Description
Book SynopsisWhat is the sentimental? How can we understand it by way of the visual and narrative modes of signification specific to cinema and through the manners of social interaction and collective imagining specific to a particular culture in transition? This book explores these questions through contemporary Chinese directors.
Trade Reviewa thought-inspiring work of scholarship Journal of Film and Video [Chow] captivates us with her challenging and refreshing arguments. Highly recommended. Library Journal A thoughtful discussion of nine contemporary Chinese directors and their cinematic accomplishments. -- James A. Cox The Midwest Book Review Through Chow's perspective, the sentimental thus becomes a productive and promising concept for understanding national cinema. -- Kristi McKim Film Quarterly Chow's scholarship is consistently superior in its provocative arguments for humanistic concerns and its impressive coverage of secondary sources. -- Howard Y. F. Choy, Wittenberg University The China Journal Sentimental Fabulations, Contemporary Chinese Films is a thought-inspiring work of scholarship. -- Jie Li Journal of Film and Video
Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments Note on Transcriptions Introduction Part I: Remembrance of Things Past 1 The Seductions of Homecoming: Temptress Moon and the Question of Origins 2 Nostalgia of the New Wave: Romance, Domesticity,a nd the Longing for Oneness in Happy Together 3 The Everyday in The Road Home and In the Mood for Love: From the Legacy of Socialism to the Potency of Yuan Part II: Migrants' Lore, Women's Options 4 Autumn Hearts: Filming Feminine "Psychic Interiority" in Song of the Exile 5 By Way of Mass Commodities: Love in Comrades, Almost a Love Story 6 All Chinese Families are Alike: Biopolitics in Eat a Bowl of Tea and The Wedding Banquet Part III: Picturing the Life to Come... 7
