WITH ICONIC films such as Fist of Fury, Infernal Affairs, and In the Mood for Love, Hong Kong cinema has been an important part of the international film industry since the 20th century. Hong Kong films have always been known to their international audiences for their portrayals of vivid cityscapes, unique filming techniques, atmospheric music, and martial arts stunts. Today, some of Hong Kong’s most renowned films are being re-released in South Korean cinemas, reigniting popularity among younger generations. The history of Hong Kong’s movie industry provides a thorough overview of how its films evolved to achieve their characteristic genre, styles, appeals, and international influence.

The transitional age

   During the 1970s, Hong Kong cinema went through a variety of stylistic changes, giving it its name: “the Transitional Age.” Previously, the industry included both Mandarin and Cantonese movies and was in the midst of exploring diverse genres such as young adult, opera, martial arts, etc[1][2]. With the rise of bigger studios and free television broadcasting during the 1970s, smaller Cantonese productions were gradually replaced with commercialized Mandarin works. By 1972, Cantonese films were no longer being produced[1][3]. In order to remain in the film industry during such challenging times, studios had to strategically shift their focus toward producing works with a more sensational and violent style to gain the public’s attention.

   It was during this era that martial arts films began to gain major recognition both in Hong Kong and abroad; this marked the start of iconic vintage Hong Kong cinema. Works such as Fist of Fury brought attention to Kung fu and martial arts films, allowing Cantonese movies to become influential worldwide. Bruce Lee shot to international fame as a martial arts icon, featuring in sales record-breaking movies such as Big Boss and Fist of Fury. In an interview with The Yonsei Annals, Loren Goodman (Professor of English, Chair of Comparative Literature and Culture, UIC., Yonsei Univ.) says, “Bruce Lee was a pioneer, a paradigm changer in many respects. One thing that was never the same after Bruce Lee’s appearance was fight choreography in Hollywood action films. It became more technical, accomplished, sophisticated, and realistic.” While martial arts films were originally starred by western actors with minimal training giving superficial portrayals, Bruce Lee, as seen in The Lost Interview, defined martial arts as a form of honest self-expression. He, along with Jackie Chan, starred in some of the most representative martial arts movies of this era, giving an authentic representation of Asians and marking their place in the international film scene. Although Hollywood was more advanced in screenwriting, directing, production values, Hong Kong had a group of talented and courageous stuntmen that differentiated their action choreography from that of other international action films[4]. The unique presence of Hong Kong cinema’s action genre was very refreshing for the foreign audience. As a result, Hollywood film directors like Robert Clouse requested that Lee star in the iconic movie Enter the Dragon. This, along with his other movies, not only started the “kung-fu craze” around the world, but also inspired many international entertainment industries to invest in the production of martial-arts-themed video games, anime, and music[5]. Bruce Lee was the most iconic martial artist who led the rise of Hong Kong martial arts movies, and his death brought great grief and change to the Hong Kong cinema. 

   Adding onto the growth of the martial arts genre, the Shaw Brothers Studio produced a Cantonese comedy film The House of 72 Tenants in 1973. This new comedic genre set new records in the box offices, displacing Mandarin as the main language of Hong Kong cinema and maintaining the Cantonese culture within the films[3]. By 1977, Cantonese productions were at the heart of Hong Kong cinema once more and successfully outnumbered Mandarin productions by 1977[2]. With the emergence of icons, characteristic genres, and the exploration of television came the “Hong Kong New Wave”, where many iconic works were discovered[1][3].

Genre development and boom years

   After the success of martial arts films in the 1970s, Hong Kong started exploring new styles and genres of films that went beyond action films. With the increased awareness of Hong Kong movies in the international market, actors, directors, and film companies were able to work on diverse projects that strived to introduce iconic Hong Kong film tropes and socio-political themes to the world.

