youre right about the decreased gap between film and tv. but it made me think a bit in terms of the look of something like raul ruiz' mysteries of lisbon. the production values felt more tv something like say, house of flying daggers. i kept thinking someone should tap HHH to do a long form series, like a wuxia twin peaks. im surprised that it was shot on 35mm (suppose it shows that you can make film look like digital tv and vice versa). but there was def something slight about this compared to what else ive seen of his - it def had that stillness, and moments of opaqueness, but it didnt seem to come with as much meaning. that might come if i watch it again maybe, not sure.
im glad hes getting accolades. obv if youre 'into film', you will prob know of him, but hes not nearly as famous as other east asian auteurs.
― StillAdvance, Thursday, 4 February 2016 17:11 (eight years ago) link
i think im thinking texturally, or in terms of the grain, as well as attention to lighting, and atmosphere, etc.
compare this still from city of sadness to the assassin -
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/City-of-Sadness-400.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5f7BVKfXipQ/Vciw4l4gJDI/AAAAAAAE8qc/x3ru511ewII/s1600/assassin7.jpg
― StillAdvance, Thursday, 4 February 2016 17:20 (eight years ago) link
Anybody seen the wuxia tv shows? I seen some trailers and was amazed because the movie-like quality of them seems far beyond even American tv shows.
― Robert Adam Gilmour, Thursday, 4 February 2016 18:10 (eight years ago) link
I haven't seen Mysteries of Lisbon but he is so diff to HHH. 'TV production values' vs film - again, I wonder how much of a gap there is in the first place between either of them.
From the two screenshots I take your point but City of Sadness does, iirc, evoke a very different mood in its intentions and its a very different story - which I think why at least trying to follow some of the story's strands (and I didn't follow all of them) might be worthwhile.
― xyzzzz__, Thursday, 4 February 2016 20:41 (eight years ago) link
It's posit StillAdvance means that MOL has the leisurely pace of, say, Berlin Alexanderplatz.
― The burrito of ennui (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, 4 February 2016 20:48 (eight years ago) link
posit = possible
i only mentioned MOL as it was also a tv project IIRC but i think the thing with the assassin is that the image is very naked. or made to seem very naked (ive read some reviews since seeing it comment on it being like a painting come to life but i would say its more just like a digital photograph come to life, which im not sure really suits it as its meant to be a period piece). made me think of inland empire actually. i know the lighting was all natural, but idk, i like a bit of artifice, so maybe its just personal preference (i feel a bit like QT complaining about digital projection being TV, but i think its about the choices made in the shooting and the lighting, not the projection).
i still need to watch berlin alexanderplatz.
― StillAdvance, Friday, 5 February 2016 10:35 (eight years ago) link
its more just like a digital photograph come to life, which im not sure really suits it as its meant to be a period piece
Period piece needn't mean you sould exclude digital.
Some of the colours felt oversaturated.
― xyzzzz__, Friday, 5 February 2016 11:40 (eight years ago) link
I think this film's status as a 'period film' is quite complex (especially when there are fantasy elements in play) - it has the feel of a retold childhood fable, a remembrance of a story rather than the story itself, and so the brightness of the colours seems an appropriate way of expressing memory, and wonderment.
― Chicamaw (Ward Fowler), Friday, 5 February 2016 12:14 (eight years ago) link
So, this is a masterpiece! Reminded me a lot of Amour Fou in it's depiction of a rotten, codified, millieu. Also, reading up on the history behind it, the whole thin is based on fact, it seems. It's really not that complicated.
