The article starts by describing the urban milieu of Early Shanghai, where films were produced for the very purpose of leisure. The demand for entertainment was high because of the industrialization of China, that people desired better standards of living. The high demand was illustrated by the popularity of Chinese movies and film reviews in magazines.
The quality of films in the 30s was not bad either, compared to Laborer’s Love. It is precisely because of the French and British concessions that influenced the film culture and qualities. Producers had an entirely new perspective to film from Hollywood and had more access to “high-end” equipment. Therefore, there was an urge to improve their quality, which they succeeded, in competing with Hollywood movies, although to avail.
The increasingly flourishing film industry did not, however, preclude the theatric performance because of their distinct natures. Personally, films were more subjective. They represent what the producers want you to see by using a variety of filming techniques like “mise-en-scene”, “Dutch angle” or back in the 30s, a combination of “montage” and “long take”, which to mention is still using in today’s era; Theatres, on the other end, are more lively, because not only they are literally performing in front of you, their emotions, facial expressions, and movement are also more dramatic and exaggerated. The coherence of both these “art” enriched their culture tremendously.
However, in view of the political landscape at the time when the Sino-Japanese war was ongoing, together with the high world tension in Europe, Chinese films were politicalized intrinsically because of a high degree of state control. Producers were given little autonomy in choosing the theme of the movies. Instead, many of them reflect, both subtlety or explicitly, communism and nationalism for the very purpose of thought control. It was through brainwashing in the entertainment industry, that the political regime retained support.
The crux in reading this article is to think from the perspective of an Early Shanghai citizen because there is a gap between them and us in terms of the cultural dimension, and political and social landscape. We must realise the difference in the perception of art, beauty, film… so as to explain the events, such as politicalized movies, we would now consider as “phenomenon”.
Choi Long Hei Matthew, 3036060769
Your response demonstrated comprehensive understanding towards the complex political context of China in the early 20th century and how that contributed to the films produced. I appreciate your personal reflection on how understanding all these invisible forces behind the making of a film is essential in having a holistic and more objective opinion to bridge the gap between our retrospective viewpoint and the viewing from the perspective of 1930s Shanghai.