Naslov
Miscommunication and Identity in Wayne Wang's Films: A Stylistic and Linguistic Analysis

Autori
Petković, Rajko ; Škifić, Sanja

Izvornik
US-China foreign language (1539-8080) 9 (2011), 8; 479-494

Vrsta, podvrsta i kategorija rada
Radovi u časopisima, članak, znanstveni

Ključne riječi
identity formation; Zen-Buddhism; cross-cultural miscommunication; code switching; illocutionary force

Sažetak
Bridging the gap between independent cinema and mainstream cinema, the best films by Wayne Wang belong to the tradition of cinema of personal statement. His two early films, Chan Is Missing (1982) and Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart (1985), set in the Chinese community in San Francisco, are penetrating character studies exploring the issues of assimilation and identity formation in the immigrant Chinese community. The two films from the nineties, The Joy Luck Club (1993) and Smoke (1995), explore the themes of miscommunication and cross-cultural differences (a constant presence in his films) in a larger and multiple-story format. While The Joy Luck Club (1993) is set in San Francisco and continues the exploration of the Chinese-American community and inherent generational gaps, Smoke (1995) is set in Brooklyn and does not involve Chinese-American characters. Nevertheless, the themes and their resolution are basically the same, proving the universal nature of Wang’s films. Exploring the nature of everyday lives, Wang’s films can be interpreted in light of many different perspectives. This paper will explore the stylistic features of his films, their implicit Zen-Buddhist subtext, as well as their linguistic dimension, which give an empirical confirmation of the themes explored.

Izvorni jezik
Engleski

Znanstvena područja
Znanost o umjetnosti

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