Dr. Petra Rehling | Ruhr-Universität Bochum (original) (raw)
Papers by Dr. Petra Rehling
Hong Kong’s film industry has been living through and beyond the 1997 handover to China. Along a ... more Hong Kong’s film industry has been living through and beyond the 1997 handover to China. Along a complicated socio-economic and cultural heritage, the city’s “crisis cinema” success-fully milked takeover fears for an anarchic display of showmanship. Local filmmaking condi-tions, popular narratives and aesthetics from that time can be identified as ingredients in a “chaotic formula” that instigated Hong Kong cinema’s “Golden Age.” Unlike other film in-dustries, which point to their disaster centres in a search or celebration of national identity, Hong Kong survived at a fragile historic juncture largely by sailing around the cliffs of politi-cal affront and resorting to metaphorical speech instead. Yet, following the handover, the film industry has retired its previous attitudes about itself and the future; it has integrated a new “China factor” and riddled cinema with contradictory statements about the “condition” of Hong Kong.” System failure, madness and identity theft in crime stories appear alongside celebratory historicism, cultural allegiance and escapist spectacle, especially in Hong Kong-China co-productions. This paper follows the evolution of the crime genre along general dy-namics and transformations of the formula from the 1980s, past the turbulent 1990s and into recent postcolonial Hong Kong, in which the inability to formulate a new crisis, or the resolu-tion of the previous one, has put cinema itself into crisis.
By engaging and questioning existing definitions and ideas, all of the essays in this volume repr... more By engaging and questioning existing definitions and ideas, all of the essays in this volume represent the idea of a ‘monstrous reflection’ in one way or another. Monsters can serve as a means to explore the cultural anxieties they embody and the reasons for these anxieties. Thus monsters act as mirrors highlighting the causes for the creation of categories. A reflection can also be a comment or statement applicable in that the monstrous or the word ‘monster’ becomes a label of otherness and exclusion. This label is sometimes a construction, a discursive and rhetorical trope, which only serves to other those deemed different or undesirable, suggesting that the monster might not always be monstrous. This volume is about the ones gazing into the mirror and the ‘things’ staring back at humanity along with the uncomfortable truths that are revealed in the process.
German article on Hong Kong film director Wong Kar-wai
Monsters and the Monstrous, 2014
In his cyberpunk series, Otherland (1996-2001), science fiction writer Tad Williams studies godli... more In his cyberpunk series, Otherland (1996-2001), science fiction writer Tad Williams studies godliness in its possible interpretations for the digital age. There is an inflationary usage of the word ‘god’ in Williams’ work, which also caters to Nitzschean ideas of the ‘overhuman,’ ‘god’s death,’ and transhumanistic principles. Several monstrous god figures in the virtual net-work, Otherland, deal in pain, torture, and death and utilise the intimidating size of spaces and things to rule their domain. The omnipresent ‘Other,’ a disembodied entity and operating sys-tem of the network, is a childlike, experimental, and uncaring cyber god, whose unfamiliarity with humanity’s rules turns it into a threatening, people-devouring creature. Its innocent yet often fatal malevolence is only surpassed by the founders of the network, the Grail Brother-hood, and their rogue contract killer, Dread, who are all seeking immortality. Inside Otherland, there are travellers who have been ‘swallowed’ by the network and then set on a Homeric quest through fantastic cyber worlds that challenge their understandings of godliness and ultimately take them to meet the godlike ‘dream that is dreaming us.’ In his fantastic series, Williams gives us a rather violent interpretation of posthuman afterlife in techno-Utopia, a playground for vicious ambitions and monstrous self-made gods inside a dystopic universe, where yet hope for godliness exists in unexpected forms.
