A. A. GORSKY

(Krasnodar)

A. D. PAVLOVA

The modern ideas of most Russians about Chinese cinema are rather modest. The first thing that usually comes to mind is the names of world - famous Chinese actors-Jackie Chan, Bruce Lee and Jet Li. We also have little understanding of traditional subjects and topics covered in Chinese cinema: martial arts, Shaolin monks. And knowing the names of famous contemporary Chinese directors can make you a Sinologist or cinematographer in the eyes of others.

While conducting a survey among friends who are not related to Chinese culture, I even heard the following answer: "What do I know about Chinese cinema? That it's being filmed in Chinese!" This sounds ridiculous at first glance. But if you think about it, the phrase is not without meaning: Chinese cinema is perceived by many as part of a complex Chinese culture for us.

The respondents agreed that the last Chinese film they saw was about something historical, with martial arts, and the main character was running on roofs and trees, the costumes are beautiful, but in the course of the film it is not entirely clear what it is about. Some of the respondents claimed that Chinese films are generally interesting, but to understand them, you need to understand it, it is too difficult, thereby elevating Chinese cinema to an area inaccessible to non-specialists or non-Chinese.

But is this really the case? Is Chinese cinema inaccessible to non-Chinese people?

FIRST STEPS

The development of Chinese cinema can be divided into the following stages ¹:

1. The formation period (1905-1931);

2. The formation period (1931-1949);

3. Period of development (1949-1966);

4. The period of the " Cultural Revolution "(1966-1976);

5. The current stage (1978-present).

In 1896, in a Shanghai tea shop, a Spanish entrepreneur showed Chinese audiences a foreign movie. The effect was grandiose ². And until the beginning of the First World War, foreign films remained popular at the box office.

In 1905, the first Chinese film "The Battle on Mount Dingjun" was shot in Beijing with the participation of the then famous Peking opera actor Tan Xingpei in the main role in the Fengtai photo studio. However, Chinese films of that period, in fact, are not far removed from the traditional Peking opera. The first Chinese short film, Spouses in Distress, which followed in 1913, already had some distinctive features: dramatic prototypes taken from life, criticism of the current state of society.

In 1917, the Chinese bourgeoisie turned their attention to the art of cinema and, using their own capital, opened many cinemas, marking the beginning of the development of the film industry in the country3. In February 1922, financiers Zhang Shichuan and Zheng Zhengquan founded the Mingxing Film Company, which produced the largest number of films until the outbreak of World War II. By 1925, 175 film studios had opened in China (most of them privately owned), including 141 in Shanghai. Many of them released only one film each, but this period was the heyday of private cinema in China. By that time, it already organically combines historical motifs with elements of traditional Peking opera.

In 1930, Mingxing began work on the release of the first sound film in China, The Red Peony Singer, which premiered on March 15, 1931. This film marked the final transition from the legacy of the "shadow theater" and the traditional Beijing opera to the true art of cinema.

The Japanese invasion of China and the capture of several provinces in the North-East of the country by the Japanese in 1931 stirred up the feeling of patriotism of the Chinese people, which was clearly reflected in the films of those years. In March 1933, the Communist Party of China (CCP) created a group of film personalities that included Xia Yan, Ah Ying, Wang Chenwu, Shi Linghe, Situ Huimin, and others. This group has become the driving force behind a progressive trend in the development of Chinese cinematography. The requirements for the script have increased, and emphasis has been placed on young and progressive directors of the "left front". 1933 was declared the "Year of Cinema", at the same time there were such films as "Stormy Current", "Shanghai, 24 Hours", "Life of the Nation" and others that had a great impact on society.

With the outbreak of the war with Japan, many film figures went to the inner provinces of the country on the instructions of the CCP. At the same time, a new film company "China Film Studio" was created in Wuhan, which produced the most famous films of the war years. After the end of the war, the CCP established its own film studio, called "Yan'an" (later renamed Northeast).-

film studio), which was engaged in propaganda in the liberated areas ⁴.

A TOOL FOR INFLUENCING MINDS

After the victory of the revolution, the Chinese government considers cinema as the most important tool for controlling the minds and moods of the people.

The anthem of the revolution ("Get up, who doesn't want to become a slave!...", music by Nie Er, lyrics by Tian Han) was first performed in the wartime film "Children of Hard Times". The heroes of the paintings are peasants, soldiers, and workers. The films "The Bridge" (1949), the famous Soviet film "The Gray-Haired Girl" (1950), "Steel Warriors" (North-Eastern Film Studio, 1950), "The Red Banner on the Qiugang Mound" (Shanghai, 1951), "The Lin Family Shop" (1959) and others were created. they talked about building a new life.

