China
During the restrictive “Cultural Revolution” (1967-72) attempts were made to preserve ‘true’ Communist ideology in the country by purging remnants of capitalist and traditional elements from Chinese society, and to re-impose Maoist thought as the dominant ideology within the Party. Film was not a featured component of the revolution, but in its aftermath the film industry flourished in the “scar dramas” of the mid-1980s which depicted the traumas resulting from the Revolution. These were made by the rising “Fifth Generation” of filmmakers who had recently graduated from the newly created Beijing Film Academy in 1982.
Though extremely diverse in style and subject matter, the Fifth Generation shared a common rejection of the socialist-realist tradition of the Cultural Revolution. Instead of stories depicting heroic military struggles, the films were built out of the drama of ordinary people’s daily lives—opting to explore issues with a greater psychological depth rather than recycling approved policy. They adopted complex plots, ambiguous symbolism, and evocative imagery. (However, some of their bolder works with political overtones were banned by Chinese authorities.) These films came with a new style of shooting as well, directors utilized extensive color and long shots. As a result of the new films being so intricate, they appealed primarily to more educated audiences.
At the center of this movement was writer/director/cinematographer
Zhang Yimou who—with his wife Gong Li–made
Golden Bear winner Red Sorghum (1987),
Oscar nominees Ju Dou (1989) and Raise the Red Lantern (1991)
WATCH: trailer of Raise the Red Lantern
Golden Lion winner The Story of Qiu Ju (1992),
and another Oscar nominee Hero (2003)
WATCH: trailer of Hero (2003)
One of Zhang’s recurrent themes is the resilience of Chinese people in the face of hardship and adversity, a theme which has been explored in such films as, for example, To Live (1994) and Not One Less (1999). His films are particularly noted for their rich use of color, as can be seen in some of his early films, like Raise the Red Lantern.
WATCH: Yimou- Visionary of China’s past
However, the release Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000 took Chinese film to a whole new level. Directed by Taiwanese-born but American educated Ang Lee (Sense and Sensibility 1995, Hulk 2003, Brokeback Mountain 2005, and Best Picture winner The Life of Pi 2012), this period film proves a fascinating mix of epic romance, existential angst, and kung fu. This multi-national production achieved success at the Western box office, particularly in the United States, where it introduced Chinese cinema for many and increased the popularity of many earlier Chinese films which may have otherwise been relatively unknown to Westerners. To date, Crouching Tiger remains the most commercially successfully foreign-language film in U.S. history.
Similarly, in 2002, Zhang Yimou’s Hero was another international box office success. Its cast featured many of the most famous Chinese actors who were also known to some extent in the West, including Jet Li, Zhang Ziyi, Maggie Cheung, and Tony Leung Chiu-Wai. Despite criticisms by some that these two films pander somewhat to Western tastes, Hero was a phenomenal success in most of Asia and topped the U.S. box office for two weeks, making enough in the U.S. alone to cover the production costs.
Other films such as Farewell My Concubine, 2046, Suzhou River, The Road Home and House of Flying Daggers have also been critically acclaimed around the world. The Hengdian World Studios can be seen as the “Chinese Hollywood”, with a total area of up to 330 ha. and 13 shooting bases, including a 1:1 copy of the Forbidden City.
****The successes of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero increasingly makes it difficult to demarcate what may be called the boundary between “Mainland Chinese” cinema and a more international-based “Chinese-language cinema”.