History and National Identity in A City of Sadness (1989)

1. History and National Identity in A City of Sadness (1989) 林文淇 and Kate Liu

2. Outline • Background: Hou Hsiao-Hsien 侯孝賢, Taiwanese Films and History • Issues for Discussion • Its historical methodsand presentation of 228 • Its views of Taiwanese historyand national identity • History and contemporary Taiwan

3. Hou Hsiao-Hsien 侯孝賢 • In Taiwanese Films –New Taiwanese Cinema • 光陰的故事 Edward Yang 1982 • Hou’s 兒子的大玩偶、風櫃來的人、尼羅河的女兒－－新電影 • Localism and realism (vs. 瓊瑤 films) • Hou: stationed camera with long take; careful aesthetic composition.

4. 侯孝賢In Taiwanese Films (2) A City of Sadness -- 30 million NT dollar budget (over 1 million US dollars), twice its original budget and larger than that of any other films at the time. -- the first Taiwanese film, and the first Asian film in 40 years, to have won The Gold Lion at Venice Film Fest. -- both promoted and denied to be a film about 228. -- shown without cuts ‘after’ winning the prize. (Ref. Chi 71-72)

5. 侯孝賢In Taiwanese Films (3) 新電影之死? The making a film for the Ministry of National Defense—《一切為明天》 by Hou, 吳念真、陳國富、小野. • an advertisement for the armed forces; • The use of the form of music video; • Debates over its complicity with the government, implicit subversiveness or its just being an odd event.

6. Hou Hsiao-Hsien 侯孝賢 (2) 2. Taiwanese History – (1) early films Taiwanese society in the 80’s (2) 台灣三部曲 － • 10th-- 悲情城市1989︰1945-1949 (實際涵蓋時間更廣) • 戲夢人生1993︰台灣割讓給日本人﹔1910李天祿出生－ 1939－ 台灣光復1945． • 好男好女︰1937 蔣碧玉認識鍾浩東﹐1940 赴大陸．－1949 被捕﹐－1950 年十月十四日鍾浩東被殺﹐臨刑前〈幌馬車之歌〉響起． (3) Recent Films –千禧曼波、海上花、咖啡時光

7. Hou Hsiao-Hsien 侯孝賢 (3) 3. The Taiwanese in History – • A City of Sadness – like Lotus Blossom Land, it is part of the liberated/liberating discourses around the time of 解嚴。 (The film’s preparation since 1987 –1988, the lifting of martial law  released in 1989) (2) 台灣三部曲 － • 三部影片符號的重疊︰李天祿、〈幌馬車之歌〉、弟子戲、流氓（世家）、吃飯

8. The Film’s Historical Methods • Questions: • Is the film about 228? • If not, what is it about? If so, why is 228 so important in Taiwanese History?

9. 228 in Taiwan’s History • A turning point – “Birth” of a nation and its brutalities • Its controversies –multiple interpretation of the following issues︰ • Interpretation of 陳儀﹐and the army’s killing the innocent civilians; • Official documents – completely publicized or not; • The correctness of official history vs. witness accounts;

10. 228 and The Film’s Presentation • The film’s apparent focuses: • Lin family (林家兄弟生活)﹐文雄、文良、文森、文清 (and 阿嘉, the brother of 文雄’s concubine; vs. 金泉﹚ • Hinomi (Kuan-mei) and Wen-ching (寬美與文清的愛情故事) • Hino (Kuan-liang) and the other intellectuals’ revolt (知識份子的反動) • How are the gang fights related to 228?

11. 228 and the Gang Fights • forged money  紅猴  阿嘉、文良 involved; • 文雄 is able to solve the problem with the help of the elderly woman; • But 文良 is caught as a traitor. Why? The Shanghaiese merchants. • * clip of negotiation

12. 228 and The Film’s Presentation • Worries and complaints beforehand. • The central event – not presented; but told by the radio broadcast and written about by 寬美 and 文清. • clips: 228 mentioned; then suggested through the showing of subsequent riots and violence.

