Taiwanese film, once an acquired taste, is now approaching the mainstream of art house and even purely commercial cinema. Along with such famed directors as Ang Lee, Hou Hsiao Hsien and Edward Yang and such blockbusters as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are directors and projects that reflect Taiwan's cultural development, its role in the Cold War and its aftermath, decolonization and modernity. Berry (film and television studies, U. of London) and Lu (communications, National Chengchi U.) pay close attention to a number of films that serve as indicators of the approach of Taiwan New Cinema in the 1980s and the waves that followed. They and their contributors work from film to film, tracing the social elements that make up the characters, narratives and visuals of such films as A Borrowed Life, City of Sadness and A Bright Summer Day, while also tracking the development of prominent Taiwanese directors. Annotation ©2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)