From local cinema to national : Stephen Chow's 'competent loser' and the question of Hong Kong identity

• Main Author: Tseng, Christian Ke Ting
• Other Authors: Marc Gloede
• Format: Thesis-Master by Research
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2021
• Subjects: Visual arts and music::Film
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/148475
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This study centres on a recent development in the filmmaking career of the well- known Hong Kong comedian, actor and director, Stephen Chow; by focusing on a character typically applied by him, the competent loser. While much of the widely cited studies on Chow focus only on his nonsensical style of humour (known as mo lei tau), as well as his success(es) within the Hong Kong television and film industry, Chow’s productions for the mainland remain relatively understudied. Since moving on to seemingly produce films exclusively for the mainstream mainland Chinese audience from the 2010s, a lack of close attention and scrutiny is afforded to his recent work. The question of Chow’s Hong Kong identity, or a lack of Hong Kong identity, is the central concern among Hong Kong insiders and locals as Chow’s mainland productions continue to receive little regard. Since Ackbar Abbas’ widely cited theory of Hong Kong as a culture of disappearance in the lead up to Hong Kong’s transfer of sovereignty to the People’s Republic of China in 1997, the primary concern among Hong Kong critics and scholars has been the loss of cultural identity and its fears of mainlandisation. Thus, the more pressing question arises as to how much of these ongoing fears can actually be attributed to Chow. Through a formal analysis of films like Love on Delivery (1994), King of Comedy (1999), Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013) and The New King of Comedy (2019), this study is able to recognise, define and trace the developments of Chow’s competent loser; and appreciate that all is not lost for the cultural identity of both Hong Kong and Chow.