Recently a big German magazine (Der Spiegel) wrote that Harry Potter will be integrated into the ... more Recently a big German magazine (Der Spiegel) wrote that Harry Potter will be integrated into the “collective memory of mankind.” Involuntarily, the young wizard has become a spokesperson for a number of subcultures, social groups, religions, disciplines… weirdoes; all of whom love and/or hate Harry to a certain degree, and all read Harry through the lens of their own personal or professional experience. Undeniably, Harry Potter has become a figurehead of our time. Teachers use the books in class to teach language (English, Latin, or… well, no Klingon translation yet, but one never knows…), natural scientists try – if only playfully – to explain the “laws of magic,” psychiatrists heal their patients with Harry allegories, historians teach the etymology of names or the origins of mythical creatures, and people attend workshops practicing to “Write like Jo Rowling.” At the same time, fan communities and fan-academics are dissecting the story from the “inside.” Everybody wants a piece of Potter and everybody wants to apply their knowledge to Potterverse from their very personal background. This approach has led to wonderfully unique inspections and conclusions, but it has also raised questions and worries among those who fear hegemony is looming. Will Harry Potter replace other worthy teaching material in classrooms? Is the story overrated? Has Harry Potter created a formula or established a precedent that will repeat itself indefinitely with future popular culture texts? Also, there is this nagging doubtful voice that all of this is a sham, that our enthrallment with the story was artificially enhanced by the giant marketing and merchandising machine surrounding the phenomenon. However, this paper is mainly concerned with changes in ideology and of what counts as “common knowledge” in our modern global village. What does it mean that “Muggle” has been entered into the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in 2003 for example, and that the meaning was extended to include, e.g., “a clumsy person”? How deep do the books reach into various cultures and what other values, items, ideas, and principles have they replaced? We have a common reference ground here, a completely furnished world that we can take out to explain things even to people as “far away” as India or China. It is a substitute world that we can move in to exemplify, explain and support arguments. “Harry metaphors,” taken out of context, are seeping into everyday life. Yet, the way Harry Potter has become a commodity and a common point of reference for people from diverse cultures is not entirely unique; The Lord of the Rings books and movies are used in a similar fashion. At the same time, both stories experience a comparable media and audience treatment, enhanced or maybe caused by recent media convergence and globalisation. This paper will look into how Harry Potter has turned from a media event into a societal event (see: Biltereyest and Meers in Ernest Mathijs, The Lord of the Rings. Popular Culture in Global Context, 2006) and how we have all started to “use” Harry Potter in everyday life.
Monstrous Geographies: Places and Spaces of the Monstrous, 2013
Many children, until the moment they become conditioned to fear bugs, harbour a natural curiosity... more Many children, until the moment they become conditioned to fear bugs, harbour a natural curiosity for these creatures. Chinese and South African children raise silkworms for fun, Japanese kids hold jumping spider tournaments, and in Western schools bugs are investigated in science projects, kept in glass enclosures, and watched with mixed feelings of disgust and satisfaction. In childhood the tiny ani-mal ‘landscapes’ are observed with fascination, after all, a lot of childhood play takes place on ‘bug-level,’ but for adults there are spaces in the house where they are scared to look, the corners and crannies that invade nightmares and give rise to phobias. Revolving largely around two influential and contrasting (pseudo)documentaries, The Hellstrom Chronicle (USA, 1971) and Microcosmos: Le peuple de l'herbe (France, 1996), this article is an excursion into our fascination with habitats and bodies of insects and other arthropods in daily life and fiction. We often use technological or combat terminology to describe bug world. Conse-quently, visions of war and the apocalypse are riddled with insect bodies and land-scapes. For the civilized world, bugs or bug-like features contribute to definitions of archetypal ‘otherness’ and to envision enemies of mankind on a regular basis. The two documentaries discussed here present their different world views as strong and opposing metaphors for the man-sized universe. They are remarkably similar in their portrayal of alien beings in bizarre landscapes, but one is magical, the other threatening. Conspicuously, both films feature the birth of a mosquito; except while the insect is displayed as a grotesque invader in the American Hellstrom Chronicle, it turns into an angelic creature in the French documentary. The film-makers did not have to go very far to find a both terrifying and enchanting foreign landscape close by.
