Year 1987 as a break point in the development of the chinese Fifth Generation filmmakers - Essay Example

1987 as a break point in the development of the Chinese Fifth Generation filmmakers After the introduction of motion picture in China in 1986, the film industry has gone through changes in an extensive, outlined as well as a radical manner. Film making in China can be split up into several generations. The period of 1960 to 1980 saw the most dreadful decades for the Chinese film industry. The cultural revolutions and its consequences had a stunning effect on the growth of the film industry, almost bringing the production of films to a near halt. The decades also saw a rapid growth in the education of the people. A special group of people, studying the art of film making defied the norms for film making, questioning and scrutinizing every single act of their profession. They devised new methods of taking shots, and they were eager to showcase their talents and break the inherent rules of film making. The consequence of which is the birth of fifth generation filmmakers - Zhang Yimou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Chen Kaige, etc. They revolutionized filmmaking and opened new markets for Chinese films in the West. The critically acclaimed western directors took notice of their talents and the films of these directors such as Yellow Earth, Red Sorghum, etc., won high accolades from the film ‘circle’. To analyze more about the development of fifth generation and its implications on the Chinese film industry, a critical review of the films released during that period can be taken into consideration. Xudong Zhang and Rey Chow’s critical analysis of the films “King of the Children”, directed by Chen Kaige and “Red Sorghum” by Yimou Zhang can lead the right pathway to understand why 1987 is considered to be the breakpoint in the development of fifth generation filmmakers. King of the Children The fifth generation film makers could be termed as more progressive and rebellious because they were restrained from their acts during the Cultural Revolution. As a result, most of the films of these directors discussed themes based on the ill-effects of Cultural Revolution and their backward nature of the country. “King of the Children”, released in 1987 can be considered to be one of the most prominent examples of fifth generation directors' works. It was the third film of Chen Kaige, revolving around a simple man, who goes out to a remote place, outside of his city to teach illiterate people. In the process, he finds out the troubles and suffering of the people with the lack of proper materials to educate themselves and the consequences of the socio economic changes. Chen tries to portray the lack of food, poverty, unemployment and lack of education prevalent in China during this period. In a period where martial arts and urban culture reigned supreme, Chen’s work proved to be an unthinkable one, defying the rules laid out by the censor boards of that time. Irrespective of all its critical appreciations, the film somehow failed to achieve commercial success both in international as well as domestic level. Xudong Zhang’s views According to Zhang, “King of the Children” released in 1987 needs to be appreciated for two major reasons – its aesthetic nature of film making and its bold way of storytelling breaking all the norms of the social culture present in that era. Despite this and “Red Sorghum” being the only films with a more rural background of all the movies from the fifth generation film makers, they actually epitomized the significance of these people. What really impresses Zhang about the film is the ability and skill of the director to bring out his own personal experience combined with the social plundering happening across the country in a melancholic and subtle way, pushing the cinematic modernism to its peak. The thing that befuddles the author is the failure of the film which is considered to be the “ultimate emblem of China’s Fifth Generation Film” (Zhang 1997). Although the film maker considers it to be an expected occurrence from public whose minds are occupied with the protagonists being shown to be culturist heroes. They were unable to adapt to the notion of treating a protagonist to be a deeper, thought out person, focusing on the problems of experiences acquired through personal life. With this being said, Zhang believes this work to be a unique representation of the social condition present during its time of release and thus spurring the growth of fifth generation. Despite its commercial failure, the film succeeds in keeping the heart of social life in the right place and all the more, presenting the same in a visual medium. Rey Chow’s views Rey Chow, one of the most influential critics in the film industry has written a very rare article on “The King of the Children”. In this, she clearly augments the support for this film to be marked as one of the trendsetter of the decade. Through her views, she is able to bring out the perspective of a woman – a first for its kind on this respective work - on the torments of Chinese's culture revolution, and the obfuscation occurred through modernity. Chow describes the antagonistic treatment meted out to women in the social system during this period through substantiating the male chauvinistic approach followed in the movie. Chow’s treatment of the movie in a feminine environment, although ignore many critical points of this work, succeeds comprehensively in identifying the true effect of this film on the culture and traditional perspective of China – an exquisite feature hallmarking this film as a break point of fifth generation filmmaking. Red Sorghum “Red Sorghum”, considered as one of the finest works of Zhang Yimou, for its exhilarating presentation and vivid storyline. Just like “The King of the Children”, the theme of the story is set in a rural background, and the film maker succeeds in keeping the viewers fastened to the seats through the whole movie with never before camera shots and sequences. Xudong Zhang’s views According to Zhang, “Red Sorghum” – first film from China to win an international award- is an amalgamation of ideology and emotions captured through the camera. He depicts this film as donning the role of a developer of the fifth generation. Its rapturous success and the sheer brilliance of direction were touted by every other critic in film industry. He further details that the people of China have slowly progressed into a new realism where the camera and a film is no longer focusing on them but on the aspects of reality. Though they were shown into such realism through “Yellow Earth”, they resisted to succumb to the inevitable, ignoring “Yellow Earth” to be one off beat appearance in a suave country.. Another major aspect of “Red Sorghum” according to Zhang is the use of the theatrical nature of cinema to its full effect in representing a set for complex sequences instead of creating several mini stories. The colors used in a natural environment added a lot more depth to the screen presence of the actors and described more information than the actors intended to portray. Overall, the movie succeeded in intertwining the societal values and the cultural systems with the visual experience. Conclusion On a concluding note, it can be said that the above mentioned two movies released in 1987 set the trend for the development of future fifth generation film makers. The critical analysis provided by Xudong Zhang and Rey Chow clearly substantiate the reasons for this conclusion. The subtle handling of the most complex problems of the society during that period in a most simple and concise way in “The King of The Children”; an artistic and effervescent expressionism brought out for the first time in a visual world through the lens of Zhang Yimou in “Red Sorghum”, truly mark the year 1987 to be a turning point for the development of fifth generation film makers. Works Cited Zhang, Xudong. Chinese Modernism in the Era of Reforms. London: Duke University Press, 1997. Print. Read More