Private film companies in Shanghai continued to produce films. But after their merger into the Shanghai Film Enterprise in 1952, the history of private Chinese cinema ended.

Chinese directors were sent to Moscow to study filmmaking with their Soviet colleagues. In 1956, the Beijing Film Academy opened.

The increased ideological control following Mao Zedong's declaration of a course to fight right-wing elements has noticeably weakened the artistic value of Chinese films. In 1962, such films as "Let's Protect the Red Banner", "Revolutionary Family", "Early Spring in February", "From a Spark to a Flame", "Dream in the Red Chamber" (in the genre of Shanghai Opera) and others were released. Since the same year, the film festival "One Hundred Flowers"has been held.

Between 1949 and 1965, more than 1,200 films were produced by Chinese film studios.⁵

Political interference in the film industry led to the decline of Chinese film production in 1966. During the Cultural Revolution, many early masterpieces were destroyed, and talented directors, actors, and cameramen were massacred. In 1967 - 1972, almost no feature films were made. Almost all films of this period were created by direct order from above and had a hypertrophied propaganda orientation, which is especially noticeable in the genre of "children's cinema". If before 1949 it was told about the hard life of children from the lower social classes, then until the reforms of 1978, the task of children's films was to educate ideologically correct children who fight for the ideals of the new government and defeat those who stand in their way of achieving a better life under the banner of the party. The only films that were relatively "free" from ideology were natural science films designed to form a materialistic view of the world among the population. If in the period 1918 - 1949 only 50 such films were made, then in the period from 1949 to 2005 their number exceeded 4,500. ⁶

The declaration of the "policy of reform and opening up" (1978) revived Chinese cinema. Rethinking the experience of the "cultural revolution" served as an impetus for the development of Chinese cinema. Films were released about the decade of chaos and the pain caused by the "cultural Revolution" ("Evening Rain", 1980; "Legend of Mount Tianyun", 1980). Deep reflection on history, criticism of gross mistakes made, promotion of humanism-these are the main leitmotivs of Chinese cinema at that time.

The return of humanity, attention to feelings brought cinema closer to real life and helped it find its way to the hearts of the audience. The number of film companies increased to 16, and the number of films produced increased year after year.

More and more filmmakers began to turn to modernity as a source of inspiration, illustrating the process of implementing the "policy of reform and openness" with artistic methods. The Beijing opera is being revived in the cinema, the adventure genre, wildlife documentaries, and educational films about the history and culture of multiethnic China are being developed and actively developed.

In the late 1980s, a "period of search" for new means of self-expression of directors begins. The so-called "fifth generation" of directors appears, among which the most famous are Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, Wong Kar Wai, Ang Lee. An entertainment movie appears, and a comedy genre is being developed. The share of such films increased to 70% in ^the 1990s7.

THE MOVIE "GOODBYE, MY CONCUBINE"

Chinese film art today is an ambiguous phenomenon. Largely influenced by the West and the desire to express their ideas in cinema, many Chinese films of this period are openly commercial in nature. As a rule, these are low-budget romantic melodramas, comedies, action films, thrillers, which necessarily contain martial arts with a small "touch" of morality. Basically, the homeland of such films is Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Shanghai or Taiwan.

However, along with such films, film companies, often with the support of Western partners, and sometimes even the Chinese government, produce high-quality films. And these are not only American and European award-winning Chinese historical and semi-fantastic films, but also such as: "House of Flying Daggers" (2004, dir. Zhang Yimou), "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" (2000, dir. Ang Lee), "2046" (2004, dir. Wong Kar Wai), "The Curse of the Golden Flower" (2006, dir. Zhang Yimou), "The Promise "(2005, dir. Chen Kaige).

We can also mention a large number of films on social and historical themes that are unknown to us, Russians (sometimes by the same famous directors), such as Always (2002, dir. Chen Kaige), about the relationship of a father (adopted, as it turns out at the end of the film) and a son (a young talented violinist), who went from the province to conquer Beijing.

The film "Goodbye, My Concubine" (directed by Chen Kaige), based on the novel by Lillian Li, attracts attention. This is a film about a boy who became a female performer in the Peking Opera, a story about two actors of the Peking Opera, first boys, then adult men. The film is not only about love, treachery, loyalty, but also about the era of the decline of traditional Peking opera in the first half of the XX century, about the change of society and its cultural needs. The film was released in 1993 and won an award at the Cannes Film Festival. In Russia, it remained only on the Internet, and in China it is recognized as one of the best films of recent years. The film is full of bright colors, national flavor, unexpected shots, emotions.