Kann man von einem 'Gesicht' des Hongkong-Kinos sprechen? Die Methoden dortiger Filmproduktion, d... more Kann man von einem 'Gesicht' des Hongkong-Kinos sprechen? Die Methoden dortiger Filmproduktion, die Themen und Bilder auf der Leinwand, lassen diese Annahme zu. Action- und Gewaltdarstellungen im Hongkongfilm der 80er und 90er Jahre - insbesondere unter dem Einfluß der Wiedervereinigungsvorbereitungen Chinas mit Hongkong (1997-Syndrom) - gehören zu den interessantesten Aspekten dieser Filmlandschaft. Das Kino in der Metropole bediente sich lange einer Art Gesetzlosigkeit, um zu Überleben und verhinderte so, vom benachbarten chinesischen Propaganda-Apparat oder dem Mainstream Hollywoods vereinnahmt zu werden. Wenn man überhaupt von einer 'Identität' des Hongkong-Films sprechen kann, dann manifestiert sie sich u.a. in einer innovativen Filmkinetik. Hauptmerkmal dieser Filmlandschaft ist die Verbreitung von wuxia-Elementen (Martial Arts, Bruderschaften, Ehre, Moralkodexe, Unterweltszenarien etc.). Der wuxia-Begriff und die damit verbundene Frage, inwieweit man Martial Arts als chinesische ‚Technologie' verstehen kann, werden u.a. in diesem Buch untersucht. Ferner werden die Fragen erörtert, wie sich ein 'Gewaltbegriff' für diese Filmkultur definieren läßt, auf welche Weise sich beispielsweise Hyperrealismus und Ultragewalt und der 'neue Realismus' im Hongkong-Film der 90er Jahre äußern und welche Problematik sich ganz allgemein mit Gewaltdarstellungen im Film verbindet. Die Analyse des Hongkong-Films in diesem Werk geht auf die unterschiedlichsten Faktoren ein: Traditionen, Erziehung und Sozialstrukturen, Populärkultur und ein kulturspeziefisches Ästhetik-Verständnis, das insbesondere in Verbindung mit dem Gewaltbegriff im Hongkong-Film bei der Peking-Oper beginnt, in der kantonesischen Komödie eine recht eigenwillige Entsprechung hat, aber weit davon entfernt ist - wie oft angenommen -, bei den 'hard-boild'-Filmen eine John Woo zu enden.
The late Steve Jobs has become a figurehead of our modern “gadget culture.” His ubiquitous “iThin... more The late Steve Jobs has become a figurehead of our modern “gadget culture.” His ubiquitous “iThings” have bestowed meaning to our boring lives and profane identities and redefined the world for us. As everything is momentous now, we need to constantly search for more and often assign meaning to the simplest of things. We sanctimoniously accept that our modern existence as digital natives is ridiculed by Lolcats, which indulge in invisible objects and make fun of our skills, beliefs, desires and occupations, because in their own, linguistically-challenged way, they are in fact celebrating the endearing stupidities and idiosyncrasies of their “hoomanz.” There are accidental Internet celebrities, who move our hearts with “messages,” like Matt Harding, who has literally danced the “happy dance” around the world in our stead. While Lolcats hold up a mirror to a flawed humanity, Matt Harding and Steve Jobs have managed to “summarize” the world for us with however censored inventories. They also remind us that in times of GPS it is important to locate ourselves in the digitalized universe. In an era of intense discomfort, with disasters and apocalyptic visions all around us, iThings, memes and viral videos guide us through our lives and have taken on a central role in our daily pursuit of happiness.
The global success of the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings franchises has become an entry p... more The global success of the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings franchises has become an entry point for the flow of Western fantasy texts into Taiwan, a society that, over many decades, has been a stronghold for traditional Chinese wuxia texts. While Western concepts, themes and ‘worlds’, are coming to Taiwan, wuxia, defined as fantasy in this essay, in return is making an inroad into Western popular culture. By considering local traditions, reception and consumption habits, this essay analyses the market potential for international fantasy on the island, and provides a theoretical background for understanding the dynamics of this genre in one particular cultural location.
