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The Big Family

Name: The Big Family
Director: Steve Chan Ho
Released: 1976
Duration: 90 min

Representation Score

2.8/10

Limited

1976

Director

Steve Chan Ho

Runtime

90 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

The Big Family is a period-specific crime drama centered on clan dynamics and masculine authority. Its narrative structure revolves around a patriarchal hierarchy, focusing on the head of a crime syndicate and his sons. This focus restricts the representation of women and LGBTQ+ individuals. While the film offers a culturally specific East Asian perspective, it does not actively challenge social clichés. Instead, it adheres to the conventions of 1970s Hong Kong action cinema, highlighting loyalty and violence within a traditional family framework. Ultimately, the film serves as a genre study of organized crime rather than a platform for diverse storytelling.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Big Family have LGBTQ+ representation?

Limited

The film does not feature any LGBTQ+ characters or narratives. It emphasizes traditional patriarchal structures within a crime family, reflecting the straight-centered social standards of the 1970s.

How does The Big Family portray gender?

Limited

The narrative focuses on male figures, particularly the family head and his sons. Traditional masculine leadership and patriarchal hierarchies are reinforced, which are common elements in the crime genre.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Big Family?

Fair

As a Hong Kong production, the film features an East Asian cast and setting. This provides a non-Western perspective that contrasts with the Anglo-Saxon-centric cinema of the time.

How does The Big Family represent religion and culture?

Fair

The story delves into the breakdown of the family unit through conflicts related to criminal organizations. It centers on internal clan disputes involving drugs and murder, rather than critiquing Western institutions.

Does The Big Family include disability representation?

Minimal

The narrative does not include any characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Present on Screen

Provides a non-Western, East Asian cultural perspective through its setting and cast.
Departs from the Anglo-Saxon-centric narratives prevalent in Western cinema of the 1970s.

Limited or Absent

Focuses almost exclusively on male-dominated patriarchal hierarchies, limiting women's ability to drive the story.
Does not include LGBTQ+ representation or narratives that challenge the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.
Fails to incorporate characters with visible or invisible disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Shek Kin plays the head of a large crime family. His sons get into all sorts of trouble with the other triad bosses. They both escalate the situation with drugs and murder and create a bitter feud with a rival family.

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