Analysis of the Chinese films - Essay Example

? Film analysis The contemporary Chinese cinema is undergoing rapid but positive change. Nowadays, the Chinese film makers/directors show keen interest to inculcate innovative ideas in their films. For instance, the film Devil at the Doorstep by the Chinese actor cum director Jiang Wen is one of the best examples which highlight the foretold change. Jiang Wen’s prior status as an actor did not hinder him from choosing the story line of the film Devil at the Doorstep, which carries violence and mental trauma faced by individuals in a closed society. The film was able to gain the jury prize at Cannes, but that did not help Jiang Wen as a director. For instance, the film was banned in the director’s homeland and abroad. Besides, the seven year ban imposed by the Chinese government upon Jiang Wen from restricted directing more films. Thesis statement: This essay is going to make use of both narrative and stylistic approach to analyze the film Devil at the Doorstep by Jiang Wen. Narrative approach To be specific, the narrative approach in the field of film analysis is strictly based upon the search to unearth the narrative style of a specific director. Basically, Narrative approach is an attempt to search the narrative features of a film. For instance, the narrative approach analyses the flow of personal/ cultural identities in the story line. Within the scenario of narrative approach, the film Devil at the Doorstep by Jiang Wen is most suitable because it can be analyzed from the personal level ( the emotional problems faced by the protagonist) and from the cultural level ( the cultural problems faced by the Chinese society during the World War II). The film belongs to the black comedy genre which mimics the wartime films. The film unveils the dilemmatic situation faced by a Chinese peasant on taking custody of two wartime prisoners (a Japanese soldier and an utter stranger) and the following events. The film mimics the negative attitude of the Chinese government on blaming the Japanese authorities for indulging in a war between both the nations. As the film is based upon a novel, it unveils the pressure imposed by the Chinese government on novels and films in general. Ma Dasan, living in a remote village (Rack-Armor Terrace) in China, is the protagonist of the film. As pointed out, the protagonist was forced to be the custodian of Kosaburo Hanaya and Dong Hanchen. Before this incident, Ma Dasan’s life was flowing slowly without much problem. But this incident forced Ma Dasan to be in a dilemmatic situation because the person who handed over the prisoners pointed out that he must look after the prisoners with due care. The following events include the futile effort undertaken by Ma Dasan to keep the prisoners safe, hiring of One Stroke Liu to execute the prisoners and failure to do so, Kosaburo Hanaya’s return to his homeland, and the fire in Ma Dasan’s village, Ma Dasan’s attempt to take revenge and his ultimate doom. The most shocking incident in the film is the large scale massacre at the feast. This incident ignited the feeling of revenge in Ma Dasan’s mind. Earlier, Ma Dasan’s role in the village (say, his community or society) was to obey the law and order without showing his hesitation. But this incident transformed him from a passive individual to an active individual who is ready to give up his life for a noble purpose. A bird’s eye view of the film leads one to misinterpret the same as an anti-Japanese invasion genre film. But deeper understanding leads one to the realization that the director’s attempt is to mock the hypocrisy of the Chinese authorities and the mentality of the Chinese villagers towards the Japanese invaders. For instance, in the film, children are ready to share secrets with the invaders and the villagers feel satisfied by the supply of food grains. Besides, this unveils the passive attitude shown by the people towards the authorities. The fundamental problem of violence in the film faced by the ignorant villagers without a unified authority is two sided. For instance, the villagers are in between two forces, the Japanese invaders and the communist guerillas. In total, the film provides valuable information on the atrocities faced by the Chinese peasants from the Japanese invaders, the Chinese government and the communist guerillas. Edward Lawrence Davis states that the film Devil at the Doorstep by Jiang Wen reveals the atrocities committed by the Chinese government upon the Japanese prisoners during World War II (Davis 414). In addition, the director made use of the character Ma Dasan as his mouthpiece to communicate with the viewers in general. In short, the director made use of a historical situation in Chinese history to put forth his views on the effect of violence on individuals. Stylistic approach The most important stylistic feature inculcated by Jiang Wen in the film Devil at the Doorstep is strictly limited to the sphere of cinematography, i.e. Black and White. For instance, the usage of Black and White scenes in the film proves that the film’s plot belongs to a specific time in Chinese history (during or after the World War II). The usage of Black and White scenes in the film is helpful to contrast the past and the present. The usage of black and white in the film provides ample importance to the decapitation scene (beheading Ma Dasan in the end of the film), which is shot in color. From a different angle of view, this scene raises some fundamental questions on violence. Why did the director choose this scene to be shot in color? Is there any particular reason to do so? Is the director trying to tell something about the importance of self-sacrifice for the wellbeing of one’s fellow-beings? The answer is yes. The director purposefully chose this scene to be in color because it is focal point of the film and the idea that the director did choose to convey. The editing illusion or the technique of linking two different spaces with the help of a single cut made use in the film Devil at the Doorstep is another stylistic feature. For instance, in the film, the scene in which Ma Dasan and the villagers held a meeting to discuss upon the prisoners is skillfully attached to the next scene, i.e. the scene of Japanese war. But the second scene does not interrupt the flow of the first scene. In the end of the first scene, the characters turn towards the second scene, in which the Japanese soldiers are doing their patrolling duty. This technique of linking two different spaces inculcated by the director helps the viewers to be more attentive and conscious about the continuity of scenes without interruption. The usage of shadow and light is another stylistic feature made use by the director, which boosts the realistic approach. For instance, in outdoor scenes, the director made use of shadow and light to highlight or contrast certain characters and background. The director is aware of the importance of shadow and light, especially in black and white scenes. The mixture of shadow and light with high and low brightness is the overall lighting practice/ technique made use by the director. The language (maybe, the crude form of Chinese language used by the villagers) used in the film does not hinder the flow of the film as a whole. For instance, the banquet scene and the following misunderstanding based on language do not act as a barrier among the characters. The undercurrent of similarity among the Asian languages in general, and the cunning inculcation of facial expressions in particular, save the film from misunderstanding based on the usage of language. The close up shots or the focus given to human faces in the film is another stylistic feature inculcated by Jiang Wen in the film Devil at the Doorstep. For instance, the close up shots of the protagonist’s face in the film reveals his helplessness and emotional attachment towards the prisoners. This unique technique of close up shots is helpful to have deeper understanding of the emotions of the characters through facial expressions. In short, the stylistic techniques made use by the director helps the national and international viewers to have deeper understanding of the film. Summing, the film Devil at the Doorstep by Jiang Wen was accepted by the international viewers but less accepted by the Chinese government. The main problem faced by Jiang Wen was the restriction upon individual freedom of a director with international outlook. The main reason behind the less acceptance and ban on the film was the realistic and critical attitude of the director towards power politics, violence and its effect upon individuals. The protagonist’s transformation from an inactive stage to activism and as the mouthpiece of the director to communicate with the viewers is the most important development in the film. The narrative feature of the film is conversational and less ambiguous because of the usage of historical plot. The stylistic features of the film raise the same from its limitations to the international arena of cinematography. In short, the global acceptance gained by the film is strictly limited to the narrative features and stylistic features inculcated by the director. References Davis, Edward Lawrence. Encyclopedia of contemporary Chinese culture. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis, 2005. Read More