Course:ASIA325/2023/Female Identity in Cinema: Ah Kam and Michelle Yeoh

Group Members' Contribution

T L	Introductions, Stories Behind the Film Production
K L	Histories of Reception, Scholarly Literature Review
J Y G	Comparative Analysis, An Alternative Interpretation
L L	Conclusion, Review

Introduction

the poster of Ah Kam

Ah Kam (The Stuntwoman) is a 1996 drama action film directed by Ann Hui, who is one of the representative Hong Kong directors of the first New Wave. The film is about a talented girl named Ah Kam, who wants to become a stuntwoman in a male-dominated industry. Due to her extraordinary skill and ability to endure hardships, Ah Kam soon became a tacit partner with Master Tung. Later, she met Sam by chance and fell in love; she left the set and followed Sam as he asked her to help with his karaoke hall business in Shenzhen. After realising Sam didn’t like her that much, Ah Kam returned to Hong Kong with a broken heart but finally rebuilt her confidence with encouragement from Master Tung. Not long after, Master Tung was killed by the gangsters in a conflict, and his son Ah Long was in danger as well. At the critical juncture, Ah Kam fearlessly helped Ah Long escape from the gangster’s revenge.

Ah Kam features famous actors such as Michelle Yeoh (杨紫琼 Yeoh Choo Kheng), Sammo Hung (洪金宝 Hung Kam-bo), and Nick Cheung (张家辉 Cheung Ka-fai). This is one of Ann Hui's less remarkable works, but it is a bitter portrayal of the situation of martial arts actors in Hong Kong and a tribute to the hard work of action directors and stuntmen in Hong Kong martial arts films.

The film concentrating on the entertainment sector portrays the problems and sufferings experienced by women at that time in the male-dominated environment. Even though this film isn't among Ann Hui's best known, it provides a genuine portrait of the Hong Kong martial arts scene and serves as a reminder for viewers to recognize the achievements of unsung heroes in the action film community.

Michelle Yeoh

Michelle Yeoh at Oscar 2023

In the film, Michelle Yeoh plays the main character, Ah Kam. She is one of the most popular and influential Asian actresses in the world, who recently won Best Actress for Everything Everywhere all at Once at Oscar 2023, and it is the first time in its history that the award has been granted to an Asian woman. Michelle Yeoh was born in Malaysia; she rose to fame after featuring in many Hong Kong action films in the 1990s and 2000s, such as The Police Story 3: Super Cop, Super Cop 2, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. A year after Ah Kam was released, Yeoh made her Hollywood debut in Tomorrow Never Dies, the 18th of the James Bond series produced in 1997, in which she played the role of a skillful Chinese agent.

As one of the most famous Asian actresses in Hollywood, she has won numerous awards in her career, left her name on many Western mainstream film awards, and is still active on the screen today. She was one of the first artists to sign their names on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong. She was also the first Asian actress to be nominated for the British Academy Film Awards. In 2013, Yeoh was awarded TanSri, which is a Malaysian national honour given by the Head of State to outstanding individuals who have made great contributions to the country. At the age of 60, Yeoh is still writing her own movie legend, becoming the first Asian to win an Oscar for Best Actress. She rose from a Malaysian girl who co-starred in martial arts films to an Oscar-winning actress, making her name in an industry where gender inequality has always been a problem and is dominated by white Westerners. Although Ah Kam eventually left Hong Kong in the film, and director Ann Hui did not give her a glamorous ending, her Hong Kong experience may be the epitome of the reality of Yeoh's life.

Stories Behind the Film

Ah Kam works as a stuntwoman on the set

It works best if the anecdote or peculiar facts you mentioned speak to the themes indicated in your title or introduction. No need to copy and paste the existing Wikipedia synopsis of the film's main story. The movie is based on the real-life experiences of stunt performers and directors, and it portrays the actual working circumstances in the Hong Kong film business. Particularly in the 1990s and 2000s, Hong Kong cinema became renowned for its complex and rapid-fire action sequences. As a result, intricate choreography and risky feats were frequently used. It is conceivable to witness the performers in danger because of this.

behind the scene of the shooting of Ah Kam

Ah Kam is one of the first Hong Kong films that features a female action hero as the lead character. It shows the hard and dangerous daily work of Hong Kong martial arts directors and stuntmen during that period and depicts the real lives of working-class people. Hong Kong’s action films were very popular in the 1990s and early 2000s; the conditions depicted by Ah Kam in which the stuntmen work are not fictional but a real-life portrayal of Hong Kong martial arts films. In the film, there is a scene in which the gangsters beat the people on the set and even send their men to shoot the director. Situations like this did happen in those days.

