Description
Book SynopsisBuilding a New China in Cinema introduces English readers for the first time to one of the most exciting left-wing cinema traditions in the world. This unique book explores the history, ideology, and aesthetics of China''s left-wing cinema movement, a quixotic film culture that was as political as commercial, as militant as sensationalist. Originating in the 1930s, it marked the first systematic intellectual involvement in Chinese cinema. In this era of turmoil and idealism, the movement''s films were characterized by fantasies of heroism intertwined with the inescapable spell of impotency, thus exposing the contradictions of the filmmakers'' underlying ideology as their political and artistic agendas alternately fought against or catered to the taste and viewing habits of a popular audience. Political cinema became a commercially successful industry, resulting in a film culture that has never been replicated. Drawing on detailed archival research, Pang demonstrates that this cinema m
Trade ReviewPang provides invaluable information for both Asian film scholars and those interested in modern Chinese history. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *
This book makes a significant contribution to the growing literature on pre-1949 Chinese film. The book is well-researched and informative. -- Zhiwei Xiao * China Quarterly *
As the first concentrated study of Shanghai leftist cinema in English, this book is of great interest to scholars and students of Chinese cinema, Republican cultural history, and leftist cinema in general. * Journal of Asian Studies *
Pang writes in a careful and nuanced way . . . beneath her modest tone lies originality that significantly redraws our picture of this important film movement. -- Chris Berry, Professor of Film Studies at Kings College London * Screen *
This author should be applauded for solid archival work and for bringing forth this well-researched, illustrated, and documented volume. -- Yiman Wang, Haverford College
A stimulating and engaging book with many valuable historical insights. There is no other book that I have seen that engages in such depth with this period of film-making in China. -- Stephanie Hemelryk Donald, University of Liverpool
[Pang's] informative readings of a variety of progressive films and her analysis of the history surrounding the founding of this movement certainly deserve our attention. * Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews *
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Part 2 The History Chapter 3 The Merging of Histories Chapter 4 The Left-wing Cinema Movement Part 5 The Filmmakers and the Formation of a Collective Subjectivity Chapter 6 The Role of Authorship in the Age of Nationalism Chapter 7 Masculinity and Collectivism: Romancing Politics Chapter 8 Women's Stories On-screen versus Off-screen Part 9 The Spectators and The Film Culture Chapter 10 A Commercial Cinema or a Political Cinema? Chapter 11 A Shanghai Cinema or a Chinese Cinema? Chapter 12 Engaging Realism Part 13 Epilogue Chapter 14 Appendix I: Chinese Left-wing Movies of the 1930s Chapter 15 Appendix II: Popular Chinese Movies, 1932-1937 Chapter 16 Bibliography and Filmography
