2026/05/27 by Huang YenHsuan · 1 voice
Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Cinema and Media Studies #Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics #Japanese History and Culture
paper · pdf · doi:10.1080/17508061.2026.2662108
openalex publication_date 2026/05/27 · openalex created_date 2026/05/28 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/15
This article examines the 1960s Taiwanese-language spy film genre, focusing on The Best Secret Agent (1964) and its sequels as a critical site where global genre conventions, Cold War politics, and local gender ideologies intersect. I introduce the concept of creative disidentification to describe a two-stage process: first, the strategic imitation of dominant cinematic forms to secure market visibility, and second, their transformation into distinctly local articulations of gender and political identity. Using this framework, I trace the evolution of the recurring ‘female 007’ figure, embodied in the heroine Cuiying, from a tragic nationalist sacrifice to a self-directed, cross-dressing agent who destabilizes Cold War masculinism. Drawing on archival reels, promotional booklets, and oral histories, the article situates Taiwanese spy cinema at the nexus of state propaganda and commercial imperatives, showing how its hybrid aesthetics were shaped as much by market demands as by ideological concerns. By reconfiguring global espionage tropes into new forms of female agency, these films demonstrate how small-nation cinemas can creatively negotiate transnational flows, challenging both Hollywood dominance and patriarchal state ideology.