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Analysis of Chinese Films
The nature of film in any culture or in any society can be rightly described as existing in a
volatile state. The film industry is usually a reflection of the overall feel of the culture in the
society as it pertains to a particular time. It is possible to understand the sentiment or disposition
people might feel at a specific time when one investigates the popular films in their era. The case
is no different from Chinese Cinema. By looking at films made around the 1950s era, it is
possible to deduce their relation to the overall Chinese culture by understanding the genre of the
film. The essay focuses on two films, The White Hair Girl, directed by Bin Wang in 1951, and
Crows and Sparrows by Zheng Jungli in 1949. The genre of Chinese films in the period echoed
the sentiment of the Cultural Revolution, characterized by the opposition to Westernization and
displeasure at feudal lords and tyrannical government officials.
One of the fascinating aspects of the films during the era is how much they carried the
major feeling around wealth inequality in China. The films carry a different notion of wealth as
depicted in most Western films and material. The films they made were deliberate in trying to
counter some of the Western genres and Western ideas. “Chinese production has certainly given
us genres, and it is these genres that give a certain tinge of national characteristics by which one
can identify Chinese cinema as national” (Teo 291). The films produced during the time
showcase some of the important differences between Chinese and Western perceptions. An
example is how the films depicted feudal lords. While popular media in the US mostly
characterized rich people as charming, charitable, and sometimes as superheroes, the contrary
opinion is shared in Chinese cinema. The rich as depicted as arrogant and undeserving at the
very least. Xier scoffs when the young feudal lord shows interest in her, and she even curses him
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under her breath (The White Hair Girl 10:20). That is contrary to the Western notion where rich
people usually possess the archetype of strong, charismatic, and hardworking people.
A recurring theme among the two films is that the common perception popular at the time
is that the rich enjoyed and found pleasure in the misery of others. The feudal lords enjoy lending
money to people who would have had a difficult time repaying the loan. They are also depicted
as content to have people become indebted to them. The comment made by the old woman to
Shi, her debt collector, that he should collect money but not make sure they hang themselves is
an interesting and thought-provoking one (13:24). The film depicts feudal lords or debtors as
people who would want to inflict as much pain as they can get away with from the masses. An
interesting point of note is that the peasants are seen engaging in a lot of back-breaking work
during harvest time at the beginning of the film. However, their disposition is generally of good
family values, love, and joy. It is not until they encounter the debt collectors that their problems
begin in society. The feudal lords and lenders being seen as the scourge of society were a popular
notion during the revolution which took place during the period.
The feeling of hopelessness is a common theme that permeated through the period. Most
of the people were disgruntled with the state of their lives and believed that only through a
revolution could they believe they had a chance. The belief that the government existed to
protect the oppressors or those who took from the poor is a common phenomenon in the films. In
1932, the economy of Shanghai had collapsed, and the ban on Wusia films affected the Shangai
film industry (Teo 293). The expected result is that there would be much disgruntlement directed
towards the ever-controlling government. The same sentiment is shared in some of the films.
Kong Yeung, whose house was seized by Mr. Hou, a government official, laments the level of
corruption that the government officials have had (Crows and Sparrows 13:00). He is having a
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conversation with the renters in the building seized from him. One of the renters asks Mr. Kong
to stand up and take on Mr. Hou. Although the events happen in characters of an apartment, they
can be described to be a microcosm of the entire Shanghai region. Although people were afraid
of the persecution coming their way, they were called to fight the tyrannical Shanghai ruling
class.
The films in the era took on an interesting genre of depicting an imminent cultural
revolution that was beginning to take place in Mainland China. The films showcase the
oncoming period as an interesting one with promise where enemies would have been dealt with
or scampered away. The sentiment was championed by a period of economic challenges and
disgruntlement at the ruling class.
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Works Cited
Teo, Stephen, Film Genre, and Chinese Cinema. “A Discourse of Film and Nation.” A
companion to Chinese cinema (2012): 284-98.
Wang, Bin, director. The White Haired Girl. Changchun Film Studio, 1951.
Yunhu, Xia, director. Crows and Sparrows. Kunlun Film Company. 1949.
Instructions
This film commentary counts for 10% of your total class grade, and will be graded by the
following criteria:
• specific references to the film, as cited by dialogue or plot elements and
timestamp
• organization and structure
• quality of written language and proofreading
Each film commentary should be typed in double-spaced size 12 font with one-inch
margins, and be 3-4 pages in length. No late or make up commentaries accepted.
Both fictional characters Gu Qing (Yellow Earth, dir. Chen Kaige, 1984) and Li Chun
(Sacrificed Youth, dir. Zhang Nuanxin, 1986) are urban outsiders in the villages they
visit and inhabit. Referring to at least one specific scene from each film, analyze each
character’ s attitude toward their hosts and other villagers. What do these scenes
suggest about the filmnakers’ attitude toward China’s national history, and how do the
two characters’ gender affect the tone conveyed in the movies?
It may be helpful to refer to Esther Yau’s essay ‘Yellow Earth’ : Western Analysis
and a Non-Western Text” and/or Lingzhen Wang’s discussion of Zhang Nuanxin’s changes
to the novel in her film adaptation in “Zhang Nuanxin and Social Commitment in 1980s
Chinese Women’s Experimental Cinema?
a” (22)

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