ICC “Between the Lines” Program Examines Jackie Chan and the Western Hero Feb. 5
Join Illinois Central College’s “Between the Lines” program
as it explores Jackie Chan and the Western Hero on Mon., Feb. 5 at 2:30 pm in
Room 212C/D on the East Peoria Campus. Facilitator for the discussion is Marsha
Watson.
Jackie Chan is perhaps the biggest
Asian mega-star many Americans have never heard of. If American audiences do
recognize his name, it is most often for comedic, martial arts/buddy films such
as Shanghai Noon and Rush Hour. Western audiences more familiar
with Chan’s film work also will recognize him from classic martial arts films
such as Drunken Master I and II or Police Story 3: Supercop.
Chan trained from age 10 to perform Peking Opera, and his films portray a type
of hero drawn from the conventions of that highly ritualized tradition: comedic,
morally centered, and despite the amazing martial arts feats at the core of his
performances, non-violent.
This presentation will examine the
characteristics of the heroic tradition in Peking Opera, as performed by Jackie
Chan in film, in order to provide the audience with a new lens through which to
view the western heroic tradition, as represented in classic western texts such
as Homer’s Iliad and Milton’s Paradise Lost.
“Between the Lines” is a lecture
series presented by the faculty members of the English, Humanities and Language
Studies Department at ICC. The goal of the series is to offer literary
presentations that will interest students and people in the community, as well
as promote reading literacy and scholarly study.
The programs are free and open to
the public.
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