With respect to the stunt actors and the golden age of Hong Kong action movies, the film ends with captions showing the accident in which Michelle Yeong was injured, along with footage from the accident. Yeung was seriously injured while shooting a scene in which she jumped off a highway bridge. It was 18 feet in height, and she landed at the wrong angle. The accident was seriously bad, nearly cost her life, and it was believed that she might not be able to walk again. Fortunately, she rested in the hospital for about a month and was able to return to the set. The character of Ah Kam is brought to life by Yeung, as they share something in common such as their hardworking attitude and martial arts talent.

Histories of the Film’s Reception

Describe the histories of the film’s reception: how did the general public receive and review the film? Did the general audience entertain different or similar attitudes toward the film? Why? Summarize the general public’s divergent or convergent reception of the film and deliberate on why they entertain different or similar attitudes. One way to find out the reason is to investigate the socio-politico-historical background of the story in the film, as well as the historical time when the film was released. Be sensitive to two temporalities and their relationship: the historical setting within each film, and the time of the film’s debut in real life. The tension between these two temporalities will help you explain the film’s reception. Pay attention to the discussions going on in journalistic media and social media, the public’s ratings, and other reviews published in journals or newspapers when the film was released and put on. You also may want to pay particular attention to how the audience in general entertain and perceive the themes of the film -- the themes you already indicated in the title/introduction. Also note that for earlier films, the reception may change or evolve as time goes on. Compare and contrast, for instance, the reception of the film in the 1960s, the 1990s, and today if possible. You also want to pay attention to how the same film might be received differently among different ethnic, linguistic, and cultural groups. For instance, for the same film, English-speaking audience may have different reactions towards it than Cantonese-speaking audience. Note the difference whenever possible and discuss why.

Compared with other works of Ann Hui, Ah Kam is more genre-oriented, which puts more emphasis on the action and stunts instead of social realism and sensitive issues. Also, the movie was released during a transitional period in the Hong Kong film industry, faced with challenges from Hollywood blockbusters and changing audience preferences, leading to a decline in the production of traditional Hong Kong martial arts films.

Based on the statistics of reviews from all researchable sources, Ah Kam was less famous when it was released than other Ann Hui films. But by looking at reviews from around 2000 in Hong Kong and western countries, we can perceive a general attitude of audiences even from different geological areas. On the one hand, it’s commonly admitted that the film reflects a realistic filmmaking industry in Hong Kong, especially the work and life of stunting performers. Michelle Yeoh was also highly commented on by overseas audiences. As an inexperienced martial star at that time, Michelle surprised her audiences with her superb performance and impressive martial arts. On the other hand, the main critique is the inconsistent development of plots and the confusing stories told in the film. It’s somehow surprising that western audiences also considered the film a realistic work as it got close to the real situation in Hong Kong at that time. This is probably because of the immigration boom from Hong Kong to western countries, which encouraged cultural communications across the areas and enabled western people to know the development of Hong Kong. What’s more, in the 1990s, the filmmaking industry in Hong Kong was under the second new wave and generated international influences in a globalized economy where Hollywood dominated world screens.

Reviews from the Chinese mainland are in different patterns. The film was released in 1996, and the story happened in the early 1990s, before 1997, when Hong Kong was ceded to China. Both the political and cultural factors contributed to the barrier between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. Since the ruling of opposite governments, cultural communications were even officially forbidden at that time. Also, Hong Kong stood somewhere between China and Britain, relatively tending to western modernity. In this way, the isolation of cultural activities caused a delay for mainland audiences to watch the film a few years later. So, when mainland audiences watched the movie, Hong Kong martial films were after the peak, and most of the reviews were through this “unexplored pearl” to reminisce about the golden era of Hong Kong films. As time passes, TV series have gradually dominated the mainland entertainment market, and performers have got much better treatment than before. However, unprofessional performances also occur frequently. Contrasted with performers of young genres, a large portion of reviews in the past ten years not only comment on the film itself but also praise the dedication and professional skills of performers in the film. Especially, the accident in which Michelle Yeoh got back injuries that nearly caused paralysis is repeatedly mentioned in the reviews.

