After reading Leo Ou-fan Lee’s The Urban Milieu of Shanghai Cinema, 1930-40: Some Explorations of Film Audience, Film Culture, and Narrative Conventions, in general, I found that it is difficult to understand the content and we need to be very concentrated when we are reading to follow the film examples mentioned in ghe text as they are very old that we do not know what they are talking about. Therefore, it is hard to understand Leo’s arguement. In content, Shanghai is a complex and unique place in China in 1930s as there is the settlement of many countries such as France, Britain, Italy, etc.. There is high tension betwwen the local Chinese and the foreigner. Therefore, movie become a popular entertainment for them all release the stress. Chinese Cinema in Shanghai is influenced by different western culture by design. Besides, Chinese film is not following the Hollywood ‘model’ but still have a good quality and the position of Chinese film is rised, from second-run houses to first-run houses because of the war with Japanese. CHinese started to resist foreign stuff, including film.
-Chan Tsun Hei 3036078376
You have attempted in explaining the hybridity in early Chinese cinema and how Western influence has shaped its cinema culture, but your understanding of the context is slightly convoluted with irrelevant ideas. A closer reading into Lee’s writing will help demystify your confusion on the different aspects that construct the culture of early Chinese cinema, including print media and traditional forms of theatre.