The Spectacle of Falling and Repetition:

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  • SAIKA Hiromi
    Graduate School of Human and Environmental Studies, Kyoto University

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Other Title
  • 落下と反復のスペクタクル
  • 落下と反復のスペクタクル : 『プロジェクトA』と『ポリス・ストーリー/香港国際警察』における肉体性と形象性
  • ラッカ ト ハンプク ノ スペクタクル : 『 プロジェクト A 』 ト 『 ポリス ・ ストーリー/ホンコン コクサイ ケイサツ 』 ニ オケル ニクタイセイ ト ケイショウセイ
  • Corporeality and Figuration in <i>Project A</i> and <i>Police Story</i>
  • 『プロジェクトA』と『ポリス・ストーリー／香港国際警察』における肉体性と形象性

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Abstract

 This essay focuses on the stunts in which Jackie Chan falls down. Previous studies have argued that the fact that he does almost all his own stunts emphasizes the corporeal authenticity of his body. However, the unusual editing which repeats the falling shots in Project A (1983) and Police Story (1985) conveys not only corporeality but also what I call an incorporeal body. His dangerous stunts certainly injure his body, and his pain affects bodies of spectators, but at the same time, the repetitive editing playfully cancels them out. In addition, the repetition even obstructs narrative progression. Therefore, the repetition in Chan’s films has a similar function to gags of slapstick comedy, and his body comes close to the figurative performance of the early animation. This essay theoretically interprets the representation of Chan’s falling, comparing it with classical comedy movies, such as Harold Lloyd’s and Buster Keaton’s, and animation shorts and features which Disney had produced during the 1920s-40s. It thereby demonstrates that Chan’s action is an attempt to overcome his corporeality by transforming his body and spaces around him into incorporeal figuration.

Journal

  • eizogaku

    eizogaku 101 (0), 49-68, 2019-01-25

    Japan Society of Image Arts and Sciences

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