China - 385 Medals
At the beginning of film, China lagged behind its global counterparts. In fact, the only representation of China in cinema came in the form of highly stereotyped and offensive representations emanating from American shores. Using China as a lust for the exotic orient, it was often used an erotic setting, where the illusion was that anything goes; fetishizing its culture to the most simplistic of forms. It wasnt until the golden age of the 1930s, that China had a chance to respond. With domestic production increasing, more and more films were being made which had a strong focus on women. Unlike other cinemas which embraced realism in the 1960s; China had a strong realist movement in its early stages. Tackling social issues and political problems, Chinas cinema became a platform for artists to discuss and debate issues affecting ordinary people, tackling the decadence of those above. When Japan invaded China during the Second World War, this golden age of cinema came to a dramatic halt, with many filmmakers fleeing to nearby Hong Kong. As the war came to end, Chinas expected civil war between the communist party and the nationalist party began. With political uncertainty in the air, cinema faltered, with many films made during these times, portraying the confused identity the country had. With the communists winning, the nationalists fled to Taiwan and this left three separate film industries: China, Taiwan and the unaligned Hong Kong. Chinas industry continued its good box office figures with its popular social realist mode of filmmaking, that is until its cultural revolution in 1966. This severed the popularity of cinema by effectively banning all previous films (nearly 3000 films were stored away) and giving strict guidelines to any films being made. Up until 1976, the film industry effectively came to a halt, until a sect of the communist government were overthrown. Regaining popularity, it was the fifth generation of filmmakers that brought China increased recognition on the global stage. The first set of film graduates since the Cultural Revolution, they rejected the realist ideals that had been popular, and began to focus on the artistic merit of glorified visuals, embracing a new freedom of creativity. With a sixth generation now at work in China, they focus upon the everyday contemporary life of the Chinese. With many films now being produced for worldwide audiences, as well as Chinese, the domestic box office has flourished and China has become akin to Hollywood and Bollywood in the amount of films it produces every year. And nowadays it stands to be the third biggest film industry in the world; unfortunately this also means it is attempting to embrace
3D.
Bronze Springtime in a small Town (Tian Zhuangzhuang, 2002)
Im pretty sure that this is, or will be, the only remake to find a place in this feature. Not much different from the original, Zhuang applies more modern camera techniques and influences, to help create a more sumptuous mise-en-scene and cinematography in comparisons to Fei Mu's original. The story however, remains untouched. Set shortly after the war with Japan had ended, it follows the formation of a love triangle involving: Zhang Zhichen, a friend of Dai Liyan, and his wife Yuwen. Unbeknownst to Liyan, ten years before his marriage, Yuwen and Zhang had a love affair; with Liyan falling ill, they begin to rekindle their attraction for each other. When the attraction becomes common knowledge, emotional complications become impossible to avoid. Zhuang is brilliant in controlling the attraction and much like David Lean's British classic, Brief Encounter, never in the film do we see the deceitful passion culminate into the physical realm. It is controlled rather beautifully; emotions are built up within the minds of the characters, remaining subtle to our eyes. Set just after the war and when China was about to embrace communism, the springtime of the title refers to a change about to happen in terms of both the season and the politics, yet politics only linger in the background. Instead, the springtime seems more pertinent in referring to the gradual growth of eroticism, but what if that growth is repressed, the following season; summer, is meant to be a period which embraces the flourish, but for these characters, it can never be realised. The promise emerging from spring can sometimes be a false beginning, which is unfortunately, exactly what their re-kindling represents. The past for Yuwen and Zhang remains in the past, returning to it is regretfully, near enough impossible.
Silver Suzhou River (Ye Lou, 2000)
A noir like romance which has often been compared to Hitchcocks films, Suzhou River, is a brilliant film from Ye Lou, another director of the 6th generation. Opening with an unnamed photographer discussing love, he is never shown, with the camera being used as his point of view. He tells of his love for Mermei, who rather strangely, works as a mermaid in a local bar, swimming about in a tank with an artificial blonde wig and tail as some weird form of entertainment. Meanwhile the film also follows a courier called Mardar, as he falls in love with Moudan, the daughter of a wealthy business man, who asks Mardar to escort her around while he entertains yet another mistress. Slowly they fall in love, but in a weird turn of events, their love is cut short and lost. Mardar, who has become involved in a kidnapping plot is asked to provide Moudan for a ransom attempt. When the plan goes awry, Moudan is presumed dead and Mardar is sent to prison. On Mardars return many years later, the narratives of both couples become intertwined. Its fitting that the murky Suzhou River is wrapped around the films narrative, as their remains a constant questioning of peoples morals and motivations when it comes to love. Love is shown as being gloomy, and searching for it can be both mentally and physically straining. And although I couldn't pick any of the Shanghai born Wong Kar Wai (who makes his films in Hong Kong), Ye Lou shows the same kind of bright, vivid visuals and of course the heavy rain which came to define Kar Wai's cinema.
Gold The World (Jia Zhangke, 2004)
Jia Zhangke, is a prominent Chinese filmmaker, who has truly embraced his role in the sixth generation of Chinese filmmaking. Although Zhangke has often been praised on the global stage, even if his films have not had massive box office returns domestically or for that matter internationally. With a focus on the everyday life, The World explores the challenges that people face in the form of politics, in a society depressed by events in its history. Set in Beijings World Park, a theme park which recreates famous landmarks from across the globe and downsizes them, allowing its tourists to essentially see the world. The narrative follows two workers there, Tao, an actress/dancer working in the park and her boyfriend Taisheng, a security guard there. Tao, soon meets a Russian woman, Anna, who also works at the park and although they dont understand each other verbally, they quickly form a strong bond. Meanwhile Tao helps a migrant, Chen, to find a job in construction. Examining Tao and Taishengs relationship is just one facet of the film, with the connection between them and others coming in and out of focus to establish context to their own relationship. For a film set in a theme park, I dont think we ever meet a tourist face to face; they only ever help to provide resonance thanks to their purchasing of a ticket to see The World. As much as Zhangkes narrative focuses on its characters, the location is important to his ideology. Globalization is an idea which Zhangke focuses on often in his films and The World, is probably his most damning of Chinas loss of personal identity in favour of international splendours. The park exists for Chinese people to fulfil their longing for the world. It is extremely strange to see a tourist posing in front of an Eiffel tower, but even more so in the satisfaction they gain from it. Zhangke comments on this, with the antithesis between our protagonists who live and work within The World, whilst dealing with their everyday localised problems. The issues they have between each other are not international problems, they are Chinese problems. He seems to suggest that we need to step away from seeking out the world, instead dealing with our own issues bourne out of our country.