Tang Shu Shuen
Encyclopedia
Tang Shu Shuen(aka Shu Shuen or Cecile Tang Shu Shuen) (born 1941) is a former Hong Kong
film director. Though her film career was brief, she was a trailblazer for socially critical art cinema
in Hong Kong's populist film industry
, as well as its first noted woman director.
Tang was born in Yunnan
province in China
. She graduated from the University of Southern California
.
Tang's best-known films are her first two, The Arch
(1970) and China Behind (1974). The first film looks at the subjugation of women and their sexuality in a traditional village through the story of a widow's unconsummated passion for a male houseguest. The second follows the harrowing journey of a group of college students trying to cross illegally into Hong Kong from a China torn by the Cultural Revolution
.
The bleak portrait in China Behind of both communist
China and capitalist
Hong Kong brought upon it a thirteen-year ban by the British colonial authorities. In addition to their provocative themes, both films used stylistic devices, such as freeze-frames and expressionistic color, possibly inspired by the European art cinema of the 1960s.
Tang made two more, less noted, films, Sup Sap Bup Dup (1975) and The Hong Kong Tycoon (1979). She also launched the territory's first serious film journal, Close-Up, in 1976. It stopped publishing in 1979 (Bordwell, 2000).
She ceased filmmaking and emigrated to the United States
in 1979, becoming a respected restaurateur in Los Angeles
. Many critics, however, see her influence in the so-called Hong Kong New Wave
of edgy, groundbreaking young filmmakers in the late '70s and early '80s.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
film director. Though her film career was brief, she was a trailblazer for socially critical art cinema
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
in Hong Kong's populist film industry
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
, as well as its first noted woman director.
Tang was born in Yunnan
Yunnan
Yunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
province in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. She graduated from the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
.
Tang's best-known films are her first two, The Arch
The Arch
The Arch is a 1970 Hong Kong drama film directed by Tang Shu Shuen. The film was selected as the Hong Kong entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 42nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.-Cast:* Lisa Lu as Madame Tung...
(1970) and China Behind (1974). The first film looks at the subjugation of women and their sexuality in a traditional village through the story of a widow's unconsummated passion for a male houseguest. The second follows the harrowing journey of a group of college students trying to cross illegally into Hong Kong from a China torn by the Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
.
The bleak portrait in China Behind of both communist
Communist Party of China
The Communist Party of China , also known as the Chinese Communist Party , is the founding and ruling political party of the People's Republic of China...
China and capitalist
Capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
Hong Kong brought upon it a thirteen-year ban by the British colonial authorities. In addition to their provocative themes, both films used stylistic devices, such as freeze-frames and expressionistic color, possibly inspired by the European art cinema of the 1960s.
Tang made two more, less noted, films, Sup Sap Bup Dup (1975) and The Hong Kong Tycoon (1979). She also launched the territory's first serious film journal, Close-Up, in 1976. It stopped publishing in 1979 (Bordwell, 2000).
She ceased filmmaking and emigrated to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1979, becoming a respected restaurateur in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Many critics, however, see her influence in the so-called Hong Kong New Wave
Hong Kong New Wave
The Hong Kong New Wave was a blanket term applied to a number of young, groundbreaking Hong Kong filmmakers of the late 1970s and 1980s, many trained in overseas film programs and with experience in the territory's thriving television drama scene...
of edgy, groundbreaking young filmmakers in the late '70s and early '80s.