Hong Kong’s film industry has been living through and beyond the 1997 handover to China. Along a ... more Hong Kong’s film industry has been living through and beyond the 1997 handover to China. Along a complicated socio-economic and cultural heritage, the city’s “crisis cinema” success-fully milked takeover fears for an anarchic display of showmanship. Local filmmaking condi-tions, popular narratives and aesthetics from that time can be identified as ingredients in a “chaotic formula” that instigated Hong Kong cinema’s “Golden Age.” Unlike other film in-dustries, which point to their disaster centres in a search or celebration of national identity, Hong Kong survived at a fragile historic juncture largely by sailing around the cliffs of politi-cal affront and resorting to metaphorical speech instead. Yet, following the handover, the film industry has retired its previous attitudes about itself and the future; it has integrated a new “China factor” and riddled cinema with contradictory statements about the “condition” of Hong Kong.” System failure, madness and identity theft in crime stories appear alongside celebratory historicism, cultural allegiance and escapist spectacle, especially in Hong Kong-China co-productions. This paper follows the evolution of the crime genre along general dy-namics and transformations of the formula from the 1980s, past the turbulent 1990s and into recent postcolonial Hong Kong, in which the inability to formulate a new crisis, or the resolu-tion of the previous one, has put cinema itself into crisis.
By engaging and questioning existing definitions and ideas, all of the essays in this volume repr... more By engaging and questioning existing definitions and ideas, all of the essays in this volume represent the idea of a ‘monstrous reflection’ in one way or another. Monsters can serve as a means to explore the cultural anxieties they embody and the reasons for these anxieties. Thus monsters act as mirrors highlighting the causes for the creation of categories. A reflection can also be a comment or statement applicable in that the monstrous or the word ‘monster’ becomes a label of otherness and exclusion. This label is sometimes a construction, a discursive and rhetorical trope, which only serves to other those deemed different or undesirable, suggesting that the monster might not always be monstrous. This volume is about the ones gazing into the mirror and the ‘things’ staring back at humanity along with the uncomfortable truths that are revealed in the process.
German article on Hong Kong film director Wong Kar-wai
Monsters and the Monstrous, 2014
In his cyberpunk series, Otherland (1996-2001), science fiction writer Tad Williams studies godli... more In his cyberpunk series, Otherland (1996-2001), science fiction writer Tad Williams studies godliness in its possible interpretations for the digital age. There is an inflationary usage of the word ‘god’ in Williams’ work, which also caters to Nitzschean ideas of the ‘overhuman,’ ‘god’s death,’ and transhumanistic principles. Several monstrous god figures in the virtual net-work, Otherland, deal in pain, torture, and death and utilise the intimidating size of spaces and things to rule their domain. The omnipresent ‘Other,’ a disembodied entity and operating sys-tem of the network, is a childlike, experimental, and uncaring cyber god, whose unfamiliarity with humanity’s rules turns it into a threatening, people-devouring creature. Its innocent yet often fatal malevolence is only surpassed by the founders of the network, the Grail Brother-hood, and their rogue contract killer, Dread, who are all seeking immortality. Inside Otherland, there are travellers who have been ‘swallowed’ by the network and then set on a Homeric quest through fantastic cyber worlds that challenge their understandings of godliness and ultimately take them to meet the godlike ‘dream that is dreaming us.’ In his fantastic series, Williams gives us a rather violent interpretation of posthuman afterlife in techno-Utopia, a playground for vicious ambitions and monstrous self-made gods inside a dystopic universe, where yet hope for godliness exists in unexpected forms.
