Postsocialist Cinema in Post-Mao China: The Cultural Revolution after the Cultural Revolution / Edition 1

by Chris Berry

Overview

This book argues that the fundamental shift in Chinese Cinema away from Socialism and towards Post-Socialism can be located earlier than the emergence of the "Fifth Generation" in the mid-eighties when it is usually assumed to have occured. By close analysis of films from the 1949-1976 Maoist era in comparison with 1976-81 films representing the Cultural Revolution, it demonstrates that the latter already breaks away from Socialism.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415947862
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	06/29/2004
Series:	East Asia: History, Politics, Sociology and Culture
Pages:	266
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.19(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: Toward a Postsocialist Cinema? Review of Literature Changing China Cinema and Society Film and History 2. Writing on Blank Paper: The Classical Cinema before 1976 as a Didactic Paradigm Industry and Social Institution Sample Texts Characters Narrative Spectator Positioning and Mise-en-Scene A. Relays B. Mirroring C. Heightened Engagement D. Epistemological Mastery 3. Entering Forbidden Zones and Exposing Wounds: Rewriting Socialist History The Initial Response: Continuity and Containment A. State and Party Politics B. Policy and Critcism in Literature and the Arts C. Film Production Deng Xiaoping's Power Struggle: Extending the Critique A. State and Party Politics B. Policy and Critcism in Literature and the Arts C. Film Production Deng Consolidates Power: Beyond the Cultural Revolution A. State and Party Politics B. Policy and Critcism in Literature and the Arts C. Film Production 4. Postsocialism and the Decline of the Hero Complexity Class Background and Party Affiliation Reversal or Transformation of Roles? 5. A Family Affiar: Separation and Subjectivity The Incidence of Romantic Love Literary Comparisons Romantic Love, the Family, and the Party Memory, Subjectivity and Community The Peer Group and Chinese Counterculture 6. Ending it All: Bitter Love? The Importance of Endings Socialist Tragedies and Obligatory Happy Endings Let the Audience Decide Filmography Bibliography Appendices

Editorial Reviews

'Berry is an international voice in Chinese cinema studies ... it is of great significance in understanding Chinese cinema today.' - The China Journal

From the Publisher