Adapted for the Screen : The Cultural Politics of Modern Chinese Fiction and Film

Contemporary Chinese films are popular with audiences worldwide, but a key reason for their success has gone unnoticed: many of the films are adapted from brilliant literary works. This book is the first to put these landmark films in the context of their literary origins and explore how the best Chinese directors adapt fictional narratives and styles for film.Hsiu-Chuang Deppman unites aesthetics with history in her argument that the rise of cinema in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in the late 1980s was partly fueled by burgeoning literary movements. Fifth Generation director Zhang Yimou's highly acclaimed films Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern, and To Live are built on the experimental works of Mo Yan, Su Tong, and Yu Hua, respectively. Hong Kong new wave's Ann Hui and Stanley Kwan capitalized on the irresistible visual metaphors of Eileen Chang's postrealism. Hou Xiaoxian's new Taiwan cinema turned to fiction by Huang Chunming and Zhu Tianwen for fine-grained perspectives on class and gender relations. Delving equally into the individual approaches of directors and writers, Deppman initiates readers into the exciting possibilities emanating from the world of Chinese cinema. The seven in-depth studies include a diverse array of forms (cinematic adaptation of literature, literary adaptation of film, auto-adaptation, and non-narrative adaptation) and a variety of genres (martial arts, melodrama, romance, autobiography, documentary drama). Complementing this formal diversity is a geographical range that far exceeds the cultural, linguistic, and physical boundaries of China. The directors represented here also work in the U.S. and Europe and reflect the growing international resources of Chinese-language cinema.With her sophisticated blend of stylistic and historical analyses, Deppman brings much-needed nuance to current conversations about the politics of gender, class, and race in the work of the most celebrated Chinese writers and directors. Her pioneering study will appeal to all readers, general and academic, who have an interest in Chinese literature, cinema, and culture. Contemporary Chinese films are popular with audiences worldwide, but a key reason for their success has gone many of the films are adapted from brilliant literary works. This book is the first to put these landmark films in the context of their literary origins and explore how the best Chinese directors adapt fictional narratives and styles for film. Hsiu-Chuang Deppman unites aesthetics with history in her argument that the rise of cinema in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan in the late 1980s was partly fueled by burgeoning literary movements. Fifth Generation director Zhang Yimous highly acclaimed films Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern, and To Live are built on the experimental works of Mo Yan, Su Tong, and Yu Hua, respectively. Hong Kong new waves Ann Hui and Stanley Kwan capitalized on the irresistible visual metaphors of Eileen Changs postrealism. Hou Xiaoxians new Taiwan cinema turned to fiction by Huang Chunming and Zhu Tianwen for fine-grained perspectives on class and gender relations. Delving equally into the individual approaches of directors and writers, Deppman initiates readers into the exciting possibilities emanating from the world of Chinese cinema. The seven in-depth studies include a diverse array of forms (cinematic adaptation of literature, literary adaptation of film, auto-adaptation, and non-narrative adaptation) and a variety of genres (martial arts, melodrama, romance, autobiography, documentary drama). Complementing this formal diversity is a geographical range that far exceeds the cultural, linguistic, and physical boundaries of China. The directors represented here also work in the U.S. and Europe and reflect the growing international resources of Chinese-language cinema. With her sophisticated blend of stylistic and historical analyses, Deppman brings much-needed nuance to current conversations about the politics of gender, class, and race in the work of the most celebrated Chinese writers and directors. Her pioneering study will appeal to all readers, general and academic, who have an interest in Chinese literature, cinema, and culture. Acknowledgments......Page 8 Introduction......Page 10 CHAPTER 1: Wang Dulu and Ang Lee Artistic Creativity and Sexual Freedom in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon......Page 20 CHAPTER 2: Su Tong and Zhang Yimou Women’s Places in Raise the Red Lantern......Page 43 CHAPTER 3: Eileen Chang and Stanley Kwan Politics and Love in Red Rose (and) White Rose......Page 70 CHAPTER 4: Liu Yichang and Wong Kar-wai The Class Trap in In the Mood for Love......Page 107 CHAPTER 5: Dai Sijie Locating the Third Culture in Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress......Page 132 CHAPTER 6: Hou Xiaoxian and Zhu Tianwen Politics and Poetics in A Time to Live, A Time to Die......Page 158 CHAPTER 7: Chen Yuhui and Chen Guofu Envisioning Democracy in The Personals......Page 183 Conclusion......Page 202 Notes......Page 206 Bibliography......Page 224 Selected Filmography......Page 240 Index......Page 244 Wang Dulu And Ang Lee: Artistic Creativity And Sexual Freedom In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon -- Su Tong And Zhang Yimou: Women's Places In Raise The Red Lantern -- Eileen Chang And Stanley Kwan: Politics And Love In Red Rose (and) White Rose -- Liu Yichang And Wong Kar-wai: The Class Trap In In The Mood For Love -- Dai Sijie: Locating The Third Culture In Balzac And The Little Chinese Seamstress -- Hou Xiaoxian And Zhu Tianwen: Politics And Poetics In A Time To Live, A Time To Die -- Chen Yuhui And Chen Guofu: Envisioning Democracy In The Personals. Hsiu-chuang Deppman. Filmography: P. 231-233. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Hsiu-Chuang Deppman's ambitious book investigates the complex associative and conceptual interaction between literature and film, arguing that in many cases, a structural connection underlies the relationship. Her work is a strong challenge to those who believe literature and film should always be regarded as completely separate and unrelated. Deppman's fascinating chapter on the hip Wong Kar-Wai and his debt to novelist Liu Yichang well illustrates the way in which directors can play with and play off of narrative structures, in the process setting up a provocative intersection."--Wendy Larson, University of Oregon Hsiu-Chang Deppman puts landmark contemporary Chinese films in the context of their literary origins & explores how the best Chinese directors adapt fictional narratives & styles for film