Reinterpretation Of The1930s Left-wing Film Criticism Of China

This thesis, entitled Reinterpretation of the1930s Left-wing Film Criticism ofChina.regards the1930s left-wing film criticism as research object. It is positioned inreinterpretation for three meanings: The first meaning of “Reinterpretation”is restudy.Left-wing film criticism, a cultural phenomenon that has existed in Chinese film history,has become the concern and the study object of academia from the very beginning of itsgeneration. Based on the moment of the21st century, this paper will re-examine andcontinue to study it. The second meaning of “Reinterpretation” is review. For historicaland political reasons, the "left-wing film culture movement" and "left-wing filmcriticism" was once an endlessly controversial event: affirmation, negation, negation ofthe negation. With the obvious impact of the times, society, and culture, the evaluationwandered. Film history also had a wide range of expression on this history. Therefore, itis necessary and possible for us to review the film history and re-rating the significanceof its value (positive and negative) on the based of today’s perspective. The third meaningof “Reinterpretation” is in the context of new literary and artistic trend and criticism,using new perspective and research method to re-interpret the left-wing film culturemovement, especially the left-wing film criticism, in order to establish a new moviesideological and theoretical system.This article firstly analyzes the objective and subjective factors of the left-wing filmculture movement in the1930s to explore the historical rationality of left-wing filmcriticism. The left-wing film criticism is not an isolated literary phenomenon, but acontext constituted by international background and domestic specific socio-historical,literary and artistic trend.’The "left-wing movie culture movement" first is the inevitableoutcome of the national crisis and social crisis; second the political need of the ChineseCommunist Party to seek cultural leadership; third an artistic practice of the left-wingintellectuals to achieve the ideal of social revolution. Therefore, the paper argues thatdespite the fact that "left-wing film culture movement" has some ultra trends, but evende-ideological criticism can not deny the historical rationality of the" left-wing filmculture movement ".It has significant referential meaning to the understanding of the relationship of politics and art, and the thought of the current situation of integrateddevelopment of Chinese film culture.The left-wing film criticism, the forerunner of the Chinese film theory, progressivelydevelops from the influence of the worldwide proletarian literary thinking. This papercollects and analyses the theoretical resources of the left-wing film criticism, andinterprets the ideological connotations and theoretical support of the Chinese left-wingfilm criticism. It seeks for the source of the left-wing film-making and critical thinkingfrom practice like the spread of Marxism, the translation and introduction of left-wingliterary theory and the left-wing film criticism and so on. First macro Marxism affectsChinese intellectuals, from the impact of the world left-wing literary and artistic trend onleft-wing literary thought, and then introduced relevant materials of worldwide "left-wingfilm" trend of thought, such as Soviet Union’s revolutionary realism film theoryrepresented by Eisenstein and Pudovkin, film theory and practice of Japanese’s left-wingfilm historian like岩崎昶and important documents like Lu Xun’s translation andcriticism of岩崎昶films and interpret them. Obviously, the left-wing film criticism hasa certain ideological and theoretical preparation and reflects the cultural practices of"primary Marxism" in the field of Chinese film.The main body of left-wing film criticism is "left-wing film critic”. As a"sub-political culture" group, it played an important role in the left-wing film culturemovement. Under the leadership of the "the movie team" and "critics group",theleft-wing critics work on film-making comments with a very clear political purpose andrevolutionary attitude. Their political identities are communists, revolutionary fighters.The pens and cameras in their hands are their weapons. However, in the politicalecological structure of that time, their public social identities had not appeared withpolitical features, but writers, artists and intellectuals. This not only shows their legalstatus, but also brought them convenience in open or covert political struggle. Everymember of "Left-wing film critics " can be described as the red soldier in the left-wingfilm culture movement in the1930s, the critic fighter, especially Xia Yan, Zheng Boqi,Wang Chenwu, Shi Heling, Situ Huimin, etc. In the left-wing film movement in the1930s, they are leaders, organizers, creators, film critic. The left-wing film criticism’sbloody war become more glorious because of their practice. Their performance is the history of left-wing film criticism. The running characteristics of the left-wing filmcriticism includes: It always adheres to the leadership of the party on the film culture; Ituses social movie concept and "weapon theory" to guide cinecism; It