Also, the movie places a lot of emphasis on how gender roles are portrayed in the martial arts world. Ah Kam faces obstacles in her quest to get accepted by and respected by her male peers in the male-dominated field of stunt performers. Moreover, a picture of her strained relationship with Sam and final reconciliation with Master Tung is shown. As a result, Ah Kam is a classic film that introduces Hong Kong martial arts films to the world and the dedication of every film performer is appreciated. Although it’s not considered classic upon its initial release, the film has gathered a following over the years.

Scholarly Literature Review

Summarize scholarly literature review: include at least 3 English-language peer-reviewed academic articles/book chapters; Chinese scholarship is optional only when you cannot find enough English scholarship via library search engine and Google Scholar search): how scholars have studied this film in the English-speaking world (and this director and his/her works in general, if you cannot find enough scholarly articles/book chapters specifically or only about the film); correctly and succinctly summarize the major ideas in those scholarly studies. Scholarly literature review should preclude journalistic and impressionist writings, or writings published on public knowledge-sharing platforms such as Zhihu or Douban. If there are not enough English-language secondary literature, you can extend the scope to Chinese-language research articles/book chapters. Or you can pay more attention to the research articles or chapters that mentioned the film tangentially or compared the film briefly with other films. If there are too many secondary resources for your group, make sure you only review existing ideas and studies that speak to the themes your group decides to explore in the title/introduction. You can review up to 6 pieces of research articles or chapters.

Considering the time when the film was released and the female main character, Ah Kam, formed in the film, we would like to analyze this movie in the dimensions of gender and social backgrounds.

The nature of the conflict between masculinity and feminism is shown in the movie "Ah Kam" when gender and social backgrounds are taken into account. This highlights the structural issue of the male gaze and patriarchal controls in the film industry. Scenes when Ah Kam is objectified and implied to be dating Chief Tung show the male-dominant attitude that women are seen as objects connected to males.

While from an opposite perspective, the film can be focused on Ah Kam’s successful career as a stunt woman, symbolizing the rise of female strength and encouraging women to challenge male domination. Besides, the film’s ending, where Ah Kam takes Ah Long to the mainland without getting married, can be seen as a liberation for women to jump out of the bondage of marriage, critiquing the reality of female oppression in society.

In the aspect of creating female characters, the film depicts feminism in eastern cultures. This film, we think, shows an entangled nature in the confrontation between masculinity and feminism. In Women in Chinese Martial Arts Films of the New Millennium, Chen argues that even though female martial characters always seem to enjoy freedom at the same level as males do, the liberation provided in the films by male filmmakers is limited and incompleted under examination. On the one hand, we argue that the problem of the male gaze and patriarchal controls is systemic in the filmmaking industry and also occurs in films directed by women. There’s a scene in which Chief Tung praises Ah Kam for her excellent performance as a stunting actress. If Ah Kam is changed into a male character, this is a normal action that can be considered an appreciation from the upper-level manager. But in the film, people around them quickly suppose a possible romantic relationship between the two. This is a classic male-dominant perspective that women are seen as objects related to subjects, men, from which any relationship between men and women will be connected with sexual relationships. Even the son of Chief Tung, Ah Long, when he meets Ah Kam for the first time, assumes that she wants to be his stepmother. Moreover, Chief Tung, showing up in a leading role, has an absolute right to speak. Even though he is experienced and professional, he can’t avoid some rude actions towards his members. And everything must go in the direction he decides, which is one of the reasons contributing to the accident of jumping down the overpass. On the other hand, we can also understand the film from an opposite perspective when we focus on Ah Kam’s career and the ending of the film. It’s without doubt that Ah Kam’s career is successful. She earns respect as a stunt woman through her hard work and undaunted spirit. In the male-dominant field of stunt work, Ah Kam’s success not only symbolizes the rise of female powers but also delivers an attitude from Ann Hui that encourages women to be brave to get rid of oppression to challenge male domination. Moreover, at the end of the film, Ah Kam takes Ah Long to the mainland without getting married to either man. This can be considered a liberation for women to jump out of the bondage of marriage. As Frederick Engels says in Origins of the Family: “The first class opposition that appears in history coincides with the development of the antagonism between man and woman in monogamous marriage, and the first class oppression coincides with that of the female sex by the male.” This indicates that female power and rights are obviously weakened by marriage. Ah Kam, after experiencing happiness and sorrow, finally takes her way alone, and a bright future might be waiting for her. So, standing at the end to look back on the former story, we can also understand some scenes as a critique of reality. In other words, it’s a “silent call” from a female director.

