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World Film Locations: Shanghai

Posted: April 19th, 2014 | No Comments »

The World Film Locations series has added Shanghai to its list with John Berra and Wei Ju’s new book. The book is most interesting to China Rhymers when it talks about old Shanghai’s indigenous movie business and those that recreate old Shanghai – Shanghai Triad, Lust/Caution etc. I’m not overly bothered about Skyfall etc as the reason for these recent films being partly or wholly set in Shanghai seems rather obvious given the cityscape and potential of Chinese eyeballs and ticket sales.

51ZjUr4yLfL._Celebrating Shanghai’s rich cinematic history, the films covered here represent a lengthy time period, from the first Golden Age of Chinese Cinema in the 1930s to the city’s status as an international production hub in 2013. Given the enduring status of Shanghai as the “Paris of the East,” World Film Locations: Shanghai emphasizes the city’s cosmopolitan glamour through locations that are steeped in cinematic exoticism, while also probing the reality behind the image by investigating its backstreets and residential zones. To facilitate this study of Shanghai’s dual identity through reference to film locations, the book includes films from both the commercial and independent sectors, with a balance between images captured by local filmmakers and the visions of Western directors who have also utilized the city for their projects.

With numerous essays that reflect Shanghai’s relationship to film and scene reviews of such iconic titles as Street Angel, Temptress Moon, Kung Fu Hustle, and Skyfall, World Film Locations: Shanghai is essential reading for all scholars of China’s urban culture.



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