Dario Tomasi

Il professore che volteggia

Introduction

Il professore che volteggia. Definisce il ruolo di "Planet Hong Kong" di David Bordwell nell'analisi del cinema di Hong Kong. Esplora l'impatto accademico, la critica filmica e le sequenze d'azione.

Abstract

The article tries to define the role played by Planet Hong Kong. Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment in David Bordwell’s extensive bibliography, starting with the attention he always paid to popular cinema, on the one hand, and Far Eastern cinema, on the other. After defining the essential characteristics of the book (the focus on film analysis, the insistence on objective data, the non-academic tones, a certain closeness to the politique des auteurs, the placing of cinema as cinema at the center of all discourse), the article dwells on how Planet Hong Kong undoubtedly fostered a growth of academic interest in the cinema of the former British colony, posing a number of questions that will later be taken up and developed by others: the relationship between local and global, the connection between Hong Kong cinema and Hollywood production, the importance of the ‘pause-burst-pause’ model that structures the action sequences, becoming almost a paradigm of ‘Chinese kine- matics’, the centrality that the actor’s body assumes in it, and how all this is transformed into a sensorial experience with very particular characteristics.

Review

This article, "Il professore che volteggia," offers a discerning examination of David Bordwell’s influential work, *Planet Hong Kong. Popular Cinema and the Art of Entertainment*, situating it within the broader scope of Bordwell’s extensive scholarly output. The author effectively traces Bordwell’s consistent fascination with both popular cinema and East Asian film, establishing a compelling foundation for analyzing *Planet Hong Kong*'s core characteristics. These distinguishing features include its unwavering commitment to rigorous film analysis, reliance on objective data, a distinct non-academic sensibility, an observable affinity for the *politique des auteurs*, and its fundamental principle of placing cinema itself at the heart of all critical discourse. A key strength of the article lies in its detailed exploration of *Planet Hong Kong*'s profound impact on academic inquiry, undeniably fostering a significant surge of scholarly interest in the cinema of the former British colony. The author meticulously outlines the pivotal questions and theoretical models introduced by Bordwell that subsequently became cornerstones of the field. These encompass the complex relationship between local and global cinematic dynamics, the intricate connections between Hong Kong cinema and Hollywood productions, and the iconic ‘pause-burst-pause’ model structuring action sequences, which emerged as a paradigm of ‘Chinese kinematics’. Furthermore, the article effectively highlights the central role of the actor’s body and its transformation into a uniquely visceral and sensorial experience. Overall, this article serves as a valuable contribution to film studies, particularly for scholars interested in David Bordwell's methodological influence and the ongoing evolution of Hong Kong cinema scholarship. While the abstract clearly defines the article's analytical scope and the foundational role of *Planet Hong Kong*, a deeper engagement with how the article *itself* critically evaluates or innovates upon these existing discussions, beyond summarizing them, could further enhance its scholarly impact. Nonetheless, it provides a comprehensive and insightful summary of *Planet Hong Kong*'s enduring legacy and its capacity to inspire continued critical inquiry, making it an accessible and informative piece for understanding a seminal text in contemporary film criticism.

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