Hussain Haniff and the place of the auteur in popular Malay cinema

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Abstract

This chapter re-examines ideas of authorship in the Malay cinema through a case study of one of its most prestigious filmmakers, Hussain Haniff. It considers the formation of Hussain’s reputation by reviewing the chang- ing critical attitudes to his work and discusses his films as instances of personal and political expression, but also as contributions to a popular entertainment industry. Hussain offered timely explorations of tradition, modernity and gender, and used the period’s generic conventions and stars to shape his unique visions. By positioning Hussain within the broader world of film entertainment, this chapter contributes to a more historically grounded perspective on the role played by film directors during the golden age of Malay cinema.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationSoutheast Asia on Screen
Subtitle of host publicationFrom Independence to Financial Crisis (1945-1998)
EditorsGaik Cheng Khoo, Thomas Barker, Mary J. Ainslie
Place of PublicationAmsterdam Netherlands
PublisherAmsterdam University Press
Chapter7
Pages153-169
Number of pages17
Edition1st
ISBN (Electronic)9789048541904
ISBN (Print)9789462989344
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020

Publication series

NameAsian Visual Cultures
PublisherAmsterdam University Press

Keywords

  • Hussain Haniff
  • Authorship
  • Malay cinema
  • P. Ramlee

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