When we analyze the social background of film production, we would like to go through three specific aspects. Firstly, since when the story in the film happens is close to the year of the film’s release, the world created in the film parallels the reality. In both worlds, the film community is economically vulnerable but supportive. And Michelle Yeoh, the actress of Ah Kam, is admired as an excellent stunt woman in the film industry, which is coherent with the character’s image in the film. Also, before the film's production, Michelle experienced a marriage collapse and was welcomed back to the film industry with the status of a divorced woman, which coincidentally corresponded with the film's plot. Secondly, we can’t ignore the special historical background of the late 1990s. 1996, the year when the film was released, was just one year before the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China. During that period, cross-border communications were unavoidable. The love relationship quickly developed between Ah Kam and Sam reflects that reality. However, beyond love, anxiety and conflicts evoked by the cultural exchange and collision became the mainstream, which is implicitly indicated by the break-up of the love relationship. Thirdly, a cultural factor must be considered that Hong Kong was in the Second New Wave at that time. The films directed by innovative directors of the young genre provided an international vision to audiences in Hong Kong and the world. The woman's progression, liberation, and cultural integration demonstrated in the film all tried to show that Hong Kong was a modern city then. Nevertheless, behind the positive side of Hong Kong’s modernity, the problem of identity fluidity indicates this city's postmodern dilemma. In the film, Ah Kam goes to Hong Kong to explore her career and finally returns to the mainland for a living. It’s also mentioned from the mouth of Tung’s father that many people went to Hong Kong to make a living when they were young and returned home after decades.

Comparative Analysis

The film we choose for comparison is “Everything everywhere all at once.”

Similarities

The first similarity is that both are full of traditional Chinese martial arts elements, martial arts this part throughout the film, the female lead in Ah Kam is a martial artist, is the film martial arts double, need to constantly interspersed in various sets to complete different martial arts scenes and techniques, and Everything Everywhere All at Once in the female lead due to encounter chase, need to solve the big devil, in various parallel universes need through martial arts to defend and fight back, as the article said: The work she does," Jamie Lee Curtis, who plays a supporting role in the film, told me over the phone, "it shows her incredible facility as an actor, the delicacy of her work as an actor, and her absolute beastly work as a physical martial artist; the second similarity is that in traditional films, whether action or science fiction, which are typically portrayed mostly with male protagonists, minorities and women struggle with institutional discrimination, unequal pay, and little access to higher positions in the industry, while both films feature women as protagonists and tell stories around women. The third similarity is that the backgrounds of the characters in the films are supported by Chinese culture, and the emotional summaries and treatments of the films are the epitome of traditional Chinese families; for example, the emotions between the martial artist and his son in Ah Kam are subtle, astringent and not exposed, and until the death of the martial artist, the son does not express his deep love for his father explicitly, The expression of emotion between the heroine and her daughter in Everything Everywhere All at Once is also inept until the final reconciliation, which is all traditional Chinese style emotions.

Differences

The first difference is the location of the story. Ah Kam's story takes place in Hong Kong, China, and revolves around the martial arts industry in Hong Kong, China, while the story of Everything Everywhere All at Once takes place in the United States and revolves around the story of a Chinese family living in the United States. The second difference is the way the film is edited; the editing in Ah Kam is traditional and basic film editing and splicing, without relying on post-production, while the editing in Everything Everywhere All at Once Obviously relies mostly on post-editing, through more advanced computer technology to complete the film production;  The third difference is that Ah Kam focuses on the martial arts understudy industry by portraying the heroine's experience as a martial arts understudy, drawing the audience's attention to this type of work behind the scenes of the film, and to show the public the dedication of this type of work to the film industry, the real environment they live in, the reality they encounter, and their hardships, while Everything Everywhere All at Once is about the heroine's battle through multiple parallel universes and finally reconciling with herself and her family, thus showing the choice of life and the exploration of intimate relationships.

Alternative Interpretation

Ah Kam was hurt by the bad guys.

Ah Kam worked as a manager in Shenzhen.

