Dannen, Fredric and Long, Barry

New York. 1997. Miramax/Hyperion. 1st American Edition. Very Good in Hardcover. No Dustjacket As Issued. 078686267x. 400 pages. hardcover. Cover design by David Pearson. keywords: Hong Kong China Asia Film Reference. FROM THE PUBLISHER - Hong Kong's reunification with China has captured the world's attention, but for years this bustling little territory has fascinated filmgoers of all nations with its enormous output of movies. Like Hollywood, Hong Kong specializes in mass-appeal entertainment action films, ghost stories, comedies, and other popular genres - yet its movies possess an eye-popping, no-holds-barred exuberance, and a disregard for most taboos, that Hollywood cannot match. Even Hong Kong art films - Wong Kar-wai's Chungking Express, for instance - pulse with energy. Small wonder, then, that Hollywood has begun to court Hong Kong talent, such as the director John Woo and the action stars Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh. In Hong Kong Babylon, the award-winning journalist Fredric Dannen and the noted cineast Bany Long present a comprehensive look at the Hollywood of the East. In a richly entertaining overview of the Hong Kong cinema and its history, Dannen portrays the actors who risk their lives performing dangerous stunts and explosive martial arts feats; he also details the world of Hong Kong movie producers, many of whom are triads - Chinese organized-crime figures - who will resort literally to murder to lock a deal. Long complements Dannen's reporting by providing the best Hong Kong video guide yet available - summaries of well over 300 key films of the last two decades, most with English subtitles. As a bonus, a dozen top film critics select their favorite movies from Long's list. Complete with photographs and filmographies, Hong Kong Babylon is the ideal introduction to this fascinating genre of world cinema. inventory #24742 ISBN: 078686267x.