중국 영화의 상하이 재현과 해석

Abstract

This study has reviewed the image of Shanghai represented in Chinese movies. In order for its systematic investigation, the study has discussed the image of Shanghai in four phases. 1) The first phases includes the group of movies portrayed Shanghai from 1920s to 1940s (labeled as “Shanghai Movies” in the current study) which describe the city in negative ways with a double face of extravagance and poverty, corruption and struggles, and class and nation confliction. 2) The second phrase involves some movies made in Shanghai in the period of People's Republic of China. The movies in this period represent the city as the place of glory and victory which makes them significantly different from the ones in the first phrase which describe the city with dishonor and disgrace. 3) The third phrase takes in the movies made after mid 1990s “Old Shanghai Boom.” The films in this period romanticize and mirror the city in exotic ways. In this period, the representation of Shanghai is no longer interpreted in historic and/or political perspectives. Another meaningful feature of the movies in this period is its attempt to highlight and isolated individuals who cannot keep up with the rapid development of the city, and this aspect has been the main theme of the sixth generation directors. 4) The fourth phrase is represented with one specific movie, made by director, Peng Xiaolian, titled “Shanghai Women.” In this film, the director, in a tone-downed voice, portrays ordinary individuals' everyday lives which have been often not even observed under the shadow of the big city.