The Hong Kong Filmography, 1977-1997
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| Author | John Charles |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Genre | Non-fiction, film |
| Publisher | McFarland & Company |
Publication date | November 2000 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 357 |
| ISBN | 978-0-7864-4323-9 |
The Hong Kong Filmography, 1977-1997 is a non-fiction book by John Charles. Published by McFarland & Company in November 2000, it catalogues the cast, crew, characters and reviews over 1,100 Hong Kong films released between 1977 and 1997.
Charles grew interested in Hong Kong films after watching them on television and began scouring Chinatowns in Toronto for more films. This led him to write reviews in zines such as Skam and Video Watchdog, with some reviewers from the latter publication being reused in the book.
John Charles discovered Hong Kong films through television through a Canadian television program called Black Belt Theater. Becoming interested in the films, he began exploring markts and video stores in the Chinatowns of Toronto where he found bootlegs of films like John Woo's The Killer (1989) and A Chinese Ghost Story (1987).[1] Charles new passion for these films led to writing for zines such as Skam (later called Cineraider), which he described as "the only publication I knew of at the time that took these films seriously."[1] He also wrote for Video Watchdog, where a number of the reviews in the book originally appeared in.[2]
Most of Charles' reviews in the book consist of three paragraphs.[2] The dates chosen cover the years from the beginning of the Hong Kong New Wave to the Handover of Hong Kong.[3] The book is 357 pages long.[4] The book reviews 1,102 Hong Kong films and a handful of others from Taiwan and mainland China.[4]
For each film listed, information is provided on production and cast, character names, credits, plot synopses, and film availability on VHS, laser disc or DVD.[5][6] In the guide, Charles assigns films a rating from 1 to 10, with Charles suggesting any film rated 6/10 is "probably worth viewing."[6]