Deconstructing Binary Concepts of Good/Evil, Male/Female, Love/Hatred: A Comparative Cultural Study of The Crying Game and Kong Fu Hustle
Keywords:
The Crying Game, Kung Fu Hustle, deconstructionism, binary oppositions, comparative cultural studyAbstract
Neil Jordan depicts a story in The Crying Game which is permeated with binary oppositions in multiple scenes with adizzying speed. The plot is featured by unconventionality which secures the film a position in the international screen-play industry. Kung Fu Hustle, a Hong Kong film directed by Stephen Chow, embraces Hollywood-level box-office. It is an exemplary work of unconventionality as well. Multiple themes of human nature, gender and love remain to be further discovered and investigated in both films. The disintegration of similar themes is presented through different approaches. The mystery behind the “abnormality” of the two films is of significance in cultural studies. The present study decodes the secrets of The Crying Game and Kung Fu Hustle through deconstructing binary concepts of Good/Evil, Male/Female and Love/Hatred shown in the films, which provides a comprehensive and analytical perspective to interpret Jordan’s and Chow’s masterpieces through a comparative analysis.
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