Theme Positioning On The Film Adaption Of WangShuo' Novels

With the reform and opening up, China's Popular Culture has presented a thriving scene, ushering our film industry into a new period of vigorous development. Films adapted from literary works have always been essential sources of cinematographic works. During each developing phase of Chinese films emerge numerous excellent literary adaptations, among which, the ones adapted from Wang Shuo's novels, with their far-reaching impacts upon Chinese film industry, are not to be underestimated both in quantity and in artistic value.Although has not been recognized by orthodox culture, Wang Shuo's novels, featuring popularity, readability, and image reproduction, have been favored by film adapters, which signifies that his works can be re-evaluated by the public from the perspective of another art form.In the re-creation of novels, deviations of varying degrees occur between the original works and the adapted films. However, the core factor of such changes has deep root in the repositioning of the original novel themes rather than alterations story plots, site backgrounds or character settings. Nevertheless, theme repositioning hasn't been attached essential emphasis in the studies of films adapted from Wang Shuo's novels. The innovation of this paper, regarding the mutual impact and balance between literature and film art as well as the alienations of literary themes in film adaptations, lies in its classification of the forms of by analyzing humanistic, historical, and ideological variations, and thus providing several root causes for theme repositioning.Firstly, the paper states the status quo of film adaptations of literary works, specifying the irreplaceable role of literary works in the history of film adaptations and stressing that the Chinese film and literature has always been accompanying each other for mutual progress and prosperity. Next, the paper points out the central role of the theme in film adaptation. It is clarified that after the scrutiny of themes of the original works the orientation of adaptation is then made, and that it is the positioning of themes that guides emotional expressions and thinking dimensions, and thus further determine other links of the film. The second part, by taking the nine films adapted from Wang Shuo's novel as examples, discusses in detail the forms of theme repositioning in the film adaptation and analyzes in-depth the factors responsible. Four parts of discussion is divided here. On the one hand, the deepening of the theme. Based on a thorough understanding and profound consideration of the original ideological framework and in accordance with the needs of the theme or the strengthening of dominate ideology of the work itself, the adapter extracts and refine thematic expressions that better suit the trend of the current times and the historical height as well as social breadth by adding characters and plots. On the other hand, the weakening of the theme. Concerning the practical needs during adaption or due to the limiting factors in the expression of films, the multi-connotations provided in the novel cannot all be presented in the film. The adapter more often than not can only select a certain part of the original theme of the novel but abandons thoughts with deeper and broader reflection. Moreover, the transferring of the theme. Though the film adapted from the novel still retains the plots of the novel, yet it offers the audiences an almost brand new concept, which we reckon as theme transfer. Finally, the restoration of the theme. During film adaptions, it is expected that the original theme could be represented so as to achieve the maximum proximity between novels and films and to realize the goals of thematic restoration, despite subtle adjustment of the original work or substantial increase or decrease of the story background and character establishment.The third part is quite innovative. Taking Wang Shuo's novel"Part Flame, Part Ocean" as the original work, a thorough comparison is made upon 3 films adapted from this novel with the purpose to illustrate the alienation resulted from distance of ages, social elements and character styles, respecting the aesthetic value and the artistic value generated respectively.Finally, with a view to re-evaluate the individual value brought by film adaptions, emphasizes the main influence that theme repositioning exerts on expanding the profound impact of literary works, and affirms that the positive effects of the film adaption works far outweigh the negative effects on the public in terms of dissemination ofWang Shuo's ideologies.