   In the 1980s, continuing from the previous Bruce Lee era, actor Jackie Chan introduced the Hong Kong crime thriller film genre to the international audience through his film series Police Story. The series was critical in shaping what Jackie Chan represented in Hong Kong cinema—the “symbol of the city’s energetic, can-do spirit [3].” His energy contrasted with Bruce Lee’s as he “introduced a humorous vulnerability, showing fear, pain, uncertainty to his fighting sequences. His performance was in stark contrast to Lee’s, marked by invincibility, ultra-confidence, and intensity,” explains Professor Goodman. Not only did Jackie Chan’s film series provide a transition from the 70s action films, but they also helped proliferate the presence of the crime genre in Hong Kong cinema. Police Story explores the themes surrounding drugs and the police’s conflicting relationship with criminals. 

   These themes marked their places in Hong Kong cinema, by reappearing in iconic movies such as Wong Kar Wai’s Chungking Express, a 1990s film portraying a love story between a policeman and a drug dealer being chased by the police force. Wong continued to focus more on personal and urban stories. In presenting his perspective of the city undergoing social and political transformations during the 80s and 90s, he was cinematically influenced by French New Wave directors such as Truffaut and Godard. Wong used a similar style to theirs when representing the fast-paced urban setting of Hong Kong, by portraying spontaneity and paced movement throughout his films[6]. His films depicted a very personal take on stories of people living in this hectic city, while also reflecting the socio-political changes at the time. He ignored the conventional structure of film plots within the “notoriously money-mad film industry” at the time, focusing more on exploring his artistic freedom to convey the city’s unique identity[7]. Wong introduced his unique aesthetic vision along with his unconventional storytelling to push mainstream Hong Kong cinema into the avant-garde. Film historian Ken Dancyger further commented that Wong’s films often showed “fragmented and sometimes illogical narrative structures[8].” Instead of focusing on the flow of the plot itself, Wong drew in his audience by creating highly personal portrayals of the internal conflicts experienced by the characters, illustrating poetic stories with multi-layered messages.

   The exploration of new genres provided lots of opportunities for new actors to partake in different films, acting as a platform for their growth in the movie industry. For example, Leslie Cheong first appeared in Wong’s film titled Happy Together which explored a new theme of homosexuality—this movie served as a platform for him to become a pioneer of LGBT+ representation in the media[3]. The film was considered to be one of the best LGBT+ [9] films in the New Queer Cinema movement. Wong won “Best Director” at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival for Happy Together[10]. Wong’s films explored the more sensitive and raw topics of mental health and homosexuality that had previously not been depicted in Hong Kong films.

   In the 1990s, due to its geopolitical and cultural relationship with mainland China, the Hong Kong population was becoming more political. Films such as Farewell My Concubine, which was recently re-released in South Korean cinemas, reflected these concerns, portraying Hong Kong’s skepticism of the CCP and the change in its status of autonomy. These films paved the path for the Hong Kong film industry’s methods of practicing freedom of expression in current times[11]. The messages that these films carried were very personal and close to the heart of many, as they represented Hong Kongers’ national identity during an era where their state’s autonomy was in question.

   The films during the 80s and early 90s depicted messages important to Hong Kong’s society, showing directors’ unique takes on different genres and themes that captured the essence of the city’s atmosphere as well as the people’s cultural and sociopolitical identity. This era was and still continues to be celebrated, both domestically and internationally, for its exploration of a diverse array of stories, artistic liberty, and freedom of expression. It established many iconic tropes and characteristics of Hong Kong’s cinematic universe.

Post-glamour years

   From the late 1990s, Hong Kong cinema began to experience a crisis; political and economic issues impinged on the film industry’s development. One of the most significant events involved the Asian Financial Crisis in 1997. The Asian Financial Crisis and Hong Kong handover in 1997  brought about many changes and threats posed on the film industry. The same year, imported films outperformed local Hong Kong films for the first time in decades[3]. Also, with the enactment of the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement between China and Hong Kong in 2003, China did not impose import quotas on Hong Kong films and officially categorized these co-produced movies as Chinese domestic movies[12]. This change swayed the Hong Kong filmmakers to produce films for bigger audiences in mainland China and the world with less focus on the local audience. Those who remained in Hong Kong had to take a more careful approach when producing their movies, as their movies were censored for sensitive political content such as Triad-related language[1][2]. As Hong Kong film critic and filmmaker Freddie Wong stated in an interview with Variety, “The top directors [had their eyes] on the money and didn’t mind playing along with the mainland system. [Co-producing films with mainland’s film industry] means you are required to submit your scripts for the censorship board’s scrutiny. Your creativity is under control.” The filmmakers’ gradual transition to mainland industries led to the loss of culture and creativity in Hong Kong movies, ultimately contributing to its downfall.

