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 Background  Issues for Discussion  Its historical methods and presentation of 228historical methods  Its views of Taiwanese history and national identityTaiwanese history and national identity  History and contemporary Taiwancontemporary Taiwan

3. Hou Hsiao-Hsien 侯孝賢 1.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 – (1)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. (I)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 negotiationnegotiation

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;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 clip  The Intellectuals’ Discussion 2 －－文清、 寬美幼時回憶 * clipclip  Ironies – Wen-ching’s involvement * the prison scenethe 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. 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 Japanese Culture  The mainland Chinese: 平劇、醫院、學國 語、陳儀的廣播．  國旗 國旗  Signs of The Taiwanese -- Japanese language –e.g. 文清︰「我是台灣人」 II-2. “Taiwanese” & “Chinese”: Confusing National Signs and Identities

21.  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 II-2. Confusing “Taiwanese” Identities: between Japan and China

22. 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〉 II-2. Confusing “Taiwanese” Identities: between Japan and the West

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.