Recently a big German magazine (Der Spiegel) wrote that Harry Potter will be integrated into the ... more Recently a big German magazine (Der Spiegel) wrote that Harry Potter will be integrated into the “collective memory of mankind.” Involuntarily, the young wizard has become a spokesperson for a number of subcultures, social groups, religions, disciplines… weirdoes; all of whom love and/or hate Harry to a certain degree, and all read Harry through the lens of their own personal or professional experience. Undeniably, Harry Potter has become a figurehead of our time. Teachers use the books in class to teach language (English, Latin, or… well, no Klingon translation yet, but one never knows…), natural scientists try – if only playfully – to explain the “laws of magic,” psychiatrists heal their patients with Harry allegories, historians teach the etymology of names or the origins of mythical creatures, and people attend workshops practicing to “Write like Jo Rowling.” At the same time, fan communities and fan-academics are dissecting the story from the “inside.” Everybody wants a piece of Potter and everybody wants to apply their knowledge to Potterverse from their very personal background. This approach has led to wonderfully unique inspections and conclusions, but it has also raised questions and worries among those who fear hegemony is looming. Will Harry Potter replace other worthy teaching material in classrooms? Is the story overrated? Has Harry Potter created a formula or established a precedent that will repeat itself indefinitely with future popular culture texts? Also, there is this nagging doubtful voice that all of this is a sham, that our enthrallment with the story was artificially enhanced by the giant marketing and merchandising machine surrounding the phenomenon. However, this paper is mainly concerned with changes in ideology and of what counts as “common knowledge” in our modern global village. What does it mean that “Muggle” has been entered into the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) in 2003 for example, and that the meaning was extended to include, e.g., “a clumsy person”? How deep do the books reach into various cultures and what other values, items, ideas, and principles have they replaced? We have a common reference ground here, a completely furnished world that we can take out to explain things even to people as “far away” as India or China. It is a substitute world that we can move in to exemplify, explain and support arguments. “Harry metaphors,” taken out of context, are seeping into everyday life. Yet, the way Harry Potter has become a commodity and a common point of reference for people from diverse cultures is not entirely unique; The Lord of the Rings books and movies are used in a similar fashion. At the same time, both stories experience a comparable media and audience treatment, enhanced or maybe caused by recent media convergence and globalisation. This paper will look into how Harry Potter has turned from a media event into a societal event (see: Biltereyest and Meers in Ernest Mathijs, The Lord of the Rings. Popular Culture in Global Context, 2006) and how we have all started to “use” Harry Potter in everyday life.
Monstrous Geographies: Places and Spaces of the Monstrous, 2013
Many children, until the moment they become conditioned to fear bugs, harbour a natural curiosity... more Many children, until the moment they become conditioned to fear bugs, harbour a natural curiosity for these creatures. Chinese and South African children raise silkworms for fun, Japanese kids hold jumping spider tournaments, and in Western schools bugs are investigated in science projects, kept in glass enclosures, and watched with mixed feelings of disgust and satisfaction. In childhood the tiny ani-mal ‘landscapes’ are observed with fascination, after all, a lot of childhood play takes place on ‘bug-level,’ but for adults there are spaces in the house where they are scared to look, the corners and crannies that invade nightmares and give rise to phobias. Revolving largely around two influential and contrasting (pseudo)documentaries, The Hellstrom Chronicle (USA, 1971) and Microcosmos: Le peuple de l'herbe (France, 1996), this article is an excursion into our fascination with habitats and bodies of insects and other arthropods in daily life and fiction. We often use technological or combat terminology to describe bug world. Conse-quently, visions of war and the apocalypse are riddled with insect bodies and land-scapes. For the civilized world, bugs or bug-like features contribute to definitions of archetypal ‘otherness’ and to envision enemies of mankind on a regular basis. The two documentaries discussed here present their different world views as strong and opposing metaphors for the man-sized universe. They are remarkably similar in their portrayal of alien beings in bizarre landscapes, but one is magical, the other threatening. Conspicuously, both films feature the birth of a mosquito; except while the insect is displayed as a grotesque invader in the American Hellstrom Chronicle, it turns into an angelic creature in the French documentary. The film-makers did not have to go very far to find a both terrifying and enchanting foreign landscape close by.