"Goodbye, my concubine", like most Chinese films, is replete with cruel details (cutting off fingers, flogging, torture, etc.). Such naturalism is characteristic of Chinese cinema and does not seem repulsive to the Chinese audience. But for those who are watching a movie for the first time, it can discourage them from watching Chinese movies in general for a long time. If European and American directors try to leave moments of direct murder, brutal violence, etc.behind the scenes, allowing the viewer to think for themselves, then Chinese directors and cameramen often not only leave such shots for the thrill, but also shoot close-ups. It's not easy to get used to this, but sometimes the blurring of the boundaries between realism and naturalism is a striking feature of Chinese cinema.

The film features amazing costumes and gorgeous scenery, which no Chinese historical painting can skimp on. Computer animation is kept to a minimum. However, recently, the share of this technology in the Chinese film industry has been noticeably increasing and receiving support at the highest level. This significantly reduces costs and accelerates the release of the film, but brings the Chinese cinema to the Hollywood system of stamping products for entertainment and quick return on costs. Perhaps this is why the films of recent years seem to be similar in many ways (especially films about historical battles, where approximately the same special effects are used - "Blood Brothers", "Three Kingdoms", etc.).

In the film "Goodbye, my concubine" interesting and diverse methods of expressing the emotional experiences of the characters through a picture, color, sound. The film was created at a time when the directors were quite relaxed in their ideas, and the money issue was not yet so important.

And we can see that the Chinese cinema is able to create not only films about martial arts, fights on the streets or screen epochal literary works ("Dream in the Red Chamber", several versions of" Three Kingdoms"," Journey to the West", etc.), but also create something unique. Even if you watch this picture in Chinese without knowing it, you understand everything that the author, director, and actors wanted to convey to you...

YOU CAN'T DO WITHOUT BLOCKBUSTERS

The worldwide success of the film "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", served as an incentive for the production of blockbusters. Zhang Yimou was next to pick up the baton with his film "Hero". The subsequent wave of such tapes ("Vow", "Banquet") was marked by a decrease in the quality of ⁸.

But along with entertainment films, more and more films with political and social overtones are being released. A prime example is Jia Zhangke's "Quiet Life", an abstract drama about the consequences of modernization and social upheaval in the countryside. The film was awarded the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 2006. Another interesting phenomenon was the work of female director Xu Jinglei - "A Letter from an Unknown woman" and"Dreams come True" ⁹.

Well-known director Feng Xiaogang in recent years has switched to shooting blockbusters, but his earlier works were usually dramatic and comedic, reflecting the daily life of the Chinese. An example is the black comedy "Mobile Phone", in which the director shows the problems that citizens face, while simultaneously ridiculing such a phenomenon as marital infidelity.

Chinese film companies are closely following global trends and are planning to shoot several 3D films in 2010.

According to the Xinhua news Agency, box office receipts in Chinese cinemas in the first two months of 2010 totaled approximately $350 million, which is twice as much as in 2009. New state-of-the-art movie theaters are opening in the country; according to some estimates, their number is about 5 thousand. According to Han Sanping, Chairman of the Board of the China Film Corporation, China has become the world's second largest film production market10.

In 2009, more than 400 films were made in China (compared to 2006, the number of films made increased by almost a third). The growth of the Chinese film industry might have been more impressive if not for the relative poverty of the population and the development of film piracy, which has become no less acute than in Russia. Because of the high cost of tickets (more expensive than having lunch in a cafe or buying a DVD), the main audience visiting cinemas is more or less well-off young people. Most people prefer to watch movies at home with friends. Many young people who do not have the opportunity to purchase a computer with an Internet connection use the services of numerous Internet cafes that work around the clock, where they download and watch movies from the Network.

Foreign films are also very popular in China, collecting full halls in cinemas. However, state censorship does not allow all films to be released.

NOT JUST MARTIAL ARTS

Historical and martial arts films are traditionally popular in China. This is something that Chinese culture is proud of and the Chinese themselves never cease to admire. Martial arts as a way to achieve your dreams, a way to gain higher enlightenment, to know yourself - part of the Chinese worldview.

However, Chinese cinema is also rich in light comedies. Unfortunately, because of the great differences in our cultures, Chinese jokes don't always seem funny to us (most will just seem fake). But comedies and melodramas always leave a pleasant impression with their ease, simplicity and a certain originality of the plot. Although the influence of American cinema is very strong in these genres around the world, Chinese directors try to use exclusively original plots and scenes from the everyday life of ordinary Chinese people. Most of these films are shot in southern China.

Also recently (due to greater freedom of expression), the genre of social drama has become popular. These films can be roughly divided into two types: those that are shot on the Internet.

They tend to look at sensitive social issues related to high crime rates (especially films made in Hong Kong). And films that are shot in the north (and partly in Shanghai) focus on problems in the family and in the relationship between lovers. These tapes are not without some moralizing.

