The Paris-based Cinémathèque Française will host a Taiwan-themed film festival from April 17 through May 2 showcasing 13 Taiwanese films from the 1960s through 1980s under the banner of "Le cinéma de mauvais genre taïwanais," in reference to the "bad (歹)" side of Taiwan cinema as curated by renowned film scholar Wafa Ghermani (倪娃法).
"Bad," Ghermani explains, is in reference to the strong countercultural sentiments that underlie early Taiwanese films made under the scrutiny of martial law and censorship. From the choice of language (Taiwanese, as opposed Mandarin) and aesthetics (highly stylized and exaggerated) to portrayal of main characters (rebellious, independent), this selection can be seen as a defiant response to the "healthy realism" promoted by government-sanctioned films.
"Bad" also alludes to the darker storylines being explored during that era, Ghermani added. From scantily dressed femme fatales seeking vengeance to crimes of passion and gang violence, it appeared that the darker the material, the better it performed at the box office. This appetite for exploitative films developed in response to the prevalence of propagandistic films packaged as educational and wholesome, she pointed out.
Including several newly restored reels by the Taiwan Film Institute, the countercultural film selection will kick off in Paris on April 17:
1979: "Never Too Late to Repent (錯誤的第一步)"
1982: "Woman Revenger (女性的復仇)"
1981: "Lady Avenger (瘋狂女煞星)"
1961: "The Fantasy of the Deer Warriors (大俠梅花鹿)"
1968: "The Vengeance of the Phoenix Sisters (三鳳震武林)"
1964: "The Best Secret Agent (天字第一號)"
1966: "The Mountain (上山)"
1970: "The End of the Track (跑道終點)"
1965: "The Bride Who Returned From Hell (地獄新娘)"
1969: "Dangerous Youth (危險的青春)"
1962: "Typhoon (颱風)"
1966: "The Elegant Mr. Hu (風流的胡老爺)"
1968: "Foolish Bride, Naïve Bridegroom (三八新娘憨子婿)"
"Le cinéma de mauvais genre taïwanais" marks the third large-scale cooperation between Cinémathèque Française and the Taiwan Cultural Center in Paris, following retrospective tributes in 2010 and 2016 on Taiwanese auteurs Edward Yang (楊德昌) and Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢).