Shanghai Film Festival

History is never just history

A new historical drama, mirroring today’s power struggles, is censored

Jul 7th 2012 | SHANGHAI | from the print edition

BEING a film-maker in China has never been easy, but 2012 is turning out to be more difficult than usual. Earlier this year Lu Chuan, a director, watched intrigued but concerned as Bo Xilai, a rising political star who was Communist Party secretary of Chongqing, was purged. Mr Lu knew such political upheaval might spell disaster for his new film, “The Last Supper”, due for release on July 5th. He was right to worry.

On the surface there should have been no problem, since the meal in question, known as the Feast at Hong Gate, took place in 206BC. In the oft-recounted tale, a despot betrays his closest ally to grab power and establish a new dynasty. But this being China, the parallels were too close for the censorship committee—especially with a once-a-decade leadership transition looming in the autumn—and it delayed release. Mr Lu says the censors were afraid it could “affect social stability” in China.

Such conservatism continues to stunt China’s creativity. Film-makers have the freedom to gripe about censorship, even publicly, but no power to do anything about it. At the Shanghai International Film Festival in June, a group of them gathered for a panel entitled “The Road to Redemption for Chinese-Language Films”. They all had a good grumble but failed to find that road. “How can Chinese films compete when Hollywood can show aliens attacking Los Angeles?” one panellist asked. (An official list of film topics banned in China ranges from undermining the constitution to the promotion of superstition. Unofficially, there are many more.)

The box office tells the story. China’s film market grew to more than $2 billion in 2011 (North America’s was $10 billion). But the 81 Chinese films released in the first five months of 2012 had a market share of only around 30%, whereas the 34 foreign films took over 65%. James Cameron’s “Titanic 3D” remains China’s highest-grossing film of 2012 so far, raking in around $160m.

Other art forms are affected, too. The censorship imposed on the publishing industry is especially heavy-handed this year, says Yan Lianke, an outspoken novelist. The latest work by Mr Yan is entitled “Four Books” and is set during the trauma of China’s Great Leap Forward, an absurd economic campaign which plunged the country into famine and caused the death of millions. He feels the book is one of his best works, but no mainland publisher will touch it.

Mr Lu, the director, understands the cost of controversy. His previous film, “The City of Life and Death”, about the 1937 massacre of Chinese civilians by the Japanese army in the city of Nanjing, aroused public discussion. Audiences objected to the sympathetic portrayal of a Japanese soldier, and the film was pulled from cinemas after two weeks. Mr Lu remains hopeful that “The Last Supper” will eventually be released, but not before the Communist Party leadership changes in the autumn. He knows the government fears anything that could lead to history repeating itself.

from the print edition | China

History is never just history

Jul 10th 2012, 12:38

I don’t think this “festival” promote any aspect of film industry or offer any kind of fresh or exciting affairs, from the point of view of either political concern or the academic side. China’s film industry is recently focused on the advanced skill or the evolution of technique, but, for the past one year there was no breakthrough in film concerned except for the big talk of star actors or actresses.

On the day of opening ceremony, June 16th, more than 400 well-known entertainers from inside and outside China were invited to show their beauty or handsome pose in the red carpet. In this 15th Shanghai Film Festival, media paid attention to the main actresses, such as Taiwan’s so-called first model Lin Chi-lin with her boyfriend Yen Chun-Shu, Guan Yin who is a daughter of Taiwan’s banker, Hong Kong’s Zhong Li-ti, Zhang Pai-zhi and mainland’s Lan Yen along with Li Bing-bing.

Besides, Japan’s Masaharu Fukuyama and South Korea’s Jang Dong-gun appeared with open invitation during this festival. Being the most influential feast in Asia, the festival always appeal to many fans for these fans’ appetite and sense of satisfaction. This year’s festival includes “surface of face II”, “1942”, “those who listen to winds”, “12 animals for lunar calendar” and so on. The climax happened when Hong Kong’s Chow Yun-fat received an award for all-life achievement with Zhang Chien-yin’s expressing good throat.

Overall, Chinese film is not enough to be seen as a mature one. For instance, filmmakers picked Lin Chi-lin to join in the film just for a “boring excitement”, getting backfire from her fame which never accord with her ability. When it comes to the actors or actresses in recent years, especially those who graduated from Beijing Film College, the characteristic and skill neither follow audience’s flavour nor come up with the expectation of directors or donors to the film industry. And national supervisors or officers still hold the conservative attitudes towards this field. Although this bad supply chain is being reevaluated for reconstructing, seemingly, there is only a little room for progress.

Finally, I may suggest to the Economist that fewer connection between Bo Xi-lai and film is better. Last month, according to Bloomberg, Zhang Zi-yi who was “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragons” star actress sued Apple Daily and Next Magazine Publishing’s Lai Zhai-yin (Jimmy Lai) for the fake news which said Bo concerned of “Bo and other Communist Party’s leaders had strong love affairs with Zhang.” As I knew the source, there are many geek supporting Bo with satisfying Bo’s ear and eyes. In addition to noticing Beijing to ban Hong Kong’s fake paparazzi, I, once again on the Economist’s website, saw this kind of news feeling very tired of your inclination to play with Bo’s head to knees, very boring. Of course, Xi Jin-ping and Li Ke-qiang are better candidates rather than Bo who becomes nobody. Stop any related information and let bygones be bygones.

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