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Brushed in Light: Calligraphy in East Asian Cinema

Markus Nornes

Open Access

Drawing on a millennia of calligraphy theory and history, Brushed in Light examines how the brushed word appears in films and in film cultures of Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and PRC cinemas. This includes silent era intertitles, subtitles, title frames, letters, graffiti, end titles, and props. Markus Nornes also looks at the role of calligraphy in film culture at large, from gifts to correspondence to advertising. The book begins with a historical dimension, tracking how calligraphy is initially used in early cinema and how it is continually rearticulated by transforming conventions and the integration of new technologies. These chapters ask how calligraphy creates new meaning in cinema and demonstrate how calligraphy, cinematography, and acting work together in a single film. The last part of the book moves to other regions of theory. Nornes explores the cinematization of the handwritten word and explores how calligraphers understand their own work.

Citable Link

Published: 2021

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

License:

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license

ISBN(s)

978-0-472-90243-9 (open access)
978-0-472-13255-3 (hardcover)

Subject

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Closeup detail of a low cement wall with metalic-looking, extruded characters for a building name. The sign is in disrepair and one of the characters is falling apart. The style evokes seal style calligraphy.

Big Man Japan, 大日本人,Dai Nipponjin Image 8

From Digital Corpus

Signs with crude writing line the street as the main character drives to work on a scooter. One says, "Illegal dumpers are inhuman."

Big Man Japan, 大日本人,Dai Nipponjin Image 9

From Digital Corpus

Signs with crude writing line the street as the main character drives to work. Rough graffito on the wall says, "You're annoying."

Big Man Japan, 大日本人,Dai Nipponjin Image 10

From Digital Corpus

Signs with crude writing line the street as the main character drives to work. One says, "Go to hell, Big-Sato."

Big Man Japan, 大日本人,Dai Nipponjin Image 12

From Digital Corpus

Signs with crude writing line the street as the main character drives to work. One says, "Bring our wild birds back!"

Big Man Japan, 大日本人,Dai Nipponjin Image 13

From Digital Corpus

Signs with crude writing line the street as the main character drives to work. One says, "Not more noise pollution!"

Big Man Japan, 大日本人,Dai Nipponjin Image 14

From Digital Corpus

A character walks past a wall with the metal, calligraphic signage, and several protest signs. One says, "Stop wasting electricity."

Big Man Japan, 大日本人,Dai Nipponjin Image 25

From Digital Corpus

White lettering decorates the door of a closed store. Black calligraphy is written on white paper posted over the door, announcing the closure of the store. Two men are talking to eachother, with a subtitle at the bottom of the frame: "You're sure this is the place?"

The Black Tight Killers, 俺にさわると危ないぜ,Ore ni Sawaru to Abunaize Image 6

From Digital Corpus

Image of a street lined with shops and a single man in kimono walking in the middle of the street. The calligraphic sign on the left-hand store indicates iit is a rice shop.

Blind Woman's Curse, 怪談昇り竜,Kaidan Nobori Ryu Image 4

From Digital Corpus

A woman tends to an empty restaurant, shoji screens in the background along with a door decorated with a green noren. The calligraphy in the background is the name of the restaurant, backwards since it is visible from the street.

Blind Woman's Curse, 怪談昇り竜,Kaidan Nobori Ryu Image 5

From Digital Corpus

Calligraphy decorates a poster, noren and a sign at a freakshow.

Blind Woman's Curse, 怪談昇り竜,Kaidan Nobori Ryu Image 6

From Digital Corpus

A man stands before a tea store. Black calligraphy carved into a store sign to the left. Gold calligraphy and English text is silk screened on storefront glass behind him.

Blood Brothers, 天堂口,Tiān táng kǒu Image 2

From Digital Corpus

A character is down on all fours on a street lined with signs, whch are all covered with calligraphy.

Boys Be Ambitious, 岸和田少年愚連隊, Kishiwada shônen gurentai Image 2

From Digital Corpus

The large, calligraphic hiragana character for "yu" typically decorates the noren of a public bath, serving as a street sign. The Chinese character it refers to—湯—means hot water.

Boys Be Ambitious, 岸和田少年愚連隊, Kishiwada shônen gurentai Image 3

From Digital Corpus

A large sign with the single character for "alcohol" is hung over a drinking establishment open to the street.

The Brave Archer, 射鵰英雄傳,She diao ying xiong zhuan Image 10

From Digital Corpus

A typical Hong Kong street, littered with calligraphic signs.

Breaking News, 大事件,Dai si gin Image 9

From Digital Corpus

Calligraphy on the window of the door. Says "Push the Door Please Enter" [zoomed in shot of BuddhistFist2.jpg]

The Buddhist Fist, 佛掌羅漢拳,Fu zhang luo han zhang Image 3

From Digital Corpus

Name of a café, written in red

The Buddhist Fist, 佛掌羅漢拳,Fu zhang luo han zhang Image 13

From Digital Corpus

Name and menu of café written hastily on a white banner

The Buddhist Fist, 佛掌羅漢拳,Fu zhang luo han zhang Image 14

From Digital Corpus

Handwritten banner of a fortuneteller

The Buddhist Fist, 佛掌羅漢拳,Fu zhang luo han zhang Image 15

From Digital Corpus