Reinventing China : a generation and its films / Paul Clark.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Clark, Paul, 1949-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Motion pictures, Chinese--China.

Motion pictures, Chinese.

China.

Physical Description:

vi, 257 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Hong Kong : Chinese University Press, 2005.

Summary:

Reinventing China: A Generation and Its Films is a pioneering study of the genesis and films of the fifth-generation of Chinese filmmakers who emerged in the 1980s with films of startling originality. The making and meanings of films such as Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern, and Farewell, My Concubine are the central focus. Through this generation and its films changes in Chinese society over several decades are brought into vivid relief.

In the first of three parts, the stories of ten filmmakers prior to entering film school in 1978 are told in the form of a shared or group biography. They include directors like Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou and Tian Zhuangzhuang, who won international praise for their work. But they also include less well-known figures such as Liu Miaomiao. This mix of the famous and the obscure derives from the purpose to construct a history of the broad dynamics of Chinese cultural change. In the middle section of the book, the students' crucial four years together at film school are outlined. The main part discusses the work of each of the filmmakers until the 1990s, tracing remarkable social and political changes through the continuing histories of these talented and determined individuals. This part ends by introducing other members of this generation, who did not attend film school with them, and outlines their impact on older filmmakers.

Based on extensive research as well as first-hand information obtained from long acquaintance with the filmmakers, Clark gives a wonderful account of the fifth-generation filmmakers and their films, which vividly reflects the nature of change of China in the second half of the twentieth century. Book jacket.

Contents:

Part 1 Flashbacks: The Cultural Revolution Generation 7

1 Children of Mao 10

2 The Start of the Cultural Revolution 18

3 Sent-Down Youths 28

4 Return to the Cities 36

5 The Film Academy Examinations 50

Part 2 The Beijing Film Academy 55

1 The Academy 56

2 The Curriculum 57

3 Student Films 62

4 Classmates 68

5 Graduation 72

Part 3 The Films of the Fifth Generation 75

1 First Films: One and Eight and The Yellow Earth 77

2 The Spirit of the Times: Wu Ziniu's Films 90

3 From the Margins: Tian Zhuangzhuang's Films 106

4 A Women's Cinema?: The Films of Hu Mei, Peng Xiaolian and Liu Miaomiao 122

5 The Rise of the Entertainment Film: Zhang Jianya and Jiang Haiyang 137

6 "Passion, Courage, Commitment": Chen Kaige's Later Films 146

7 Reds: Zhang Yimou's Films 164

8 Beyond the Fifth Generation 187

Conclusion: Generating the New 205

Chinese Film Title List 237.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9629962071

OCLC:

60610679