13. Historical Notes in The Opening and Closing Shots

14. Historical Methods and Narrative Perspectives • The use of dates, historical accounts and long take to present history; e.g. 片頭、片尾提供歷史感 • To contextualize 228 – multiple storyline and discourses (those of diary, 酒家﹐merchants) • Narrative Perspectives of the Marginalized: • 文清：聾啞, taking photo. • 寬美：女／護士, keeping her diary

15. The Intellectuals: De-Politicized Scenes and Images • 點到即止的鏡頭與剪接 • The Intellectuals’ Discussion 1  Shifted to the personal 小川校長病發 *clip • The Intellectuals’ Discussion 2－－文清、寬美幼時回憶 * clip • Ironies – Wen-ching’s involvement * the prison scene

16. The Intellectuals: De-Politicized Scenes & Images (2) • In the script, a letter about where the weapons are  turned into a poem in the film •  nobility of the intellectuals

17. (II) The Film as a National Allegory • What does the film say about KMT and the conflicts between the Taiwanese and the mainland Chinese? Is it just a story of exploitation and sadness? 1) The history of Exploitation and Survival; 2) Confusing National Signs and Identities 3) National Myth and Cultural Gaps.

18. II-1. Taiwanese Identities—the Sad • 大陸商人的勢力vs. 林文雄之死與林家的衰敗 • Language hierarchy in the negotiation scene有階級之分的方言︰上海話、日本話、台灣話、廣東話、國語﹔ • 文雄 －－林文雄的感嘆： 法律是他們在設的﹐咱們本島人最可憐﹐ 一下什麼日本人、一下什麼中國人． 眾人吃﹐眾人騎﹐就沒人疼．」

19. What survives? The old, the weak and mentally deranged? The diary, letters and photos: “「阿謙已經長牙了﹐笑的神情很好﹐眼睛很像四叔．…九份開始轉冷了﹐芒花開了﹐滿山白濛濛﹐像雪．」”

20. II-2. “Taiwanese”& “Chinese”: Confusing National Signs and Identities In Transition: • 小上海、朝鮮樓 • 祖國 ︰「生離祖國，死歸祖國，死生天命，無想無念」、「當我已死﹐我的人已屬於祖國美麗的將來．」 Colonial/National Education: • The Japanese Culture • The mainland Chinese: 平劇、醫院、學國語、陳儀的廣播． • 國旗 • Signs of The Taiwanese -- Japanese language –e.g. 文清︰「我是台灣人」

21. II-2. Confusing “Taiwanese”Identities: between Japan and China • The Japanese: 日本書法、花道、友誼 • Longing for the Chinese: The birth of 林光明and the opening of 小上海酒家 • National Education: the teaching of mandarin（不純）「國」語

22. II-2. Confusing “Taiwanese”Identities: between Japan and the West 代表文明的日本人和由日本傳來的西方文化︰ 少女自殺引起明治維新、 羅蕾萊、 〈幌馬車之歌〉

23. II-2. Confusing Identities: Taiwan’s ‘Return’ to China • Exploited and mistrusted -- 文良 －－ why is he mad? • tortured in the Chinese army?  the conflicts between China and Japan. • Note: The Taiwanese are mistrusted and seen as traitors in《好男好女》

24. II-2. National Myth and Allegory: Deconstructed and Re-Built • An Allegory of Taiwan’s colonial History – • Different sets of hierarchy: cultural assimilation by the Japanese  faulty education and discrimination by KMT（台灣人被日本奴化） • Confusing national signs (國旗、國語)  from jokes to violence • The down fall and survival of the Lins.

25. Misplaced Signs, Cultural Gaps and Historical Fragments • 「祖國美麗的將來」 • as myth • as nostalgia misplaced or made impossible? • 流亡三部曲 –Do they understand the experience of migration of the mainland Chinese? • Disconnectedness between the opening and closing shots.

26. History and contemporary Taiwan • The film: • an uncertain and indirect revision on Taiwan’s long-repressed trauma (of many intellectuals who died and disappeared).  not a totally pessimistic view, though. • multiple stories, dialects and writings •  multiple economic and political factors in racial conflicts in the context of multiple colonization. •  some diversified roots for contemporary racial conflicts.