Description
Winner, 2023 Choice Outstanding Academic Title
Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949 is an essential guide to the first golden age of Chinese cinema. Offering detailed introductions to fourteen films, this study highlights the creative achievements of Chinese filmmakers in the decades leading up to 1949, when the Communists won the civil war and began nationalizing cultural industries.
Christopher Rea reveals the uniqueness and complexity of Republican China's cinematic masterworks, from the comedies and melodramas of the silent era to the talkies and musicals of the 1930s and 1940s. Each chapter appraises the artistry of a single film, highlighting its outstanding formal elements, from cinematography to editing to sound design. Examples include the slapstick gags of Laborer's Love (1922), Ruan Lingyu's star turn in Goddess (1934), Zhou Xuan's mesmerizing performance in Street Angels (1937), Eileen Chang's urbane comedy of manners Long Live the Missus! (1947), the wartime epic Spring River Flows East (1947), and Fei Mu's acclaimed work of cinematic lyricism, Spring in a Small Town (1948). Rea shares new insights and archival discoveries about famous films, while explaining their significance in relation to politics, society, and global cinema. Lavishly illustrated and featuring extensive guides to further viewings and readings, Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949 offers an accessible tour of China's early contributions to the cinematic arts.
About the Author
Christopher Rea is professor of Asian studies at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of The Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China (2015) and cotranslator of The Book of Swindles: Selections from a Late Ming Collection (Columbia, 2017).
Reviews
A valuable addition to the field that makes early Chinese film history and analysis accessible, and familiarizes general readers with the diverse styles and creative vitality of early Chinese filmmakers. * China Review International *
These films represent for me not just the dawn of Chinese cinema but also the visualization of my own cultural roots. They vividly established in my imagination the cinematic awakening of ancient China in a rapidly modernizing world. Rea's sensitive reading of these films is a fascinating and insightful look into this unique cultural touchstone. -- Ang Lee, Academy Award-winning director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain
With concise plot summaries, select critical sources, and a fund of historical revelations, Rea provides an impressively coordinated set of studies of Chinese films from the Republican period. His valuable contribution is destined to become a key research and pedagogical resource in the years to come. -- Rey Chow, author of A Face Drawn in Sand: Humanistic Inquiry and Foucault in the Present
Christopher Rea's Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949 is a treasure trove for enthusiasts of early Chinese film. Featuring clear plot overviews, fascinating production details, close analyses of key scenes, and incredible detective work that traces the influence of early Hollywood and European cinema, this is the introductory textbook we have been waiting for. -- Michael Berry, author of A History of Pain: Trauma in Modern Chinese Literature and Film
An excellent work for film studies and for anyone wishing to learn more about China in the first half of the 20th century . . . Highly recommended. * Choice Reviews *
Awards
Winner of Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2023.
Book Information
ISBN 9780231188135
Author Christopher G. Rea
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press
Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949 is an essential guide to the first golden age of Chinese cinema. Offering detailed introductions to fourteen films, this study highlights the creative achievements of Chinese filmmakers in the decades leading up to 1949, when the Communists won the civil war and began nationalizing cultural industries.
Christopher Rea reveals the uniqueness and complexity of Republican China's cinematic masterworks, from the comedies and melodramas of the silent era to the talkies and musicals of the 1930s and 1940s. Each chapter appraises the artistry of a single film, highlighting its outstanding formal elements, from cinematography to editing to sound design. Examples include the slapstick gags of Laborer's Love (1922), Ruan Lingyu's star turn in Goddess (1934), Zhou Xuan's mesmerizing performance in Street Angels (1937), Eileen Chang's urbane comedy of manners Long Live the Missus! (1947), the wartime epic Spring River Flows East (1947), and Fei Mu's acclaimed work of cinematic lyricism, Spring in a Small Town (1948). Rea shares new insights and archival discoveries about famous films, while explaining their significance in relation to politics, society, and global cinema. Lavishly illustrated and featuring extensive guides to further viewings and readings, Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949 offers an accessible tour of China's early contributions to the cinematic arts.
About the Author
Christopher Rea is professor of Asian studies at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of The Age of Irreverence: A New History of Laughter in China (2015) and cotranslator of The Book of Swindles: Selections from a Late Ming Collection (Columbia, 2017).
Reviews
A valuable addition to the field that makes early Chinese film history and analysis accessible, and familiarizes general readers with the diverse styles and creative vitality of early Chinese filmmakers. * China Review International *
These films represent for me not just the dawn of Chinese cinema but also the visualization of my own cultural roots. They vividly established in my imagination the cinematic awakening of ancient China in a rapidly modernizing world. Rea's sensitive reading of these films is a fascinating and insightful look into this unique cultural touchstone. -- Ang Lee, Academy Award-winning director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain
With concise plot summaries, select critical sources, and a fund of historical revelations, Rea provides an impressively coordinated set of studies of Chinese films from the Republican period. His valuable contribution is destined to become a key research and pedagogical resource in the years to come. -- Rey Chow, author of A Face Drawn in Sand: Humanistic Inquiry and Foucault in the Present
Christopher Rea's Chinese Film Classics, 1922-1949 is a treasure trove for enthusiasts of early Chinese film. Featuring clear plot overviews, fascinating production details, close analyses of key scenes, and incredible detective work that traces the influence of early Hollywood and European cinema, this is the introductory textbook we have been waiting for. -- Michael Berry, author of A History of Pain: Trauma in Modern Chinese Literature and Film
An excellent work for film studies and for anyone wishing to learn more about China in the first half of the 20th century . . . Highly recommended. * Choice Reviews *
Awards
Winner of Choice Outstanding Academic Title 2023.
Book Information
ISBN 9780231188135
Author Christopher G. Rea
Format Paperback
Page Count 400
Imprint Columbia University Press
Publisher Columbia University Press
