신중국 최초의 극영화 <다리(橋)>(1949)의 제작 및 상영에 관한 연구

Abstract

In May 1949, the last stage of the Chinese Civil War, a film called The Bridge was released to the public in a liberation zone, an area occupied by the Chinese Communist Party. The existing narrative of film history has not deviated from monotonous content that The Bridge is New China’s first feature film or first film featuring the working class as a main character. In addition, development of empirical research focusing on this film is insignificant. This paper deals with historical background of an entrance of the film The Bridge and a fact about its production and screening that have not yet been identified by using the abundant literature data that have been secured so far. This paper focuses on how an obstacle of lack of filming facilities and professional manpower was overcome during its production process and how it was performed in terms of box-office success while being screened simultaneously with Hollywood movies that were familiar to citizens during its screening stage. In addition, this paper specifically examines the various critical discourses surrounding the film, that is, what kind of repercussions its release caused, from a receptive aspect. At that time, Chinese literature was before it was placed under the absolute control of the Communist Party government. Therefore, it is true that criticism of a film about workers, farmers, and soldiers was allowed to some extent. However, creation and criticism of literature in the liberation zone could never be free from they were political ideology imposed by the Chinese Communist Party. Since socialist realism, which suppressed autonomy and originality, emerged as a rule, box-office success or artistic value was no longer considered in determining the content and form of a film. Political nature of the films was a top priority. Through The Bridge, which appeared at a time when literature about workers, farmers, and soldiers which only allowed the public’s unilateral acceptance, especially intellects’ helpless obedience, became mainstream, its distinct presence as an educational tool which propagated and instigated the party’s dominant ideology can be confirmed.