   Additionally, there were no new upcoming stars to continue the legacies of iconic figures such as Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Jet Li, and Leslie Chung[3]. With the economic crisis, filmmakers were reluctant to invest in new talents and settled for the stars that were already well-known from the golden age. The lack of innovation within Hong Kong’s film industry ultimately led to the decline in its viewership as it failed to compete effectively in the international film market[3]. While its foreign competitors were becoming more influential and expanding their realm, Hong Kong cinema was relatively unsuccessful in maintaining its celebrated reputation and fame.

   Despite the challenges it faced during its post-boom years, co-producing films with western or mainland industries also—ironically enough—gave rise to new opportunities and achievements. Some of Hong Kong’s most remembered films, such as Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love, were produced during this period[3]. Among these co-produced films was Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s Infernal Affairs, a story about an undercover policeman in a Triad and a mole in the police office, which successfully brought heavier crime thrillers to the mainstream. Prior to this film, most Hong Kong movies incorporated comedic elements regardless of their serious theme. However, Infernal Affairs introduced the genre of neo-noir into Hong Kong’s mainstream culture[13]. Following its great success, the film had two sequels and was remade into the Hollywood Oscar-winning film The Departed, revigorating Hong Kong cinema’s international influence. 

Hong Kong cinema today

   With the recent threats made to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy advocates, the citizens of Hong Kong have been active more than ever in trying to promote and protect their culture and media from the Chinese government. The 2014 Umbrella Movement consisting of 79 days’ worth of pro-democracy protests, interestingly, occurred just a few months after Hong Kong films, such as Fruit Chan’s The Midnight After and Pang Ho-cheung’s Aberdeen, began to refocus on domestic stories. According to Freddie Wong, the political awakening started a fresh wave in Hong Kong movies, with films focusing more on local socio-political themes than their entertainment value. Wong Chun, a Hong Kong director, emphasizes in an interview with Variety, that “Film is becoming a channel of expression in a repressed and desperate society. For us, getting more people to listen to our stories is more important than anything else. Now instead of focusing on mainland China, we need to tell stories to a global audience.”

   In 2020, a documentary about the 2019 protests titled Inside the Red Brick Walls was to be aired on-screen, but the show ended up being canceled by the film company due to political pressure[3]. Additionally, Ten Years, a Hong Kong film carrying controversial political views, was banned in mainland China despite it having won the title of “Best Film” in the Hong Kong Film Awards[14]. Many directors who have worked on pieces that had pro-democracy messages were affected by this censorship and media control. Despite Hong Kong’s relatively smaller market size, their movies are once again becoming the ideal instruments for locals who wish to preserve their culture and freedom of speech.

*                 *                 *

   From its transitional age in the 1970s, Hong Kong cinema has undergone and adapted to dynamic changes in its genre, style, and themes, gaining and maintaining its international reputation. Recently in Korea, some of the most iconic Hong Kong films are being re-released, attracting many fans and film enthusiasts. Today, Hong Kong’s movie industry is still morphing, reflecting the social, political, and cultural trends. With its rich history, it continues to hold cultural significance and value for both local citizens and its international audiences.

[1] Avenue of Stars

[2] The Chinese University of Hong Kong

[4] Bruce Lee: A Life, written by Matthew Polly

[3] South China Morning Post

[5] Tatler

[6] Journal of Asian Pacific Communication

[7] The Criterion

[8] Cinematic Hong Kong of Wong Kar-wai by Haihong Li (PHD)

[9] LGBT+: A term referring to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender +

[10] Lisbon & Sintra Film Festival

[11] “A Brief History of Hong Kong Cinema” by Paul Fonoroff (Published under the Chinese University of Hong Kong)

[12 ] Variety

[13] Mediakron

[14] BBC News