All films, TV series, cartoons and advertisements in China must be accompanied by subtitles due to the strong difference in dialects.

A quota has been introduced for foreign films in China, which significantly increases the popularity of its own cinematic product. And as a result, Chinese film companies have not only the means to create new masterpieces, but also a fair share of respect and recognition among ordinary viewers.

FILM INDUSTRY IN TAIWAN AND HONG KONG

Taiwanese and Hong Kong films are almost not controlled by Beijing and are more free to choose their subjects. Often films that talk about social problems are shot there. But, as a rule, such films can only be seen in Taiwan, Hong Kong or Macau.

At the same time, Macau still does not make its own films. There were several attempts, but they all failed. One of the latest films, "Diago" (2009), made with the support of Beijing and Portugal, did not make an impression on the Chinese audience outside Macau and, most likely, will not be released in wide distribution.

Taiwanese films have their own rich history with ups and downs, dating back to 1925 in the 1960s and 1970s. cinema in Taiwan is experiencing its heyday, and already in the 80s, Taiwanese cinema can "boast" of its own directing styles. To date, more than 5 thousand films have been released in Taiwan. Many Chinese films that are internationally famous, such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, come from Taiwan.

Hong Kong is a gateway between the worlds of European-American cinema and Asian cinema. This is a city that feels neither enthusiastic worship of the West, nor a pronounced sense of patriotism. The viewer chooses what they like. Now many films with the participation of Western directors and actors are shot in Hong Kong. Hong Kong and, to some extent, Shanghai are creative platforms for sharing ideas, techniques, and technologies.

FILM MUSEUM

To better understand Chinese cinema and see the history of its development, you should visit the Museum of Chinese Cinema in Beijing. It was opened in 2005 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Chinese cinema.

Inside the museum there are 20 exhibition halls, 5 cinemas, temporary exhibition halls for awards ceremonies, conference rooms, a magnificent circular hall, several floors high with glass ramps along the wall to climb up.

As soon as you enter this building, you immediately feel how important the art of cinema is in China (and it is still an important means of ideological control).

The exhibition halls present the history of cinema development in China, and several halls are dedicated to special effects, props, scenery, animation and modern technologies. The museum was visited by almost all the stars of world cinema. It hosts the premiere screenings of world films and other events of cinematic China.

* * *

Chinese films have repeatedly become nominees and prize-winners of major Western film festivals, including Venice and Cannes. Zhang Yimou was Chairman of the jury at the 75th Venice International Film Festival in 2007. We also note the recognition of Chinese cinema by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Since 1991, the following films have been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film: "Judo" (1991, dir. Zhang Yimou), Light the Red Lantern (1992, dir. Zhang Yimou), "Farewell, my concubine "(1994, dir. Chen Kaige), "Wedding Banquet" (1995, dir. Ang Lee), "Eat, drink, man, woman" (1995, dir. Ang Lee), "Hero" (2003, dir. Zhang Yimou).

"Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" won an Oscar in 2001, and in 2006 it won the Golden Globe Award. Ang Lee won the Academy Award for Best Director for his American film "Brokeback Mountain," becoming the first Asian director to win such an award. [¹¹]

Chinese cinema has gone through a long way of development. Having appeared in China as a European invention, it has become firmly embedded in Chinese culture for more than 100 years and has acquired its own features that are different from the rest of the cinematic world. Having experienced many ups and downs, several revolutions, and wars, it has always remained one of the most significant and beloved forms of art. Combining native Chinese arts (Peking opera, shadow theater, martial arts, etc.) and European (and later American) methods of expressing the author's and director's ideas in cinema, Chinese cinema has created its own direction in art.

¹ Lectures by Professor Li Dao Xin. Peking University, Institute of Arts, 2004

² See: LP Shanghai Guide, 2010 - http://wenku.baidu.com/view/18d9a3116c 175ffle7cd13751.html

³ Zhongguojiludianyinshi (History of Chinese Documentary Films): Tribute to Wang Li. Beijing, 2005, pp. 9-13.

⁴ Lectures by Professor Li Dao Xin... Zhongguojiludianyinshi (History of Chinese Documentary Films): Tribute to Wang Li. Beijing, 2005, pp. 9-13.

⁵ Based on the materials of the exhibition of the Beijing Film Museum.

⁶ Ibid.

⁷ Zhongguoyaninfazhanshi (History of the development of Chinese cinema), 1 vol. Cheng Li Hua. Beijing, 1997.

⁸ www.yeasia.com

⁹ Ibidem.

¹⁰ www.russian.news.cn - 04.03.2010.

¹¹ www.oscars.org

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