The research of Shen Cong-Wen and Hou Hsiao-Hsien's style

• Main Authors: Ya-chun Yang, 楊雅君
• Other Authors: Jeng-dau Jung
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2012
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/44521530889197328890

碩士 === 東吳大學 === 中國文學系 === 100 === The 1980s of "Taiwan’s New Wave cinema movement" is the ear for Taiwan film and literature to form an alliance. Many cutting-edge writers have joined into the filed of film screenwriter and filled with a deep sense of literary taste, which leads the films of this period to be austerity, modest and realistic style of performance. In 1989, "A City of Sadness" of Hou Hsiao-Hsien(1947 -) has been awarded prizes for the best film of the Venice Film Festival, which push this movement to the highest. Hou Hsiao-Hsien read “The autobiography of Cong-Wen” which sent from Chu Tien-Wen (1956 -) by chance, then his storytelling has been created as unique image style of naturalistic and steady. That is quite different from the former three films of mainstream commercials and love themes. To make a comprehensive survey of academic research for Shen Cong-Wen (1902-1988) or Hou Hsiao-hsien, the outcome is fruitful. However, the relative research of Hou Hsiao-Hsien was inspired by Shen’s spirit is insufficient. Therefore, this thesis will discuss what inspired Hou Hsiao-Hsien through Shen Cong-Wen’s writing after five decades; and the commonality of the two visual imagination and spiritual perspective as the research topic. This thesis can be divided into: Chapter one "Introduction". Chapter two "The image languages of Shen Cong-Wen and Hou Hsiao-Hsien”-- In this chapter we will discuss what inspired Hou Hsiao-Hsien through Shen Cong-Wen. The spiritual commonality of these two persons can be found from Hou Hsiao-hsien’s shooting style in films: 1.Long-take: presents the character of "naturalistic", "steady", "far from empty"; 2. Emptiness: a sense of oriental implicit beauty, which shows the impliedly feeling; 3. Montage: "A city of Sadness” combined “Chinese poetry” into montage, which shows "artistically montage"; “clouds montage” spreads like clouds and stacks forward, which is from " the Puppetmaster”, showing the conception of "respect for the object"; 4.Off scene: breaking the consistency of space-time, showing the atmosphere of reciting poetry and the characteristics of the metonymic image. Chapter three "the theme of Shen Cong-Wen and Hou Hsiao-Hsien – continuities and changes", mainly discusses “continuities” and “changes” of people in everyday life which Shen was familiar with, as well as all sadness and happiness that mingled. While Hou Hsiao-Hsien films with the attitude of “cool detachment for life and death”, shows specifically respect for the changing of everything – “changes” and eternal truth -- “continuities”. Therefore, “changes” and “continuities” become the main theme of works of Shen Cong-Wen and Hou Hsiao-Hsien. We will discuss the following four topics from the elements of space and time: 1. Humanity and the law; 2. Suburban and urban; 3. Mortal and immortal; 4. Past and present. From them we can notice both Shen and Hou have the same perception about “changes” in the era and “continuities” in pursuit of the eternal life. Chapter four "Conclusion - to erase all the boundaries and distances”-- In addition to synthesize the chapters mentioned above, we will conclude the following characteristics: 1.cool detachment and insight into things; 2. impliedly feeling and aftertaste; 3. Harmony with nature and respect for the objects; 4. Focus on reality and beyond the space-time. Consequently, we have the conclusion that the detached spirit in Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s images is inspired by Shen Cong-wen’s writing. “After experienced the nature and the life deeply, will acquire love, respect, forgiveness and tolerance”, this become the common characteristics of both Hou and Shen.