At UW-Madison, Hsiu-Chuang Deppman will present an analysis of two films to explore representations of women in post-1980's cinema.
Professor Deppman graduated with a Ph.D in Comparative Literature from UW-Madison and is known for her work in Chinese-language cinema. She is the author of Adapted for the Screen: The Cultural Politics of Chinese Fiction and Film
Hsiu-Chuang Deppman has discovered a unique way to introduce her students to the themes that dominate classical Chinese literature--she encourages them to watch Jackie Chan's films and trace the development of these ideas from page to screen.
"The ideas of the knight errant, chivalry, and filial piety are just as important in classical literature as they are in the films that came out of the Hong Kong film movement," Deppman says. "In fact, many of these films are adaptations of old martial arts narratives. Although it might not seem obvious, Kung Fu Cinema has a surprisingly close relationship to classical Chinese literature."