A Study Of The Transmutation Of Characters In Hong Kong Gangster Films

Hong Kong film has created many memorable classics because of unique cultural hybrid,artistic humanistic thinking and mature operation mode of film industry.It not only influences generations of Chinese,but also has very significant position in the history of world cinema.Gangster movie as an important representative of the Hong Kong film,is based on the real existence of Hong Kong society,through the wonderful twists narrative plot,vivid characterisation,scene rendering and motion design to transmit the moral and social consciousness,while trying to cater to the audiences' inner expectations,which constitutes the important foundation of the film with Hong Kong style,also records and witnesses the glory of the Hong Kong film.Hong Kong gangster movie in the course of more than 3 decades of development,many familiar characters help Hong Kong film to achieve resplendence.whatever the classic unforgettable protagonist,the sinister and ruthless villain and the female character which is often ignored in gangster film,all these vivid and characteristic image types composed a portraiture of the gangster characters.This article will select the more representative of the protagonist's image as the research object,focusing on the analysis of the protagonist image changes with the times.With development of film industry,the films produced by Image holding group are more concerned about the fate of the characters and the reflection on human nature.In the unique historical background of Hong kong,many charismatic figures have influenced forwardly or passively by society to set foot on the gangland road and began to interpret their earthshaking or tragic life.They are beyond just simple evil,have a variety of changes and their own different endings in front of the complex human nature.This paper willstart from 1986 “A Better Tomorrow”,“hero movie”at the end of 80 s and early 90 s "Lawrence",at the end of 90 s the "Young and Dangerous" series,at the beginning of the new century "Infernal Affairs" series and "The Milky Way Image(HK)Ltd Production" as the representative of the Hong kong gangster film the protagonist as this paper focuses on the research object.Based on the analysis of the evolution of the characters,the thesis focuses on the reasons for the evolution.The changes of characters in Hong Kong gangster movie is closely interrelated to the background of history and culture,the changes of social politics and the capital market transition etc.It can be suggested that Hong Kong gangster movie is a true reflection of real Hong Kong society,so that the changes of the society will lead to the changes of the creation of the film.Hong kong gangster movie is the representative of the success of the Hong kong genre film and the imagination of characters is an indispensable factor in the gangster movie.