Reinventing China is a useful and meticulous book that has three major virtues. First, it offers an over-view of a crucial era of Chinese filmmaking, linking the social background, the filming activities and the personal biographies of the directors.
Second, it contains intelligent critiques of the films discussed, essentially all the important films of the time plus many others.
Lastly, it has the great advantage of personal contact with the 10 directors. All of them talked at length to Clark, not only about their adolescent experiences as re-located city youth, but also about the films they made as adults, what they intended to portray and occasionally how far they think they achieved their aims.
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