenomenon and Chinese Neo-noir Comedies
1 Black Carnival: The Stone Phenomenon
2 Dog and King: To Configure Craziness
3 Darkness: Black Humor, Film Noir, and Neo-noir
4 Modernity: Modernism, Postmodernism, and Post-socialism
5 Laughter: Carnival Revelry and Darkness
6 Nihilism, Cynicism, and Chinese Neo-noir
References
Chinese Language Sources
English Language Sources
Chapter 2: Prelude: Rehumanization Craziness and Traditional Noir
1 “Modernist” Craziness
2 Desperate Songstress: Cool, Rocking Darkness
3 Desperation: Self-Chasing and Existential Modernism
4 Obsession: Activating Cultural Psychoanalysis
References
Chinese Language Sources
English Language Sources
Chapter 3: Discourses: Crazy Stone Dropped in a Postmodern Pond
1 Postmodernism
2 Grassroots
3 Carnival
4 Egao (Mischievous Parody) and Shanzhai (Copycatting)
References
Chinese Language Sources
English Language Sources
Chapter 4: Films: Because of Crazy Stone
1 Lost and Found: Darkness for Sale
2 Stone Hitting on Swords: A Postmodern Masquerade
The Second Best: To Uncrown National Heroes
Almost Perfect: A Doomed Quest
A Simple Noodle Story: Bright-Color, Neo-noir Profanity
3 Happy: Idealism, Formalism, and Bitter Laughter
4 Crazy Racer: To Construct a Ning Hao Brand
5 Crazy Foolish Thieves: Connections with Hong Kong
References
Chinese Language Sources
English Language Sources
Chapter 5: Dual Retrieval of Cinematic Craziness: A Coda
References
Chinese Language Sources
English Language Sources
Ning Hao
References
Chinese Language Sources
English Language Sources
Filmography (By Directors)
Ah Gan (Ah Gump)
Bai Qiulin
Huang Bo
Li Kai
Liu Guoquan
Ma Liwen
Ning Hao
Wang Yuelun
Zhang Yimou
Zhou Xiaowen
Index
