André Bazin was the most important film
critics in 1970s. In his book “What is cinema” he put forward the “mummy
complex theory of art and film”. “…The process might reveal that the origin of
painting and sculpture there lays a mummy
complex. The religion of ancient Egypt, aimed against death, saw survival
as depending on the continued existing of the corporeal body. Thus, by
providing a defense against the passage of time it satisfied a basic
psychological need in man, for death is but the victory of time. To preserve, artificially,
his bodily appearance is to snatch it from the flow of time, to stow it away
neatly, so to speak, in the hold of life. It was naturally, therefore, to keep
up appearances in the face of the reality death by preserving fresh flesh and
bone.” Film, as a product of times and technology, started as a purpose of
preserving the memories and emotions which we treasured. Nowadays, with the
technology develops, more and more fantastic special effects are being able to add
in the post-production stage, make it possible for us to see those we cannot
see in the real life. But still, film is a reflection of our inner world. For
Bazin, ‘Everything that is filmed once was in reality;’ it is the cinema
that brought
images back to life.
Look back to the history of Chinese film
industry, from the ‘Goodness’ (1934), ‘Crossroad’ (1937), ‘Angle on the street’
(1937) , Chinese films were started and based on the suffering of poverty,
starvation and memories of wars. It more or less set the tone for the further
filmmakers. Different from the Hollywood, the Chinese filmmakers in more than
60 decades barely took an interest in the super hero topic or action comedy,
they focused on the painful, vast and hazy life of people in each particular
period of time in the mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. They embodied the
strong sense of social responsibility, historical mission and the spirit of
humanity. Today China becomes the 2nd biggest market of film
industry all around the world, the multiplexes are mushrooming in this country,
yet it remains its unique film style and identity in the great complexity of
world film industry which is already be ruled by Hollywood for years.
Instead of the overuse of montage, Bazin’s theory
pointed out another direction for the Chinese filmmakers. “By blending history
with fiction or legend, the personal with the political, in a narrative pattern
characterized by a bipolar structure that is typically Chinese” 3. These
features built up the realism of Chinese films.3 In the terms of filming
techniques, outdoor scene with natural set, candid photography,
non-professional performance, full-length shot and live recording were widely
used on the films in the 1970s to 1980s, represented by the ‘ 5th
generation’ of Chinese directors’ Yimou Zhang, Kaige Chen and so on. Provided the
audiences fully immersive, totally convincing virtual reality.