The first scene is when Ah Kam first replaces the martial arts master as the martial arts director of the boy's class, the guidance of the actors in the scene of the fight is very serious, full of confidence and comfort, and when the actors in the fight scene due to old injuries appear to be badly mastered martial arts action, Ah Kam can make a quick judgment on the spot to guide the actors to change the action, and did not affect the progress of the shooting, in In the face of Copy's questioning of him, she also confidently and generously insisted on her own decision and courageously implemented it, and also cleverly resolved the awkward relationship with Copy. Another scene is Ah Kam following her lover to Shenzhen to run a karaoke; at that time, she was full of challenges in the face of things she was not good at, she became the entertainment venue manager to deal with all kinds of social engagements at all times, from inside to outside to take care of the store, and when she went to find the gangsters who destroyed the karaoke, in the territory of the gangsters met her lover cheating, she chose to escape, and due to disappointment did not fight back against the bad guys, resulting in head injuries, and finally fled back to Hong Kong to re-establish herself. Finally escapes back to Hong Kong to redo the martial arts master, back to the Tong family class; in the first fight scene back to the Tong family class, surprisingly appears fearful and afraid to challenge the high action. The first scene fully shows the heroine Ah Kam as an independent new woman, full of self-confidence in themselves not afraid of difficulties; when things are self-improvement, character, in the face of others' questioning, will not waver but fully believe in themselves, in the face of unfair scenes will stand up for themselves, even in the face of difficult martial arts action will not retreat, and when Ah Kam for her lover to go to Shenzhen, she no longer have their own When Ah Kam went to Shenzhen for her lover, she no longer had her career, she would be patient in the face of her lover, she would doubt herself, and she would even waver in her martial arts, which was her strong point. The first shot shows a happy and confident Ah Kam with determined, glowing eyes, while the second shot shows Ah Kam mostly without unhappiness but without her previous glowing eyes, which are dark and dull. The two contrasts not only highlight the intention of women to be independent but also emphasize that women can live a good life alone and have their own careers, not depend on men, and from another perspective, From the 1920s on, stuntwomen were in a classic David and Goliath battle Since the 1970s, as the number of stunt woman has increased, they have actively Since the 1970s, as the number of stunt woman has increased, they have actively challenged their working conditions, sometimes successfully, but often not. Inequities still exist, but these stuntwomen's talent, audacity, and onscreen feats will prevail. When women face their own careers, it is possible to excel in comparison to a group of men and not be compared, and women can do what men do and compete with them.

Conclusion

By providing an in-depth and comprehensive look at the place of women in society, the film industry and the broader social, cultural and political surroundings, the movie is a real portray of that time. It not only draws public’s attention to the hardships and stress women encounter in that society when they are making out their way to succeed in the world that are dominated by male. And these injustices are supported by the societal norms and expectations at that time. The movie also captures the transitional changes the society is undergoing, as well as the concerns and aspirations of a society. Thus the cultural and historical context are well reflected. Besides, the hardships of cross-cultural interaction and class in the run-up to Hong Kong’s transfer from British to China is clearly represented which gives topics more depth and richness.

However, the movie also represents a forceful critique of the social expectations and conventions, challenging the traditional gender roles and the social phenomenon where women’s opportunities and chances are restricted. Through Ah Kam’s career as a stuntwoman, the movie shows how powerful it is for women to overcome these hardships and social expectations and as a result, succeed on their own terms.

In addition, the movie makes a statement on the gender dynamics in martial arts movies and how they relate to larger social institutions. In a field where men predominate, Ah Kam's character represents the rise of feminist consciousness in Hong Kong cinema as a strong, independent woman. The movie also emphasizes the limitations of this feminist consciousness in the face of deeply ingrained patriarchal conventions and attitudes. This is evident in the way that males look at women, objectifying them and reducing their agency to that of a sexual object. It is also mirrored in the hierarchical power structures that allow men to exert control over the lives and careers of women in the film industry and society at large.

Overall, Ah Kam is a film that presents a deep and nuanced examination of gender, culture, and society. It also conveys a strong message of empowerment and hopes for women who want to question the status quo and pursue their dreams. The movie sends a strong feminist message by challenging patriarchal norms and ideals by showing a strong female lead navigating a world ruled by men. In the same breath, it also admits the limitations of this message in light of larger societal structures and historical factors. As a result, Ah Kam is still regarded by viewers as a meaningful and provocative movie.