Chinese Film Classics, 1922–1949 / / Christopher G. Rea.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Art and Architecture eBook-Package 2020
• VerfasserIn: Rea, Christopher G.,
• Place / Publishing House: New York, NY : : Columbia University Press, , [2021]; ©2021
• Year of Publication: 2021
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource :; 139 figures

Chinese Film Classics, 1922–1949 is an essential guide to the first golden age of Chinese cinema. Offering detailed introductions to fourteen films, this study highlights the creative achievements of Chinese filmmakers in the decades leading up to 1949, when the Communists won the civil war and began nationalizing cultural industries.Christopher Rea reveals the uniqueness and complexity of Republican China’s cinematic masterworks, from the comedies and melodramas of the silent era to talkies and musicals of the 1930s and 1940s. Each chapter appraises the artistry of a single film, highlighting its outstanding formal elements, from cinematography to editing to sound design. Examples include the slapstick gags of Laborer’s Love (1922), Ruan Lingyu’s star turn in Goddess (1934), Zhou Xuan’s mesmerizing performance in Street Angels (1937), Eileen Chang’s urbane comedy of manners Long Live the Missus! (1947), the wartime epic Spring River Flows East (1947), and Fei Mu’s acclaimed work of cinematic lyricism, Spring in a Small Town (1948). Rea shares new insights and archival discoveries about famous films, while explaining their significance in relation to politics, society, and global cinema. Lavishly illustrated and featuring extensive guides to further viewings and readings, Chinese Film Classics, 1922–1949 offers an accessible tour of China’s early contributions to the cinematic arts.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Figures -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- PART ONE Silent Films -- CHAPTER ONE Laborer’s Love (Laogong zhi aiqing 勞工之愛情) -- CHAPTER TWO Playthings (Xiao wanyi 小玩意) -- CHAPTER THREE Sports Queen (Tiyu huanghou 體育皇后) -- CHAPTER FOUR Goddess (Shennü 神女) -- CHAPTER FIVE The Great Road (Dalu 大路) -- CHAPTER SIX New Women (Xin nüxing 新女性) -- PART TWO Sound Films -- CHAPTER SEVEN Song at Midnight (Yeban gesheng 夜半歌聲) -- CHAPTER EIGHT Street Angels (Malu tianshi 馬路天使) -- CHAPTER NINE Hua Mu Lan (Mulan congjun 木蘭從軍) -- CHAPTER TEN Long Live the Missus! (Taitai wansui 太太萬歲) -- CHAPTER ELEVEN Spring River Flows East (Yi jiang chunshui xiang dong liu 一江春水向東流) -- CHAPTER TWELVE Spring in a Small Town (Xiaocheng zhi chun 小城之春) -- CHAPTER THIRTEEN Wanderings of Three-Hairs the Orphan (Sanmao liulang ji 三毛流浪記) -- CHAPTER FOURTEEN Crows and Sparrows (Wuya yu maque 烏鴉與麻雀) -- Abbreviations -- Appendix 1: Other Significant Extant Chinese Films, 1927–1949 -- Appendix 2: Selective Name List of Film Personnel -- Filmography -- Bibliography -- Index