― Frederik B, Monday, 18 April 2016 11:53 (eight years ago) link
http://www.davidbordwell.net/blog/2016/06/06/hou-hsiao-hsien-film-culture-finally-comes-through/
― 龜, Monday, 6 June 2016 16:34 (seven years ago) link
Daughter of the Nile has a 30th anniversary 4K restoration opening in NY this week
https://quadcinema.com/film/daughter-of-the-nile/
― ice cream social justice (Dr Morbius), Monday, 23 October 2017 20:47 (six years ago) link
watched tai pei story last week; every shot is gorgeous
― flopson, Monday, 23 October 2017 21:28 (six years ago) link
I really liked The Puppetmaster. It was definitely made more interesting for me by the mixing of casual narration in voice-over and interview scenes with the historical storytelling. The “almost like life” puppet show scenes and opera scenes were also mesmerizing. Didn’t think the narrative was confusing at all (unlike The Assassin). Can relate to what was said above about his films being delicate/miniaturized, the preference for mid- and long-range shots really add emotional distance to the events of the stories
enjoyed reading this thread
― Dan S, Friday, 2 November 2018 23:43 (five years ago) link
I used the search function to find this thread, was disappointed to realize I posted this to ILF. surprising to me that there's no Hou Hsiao-Hsien thread on ILE
― Dan S, Saturday, 3 November 2018 00:15 (five years ago) link
I've seen The Assassin twice now, I'm still not sure I really understand it, but it is a beautiful film
― Dan S, Sunday, 3 February 2019 03:10 (five years ago) link
Only saw the one time when it came out but would like to see again. Where is it streaming? Only thing I see available is Daughter of the Nile on Kanopy. Actually just watched Three Times about a week ago on Mubi and it was incredible.
― Only a Factory URL (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 February 2019 03:19 (five years ago) link
Seems like I missed whole Metrograph retro and don’t think I can get there tomorrow for the last day.
― Only a Factory URL (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 February 2019 03:29 (five years ago) link
I want to see Three Times again, I remember liking it the first time, especially the 1966 sequence. haven't seen Daughter of the Nile yet. The Assassin is available on netflix dvd. the quality of the dvd I rented this time was superior (I thought) to that I saw initially
― Dan S, Sunday, 3 February 2019 03:30 (five years ago) link
I know dvds are not something most people consider watching today, but without them, at least for the moment, I think viewers are missing out on a lot of great classic films
― Dan S, Sunday, 3 February 2019 03:37 (five years ago) link
Yeah, I know I am.
― Only a Factory URL (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 February 2019 03:39 (five years ago) link
The Assassin seems like a very different film to me this time. wondering what it will feel like again in 5 years
― Dan S, Sunday, 3 February 2019 04:30 (five years ago) link
I can recommend googling the names of characters in The Assassin. Some of them are historical characters, whose stories don't end there.
― Frederik B, Sunday, 3 February 2019 08:03 (five years ago) link
Figuring out subs for French restoration of the 'HHH: A Portrait of Hou Hsiao-Hsien' documentary. Love this segement: pic.twitter.com/bd5f13eZOk— mmcc (@mattmccrac) August 17, 2022
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 7 August 2023 14:08 (eight months ago) link
Having completed the subtitle project and working now on packaging them and the video together properly, please enjoy Hou Hsiao-hsien's magnificent singing at KTV."Cheers friends, let it all out!"https://t.co/6rqqjCGJuc pic.twitter.com/tBrtsxr2LM— mmcc (@mattmccrac) August 2, 2023
https://variety.com/2023/film/news/hou-hsiao-hsien-taiwan-director-retirement-1235768092/
― citation needed (Steve Shasta), Wednesday, 25 October 2023 18:34 (five months ago) link
that's a loss but he seems to be doing what's best for his health and i hope he has a long happy retirement
― no gap tree for old men (Noodle Vague), Wednesday, 25 October 2023 18:42 (five months ago) link
Hope this sad news inspires a push to finally get decent physical media editions of things like Puppetmaster and City of Sadness out there.
The Assassin was a hell of a film to go out on.
― Ward Fowler, Wednesday, 25 October 2023 19:52 (five months ago) link
https://www.taiwanplus.com/shows/culture/between-the-tides-taiwans-new-wave-classics-and-beyond
dust in the wind (and other non-HHH classics) available for streaming here
― 龜, Wednesday, 1 November 2023 15:32 (five months ago) link
"Before he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he had often shared with us that his love for films has become purer."
Thank you so much for your films, Hou.
― xyzzzz__, Thursday, 2 November 2023 17:20 (five months ago) link