Silbergeld examines three award-winning Asian films concerned with issues of developing globalization and the defense of local identity--"Suzhou River" (People's Republic China, 2000), "The Day the Sun Turned Cold" (Hong Kong, 1994), and "Good Men, Good Women" (Taiwan, 1995). The films have surprised Western audiences with their sophisticated cinematic skills and the depth of their engagement with Dostoyevsky, Freud, Faulkner, and Hitchcock. Silbergeld (Chinese art history, Princeton U.) explores the visuality of the films in detail, taking particular note of the filmmakers' reliance on metaphoric images to skirt Chinese film censorship. Illustrated with b&w stills, posters, and other artwork; the edition includes a DVD with scenes from the films. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)