exploits largenewspaper supplements and modern film magazines, and manufacture powerfulanti-cultural suppression offensive with legal status; With the way of writing combinedpanel discussion and fight alone, it adheres to the principles like "No film withoutcriticism","No mistake without correction","No American film without criticism"Contention of the debates in the history of the left-wing film criticism and culturalleadership. The Left-wing film criticism theory construction is mainly implemented inthe debate. It centered on "soft movie" and "hard movie" problem of controversy, as wellas to the argument for the formalism, interest and attitude to Hollywood films, and so on.Controversy is Huang Jiamo, Liu Naou, Jiang Jianxia and MuShiYing represented the"soft commentators”, Xia Yan, Wang Chenwu, Dang Na, and Lu Si as the representativeof "hard commentators". Controversy covered the cultural leadership and the discourseright for film criticism; however, the process of debate exactly is the first time for ChinaFilm Revolutionary discourse established, also the process of Revolution of traditionalrealism foundation construction. Controversy also exposed the extremeness of Left-wingcritics and the lack of theory of film art their old movie concept, mechanistic, the dualismof ideological bias, and aesthetic missing or other issues. But the "soft commentators”regardless of the need of national struggle in controversy at that time, only emphasizesthe movie concept of aestheticism, entertainment and interesting, bias is also obviously.However, the "soft commentators” has potential theoretical contributions for theestablishment of the China Film Ontological Criticism.The Left-wing film criticism adheres to the principle of realism; reflects thedistinctive characteristics of the ideology. Back to the historical site, we can see that theLeft-wing film criticism insist on criticism of the theory principle and the movie conceptunder the guidance of the Sociology thought."Weapon theory” and Film Revolutionarytheory are the notions of Left-wing movie special emphasis on social movie. Just as ShuYan, the one who is concerned said:"First of all, the most commendable is the mostvaluable for Left-wing film is its militancy. Realism is revolutionary tradition ofLeft-wing movie. The "manifesto" of Left-wing film criticism is "As it is toxic and expose it";"As it is educational and promote it"; Social background, the purpose of thefilming, everything is going to be dissected. Therefore, Left-wing critics madeanti-imperialist, anti-feudal and anti-capitalist cultural aggression as their goal, based onreality theory and as the main method of analysis in sociology, formed the paradigm ofLeft-wing “First, content. Second, tendency. Third, form”. Resist political clamor and theestablishment of class consciousness, a national community imagination and Communityintegration, crying of liberation for the underlying and suffering narrative mode. TheLeft-wing film criticism is always adhering to the criticism principle of revolutionaryrealism. Its criticism of idea is in close connection with the political culture and film art.It embodies the style of criticism are against the enemy, class, ethnicity, and fighting.Review and summary historical contribution and ideological limitations of theLeft-wing film criticism. The Left-wing critics made a significant contribution for thefirst historic transformation to promote Chinese film in implementing the sociologicalthought of movie, using movie which an emerging art form and mode of discourse,participate the cultural movement of the proletariat in the imagination of the nation-statecommunities. The revolutionary realist tradition established by the Left-wing film andfilm criticism should be inherit and carry forward. Of course, we must fully see theperformance of the ultra-leftist tendency and its negative impact on the development ofthe concept of Chinese film and film culture. The main problem of the Left-wing filmcritics is over emphasis on the social function of the film, while ignoring the ontologyproperties of films. When vying for the discourse right of revolutionary, they exhibitedthe emotional extreme, rather left than right, theoretical bias, aesthetic missing, dogmaticthinking, and simple method. Actually, from the new Chinese Film Criticism, Such as,from political criticism for the movie " Biography of Wu Xun","The shop of Linjia","Early Spring in February", We can also see the practice of using political criticism toreplace literary criticism, disrespecting the laws and features of literature,using brutalityto replace democracy. These practices cannot be attributed solely to the errors of theleft-wing criticism, but at least extending the stream pulse of extreme dogmatism,mechanistic thinking. Until later the "Cultural Revolution" negated the1930s literaryculture, these culture great criticisms can be found the source of extreme of the Left-wingcriticism. So, establish the scientific concept of film and the idea of criticize, free airing, promoting democracy, to carry out a normal film-making and criticism is extremelyimportant to promote the China Film diversification, build a harmonious cultural andecological landscape.