The Sensuous Cinema of Wong Kar-wai

Film Poetics and the Aesthetic of Disturbance

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by Gary Bettinson

Type

Studies

Subject

Director > Wong Kar-wai

Keywords

Wong Kar-wai, aesthetics

Publishing date

2015

Publisher

Hong Kong University Press

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 176 pages
6 x 9 inches (15 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-988-8139-29-3

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Book Presentation:
The widely acclaimed films of Wong Kar-wai are characterized by their sumptuous yet complex visual and sonic style. This study of Wong's filmmaking techniques uses a poetics approach to examine how form, music, narration, characterization, genre and other artistic elements work together to produce certain effects on audiences. Bettinson argues that Wong's films are permeated by an aesthetic of sensuousness and "disturbance" achieved through techniques such as narrative interruptions, facial masking, opaque cuts, and other complex strategies. The effect is to jolt the viewer out of complete aesthetic absorption. Each of the chapters focuses on a single aspect of Wong's filmmaking. The book also discusses Wong's influence on other filmmakers in Hong Kong and around the world. The Sensuous Cinema of Wong Kar-wai will appeal to all who are interested in authorship and aesthetics in film studies, to scholars in Asian studies, media and cultural studies, and to anyone with an interest in Hong Kong cinema in general, and Wong's films in particular.

About the Author:
Gary Bettinson is a lecturer in film studies at Lancaster University, UK. He is editor of Asian Cinema, the Directory of World Cinema: China and author (with Richard Rushton) of What Is Film Theory? An Introduction to Contemporary Debates.

See the publisher website: Hong Kong University Press

See the complete filmography of Wong Kar-wai on the website: IMDB ...