Kann man von einem 'Gesicht' des Hongkong-Kinos sprechen? Die Methoden dortiger Filmproduktion, d... more Kann man von einem 'Gesicht' des Hongkong-Kinos sprechen? Die Methoden dortiger Filmproduktion, die Themen und Bilder auf der Leinwand, lassen diese Annahme zu. Action- und Gewaltdarstellungen im Hongkongfilm der 80er und 90er Jahre - insbesondere unter dem Einfluß der Wiedervereinigungsvorbereitungen Chinas mit Hongkong (1997-Syndrom) - gehören zu den interessantesten Aspekten dieser Filmlandschaft. Das Kino in der Metropole bediente sich lange einer Art Gesetzlosigkeit, um zu Überleben und verhinderte so, vom benachbarten chinesischen Propaganda-Apparat oder dem Mainstream Hollywoods vereinnahmt zu werden. Wenn man überhaupt von einer 'Identität' des Hongkong-Films sprechen kann, dann manifestiert sie sich u.a. in einer innovativen Filmkinetik. Hauptmerkmal dieser Filmlandschaft ist die Verbreitung von wuxia-Elementen (Martial Arts, Bruderschaften, Ehre, Moralkodexe, Unterweltszenarien etc.). Der wuxia-Begriff und die damit verbundene Frage, inwieweit man Martial Arts als chinesische ‚Technologie' verstehen kann, werden u.a. in diesem Buch untersucht. Ferner werden die Fragen erörtert, wie sich ein 'Gewaltbegriff' für diese Filmkultur definieren läßt, auf welche Weise sich beispielsweise Hyperrealismus und Ultragewalt und der 'neue Realismus' im Hongkong-Film der 90er Jahre äußern und welche Problematik sich ganz allgemein mit Gewaltdarstellungen im Film verbindet. Die Analyse des Hongkong-Films in diesem Werk geht auf die unterschiedlichsten Faktoren ein: Traditionen, Erziehung und Sozialstrukturen, Populärkultur und ein kulturspeziefisches Ästhetik-Verständnis, das insbesondere in Verbindung mit dem Gewaltbegriff im Hongkong-Film bei der Peking-Oper beginnt, in der kantonesischen Komödie eine recht eigenwillige Entsprechung hat, aber weit davon entfernt ist - wie oft angenommen -, bei den 'hard-boild'-Filmen eine John Woo zu enden.
The late Steve Jobs has become a figurehead of our modern “gadget culture.” His ubiquitous “iThin... more The late Steve Jobs has become a figurehead of our modern “gadget culture.” His ubiquitous “iThings” have bestowed meaning to our boring lives and profane identities and redefined the world for us. As everything is momentous now, we need to constantly search for more and often assign meaning to the simplest of things. We sanctimoniously accept that our modern existence as digital natives is ridiculed by Lolcats, which indulge in invisible objects and make fun of our skills, beliefs, desires and occupations, because in their own, linguistically-challenged way, they are in fact celebrating the endearing stupidities and idiosyncrasies of their “hoomanz.” There are accidental Internet celebrities, who move our hearts with “messages,” like Matt Harding, who has literally danced the “happy dance” around the world in our stead. While Lolcats hold up a mirror to a flawed humanity, Matt Harding and Steve Jobs have managed to “summarize” the world for us with however censored inventories. They also remind us that in times of GPS it is important to locate ourselves in the digitalized universe. In an era of intense discomfort, with disasters and apocalyptic visions all around us, iThings, memes and viral videos guide us through our lives and have taken on a central role in our daily pursuit of happiness.
The global success of the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings franchises has become an entry p... more The global success of the Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings franchises has become an entry point for the flow of Western fantasy texts into Taiwan, a society that, over many decades, has been a stronghold for traditional Chinese wuxia texts. While Western concepts, themes and ‘worlds’, are coming to Taiwan, wuxia, defined as fantasy in this essay, in return is making an inroad into Western popular culture. By considering local traditions, reception and consumption habits, this essay analyses the market potential for international fantasy on the island, and provides a theoretical background for understanding the dynamics of this genre in one particular cultural location.