Episode 191: Pearl Chang: Wolf Devil Director

## Show Notes

Pearl Chang wrote/directed/produced and starred in four Taiwanese fantasy films in the 80s, but cinema history has cruelly ignored her wildly imaginative body of work - even though she's one of the few women to ever be a truly be a 'Total Filmmaker'. In this week's episode, we examine her life, work, and discuss her most famous film WOLF DEVIL WOMAN, MIRACULOUS FLOWER and MATCHING ESCORT.
## Films Discussed

* Films involving Pearl Chang
	+ *The Protectors* (1974-75) - TV Show
	+ *Armed Escort* (1976) Dir. Chen Ming-Hua
	+ *My Blade My Life* (1978) Dir. Chen Ming-Hua
	+ *Miraculous Flower* (a.k.a Wolf Devil Woman 3 a.k.a Phoenix the Ninja) (1981) Dir. Hao Fang
	+ *Wolf Devil Woman* (a.k.a Wolfen Queen a.k.a. Wolfen Ninja) (1982) Dir. Pearl Chang
	+ *Matching Escort* (1982) Dir. Pearl Chang
	+ *Fantasy Mission Force* (1983) Dir. Chu Yen-ping
	+ *Dark Lady of Kung Fu* (1983) Dir. Pearl Chang
* *Touch of Zen* (1971) Dir. King Hu
* *The Bride with White Hair* (1993) Dir. Ronny Yu

## Discussion Notes

* Another month of the International Cinema Club!
* Taiwan - the 'illegitimate step-brother' of the Hong Kong film industry
	+ Players in the Taiwanese New Wave of '82 - Edward Yang, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Tsai Ming-liang
* Pearl Chang, also credited as Pearl Chung, Pearl Chong, Pearl Chung-ling, and Pearl Chang-ling
	+ Perhaps the only Chinese-language writer, actor, director, and producer of her own films - a legacy admired by our hosts
	+ The 'Pearl' name only appears in International Finance Development Company works
		- Run by Godfrey Ho and Joseph Li
	+ Disappeared after a role in a 1985 TV series - not heard of in the West since,
		- Supposedly moved to Canada? Will urges for a search!
	+ Durian Dave - Pearl Change expert
	+ The films of Pearl change - a balance of the beautiful and the ridiculous
		- Common themes: revenge, fast wacky swordplay, 'flowering' of the main character, ridiculous costumes, great hand-made sets, and a dream-like quality
* *Fantasy Mission Force* - a movie made on Triad-owed favors

## Listener Letters

* Otto -
* Thoughts on Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan's *Winter Sleep* (2014)
	+ Will - doesn't remember it that well, but he liked *Once Upon A Time in Anatolia* (2011)
	+ Justin - liked *The Wild Pear Tree* (2018), loves six hour documentary feature that came with it

## Post-Outro Discussion

* U.S. Department of Justice revoking 1949 Paramount Decree
	+ The initial ruling ended the Golden Age of (Factory Line) Hollywood
	+ Prohibited movie studios from owning theaters, which limited block-booking that made it tough for independent films to exist
* Revoking the rule in the U.S. opens the doors to Disney-owned theaters
	+ Adds to the list of rules that are choking out independent theater business
		- Rules also exist to stop second-run theaters from getting movies if it is still in a first run theater within a certain distance
		- Movie rental stores cannot rent Disney movies until 1-2 months after a disc release
		- Rising costs of getting film reels for repertory theaters
* South Korea limits film release monopolies - https://variety.com/2019/film/asia/korea-law-limit-film-releasing-monopolies-1203369437/
	+ A South Korean film beat out Marvel's 2019 titan at box office thanks to these kinds of limits
		- *Extreme Job* (2019) Dir. Lee Byeong-heon
		- *Avengers: Endgame* (2019) Dir. Joe & Anthony Russo
* Seeing films with a community is important!
* Our hosts lament films you won't get to see in theaters any more
	+ *Pinocchio* (1940) Dir. Ben Sharpsteen & Hamilton Luske
	+ *Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope* (1977) Dir. Geroge Lucas
	+ *Die Hard* (1988) Dir. John McTiernan
	+ *Home Alone* (1990) Dir. John Hughes
	+ *Deep Rising* (1998) Dir. Stephen Sommers