With numerous essays that reflect Shanghai’s relationship to film and scene reviews of such iconic titles as Street Angel, Temptress Moon, Kung Fu Hustle, and Skyfall, World Film Locations: Shanghai is essential reading for all scholars of China’s urban culture.
With numerous essays that reflect Shanghai’s relationship to film and scene reviews of such iconic titles as Street Angel, Temptress Moon, Kung Fu Hustle, and Skyfall, World Film Locations: Shanghai is essential reading for all scholars of China’s urban culture.
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Overview
With numerous essays that reflect Shanghai’s relationship to film and scene reviews of such iconic titles as Street Angel, Temptress Moon, Kung Fu Hustle, and Skyfall, World Film Locations: Shanghai is essential reading for all scholars of China’s urban culture.
Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781783201990 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Intellect, Limited |
| Publication date: | 05/15/2014 |
| Series: | World Film Locations |
| Edition description: | New Edition |
| Pages: | 128 |
| Product dimensions: | 8.80(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.30(d) |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
World Film Locations Shanghai
By John Berra, Wei Ju
Intellect Ltd
Copyright © 2014 Intellect LtdAll rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-78320-271-3
CHAPTER 1
SHANGHAI
City of the Imagination
Text by ISABEL WOLTE
SHANGHAI IS AN EXOTIC CITY of glamour and luxury, with a hidden dark side. Before 1949, it was often referred to as the 'Paris of the East' or the 'Whore of the Orient', depending on the perspective. The filmic image of Shanghai is shaped by the two faces it supposedly had, either as the epitome of lustre, mystery and decadence, or as the accumulation of filth, poverty and crime. In many Shanghai films these two worlds collide. Shanghai is the only Chinese metropolis that has managed to capture the fascination of foreign and domestic film-makers alike. After the International Settlement was established in 1842, Shanghai attracted businessmen from all over the world as well as immigrants from other parts of China who came to try their luck in this emerging economic hub.
The theme of arriving in Shanghai reoccurs in many films, whether it is the early Hollywood production The Shanghai Gesture (Josef von Sternberg, 1941), the local Tiyu Huanghou/Queen of Sports (Sun Yu, 1934) or the recent Sino-American romantic comedy Shanghai Calling (Daniel Hsia, 2012). Where Josef von Sternberg used studio technology to create the film noir atmosphere with sexual innuendo and suspense, Chinese movies of the same period were filmed on location and emphasize the perils of the city. Known as the leftist film movement, these works aimed to be realistic: they followed a political mission, often concealed due to strict censorship. The tightly knit communities of the classic Shanghai street architecture with its longtangs (narrow alleys) assisted the underground activities of the film-makers and featured in such classic titles as Shi zi jie tou Crossroads (Shen Xiling, 1937) and Malu tianshi/Street Angel (Yuan Muzhi, 1937).
Given its continually rising international population, Shanghai is where the Chinese film industry developed and thrived until 1949. The 'Golden Age' of Chinese cinema in the 1930s reveals a series of works in which the city is conceived as temptation; the contrast between pure country folk and corrupted city dwellers is a common feature and continues into the late 1940s in grand epics such as Yi jiang chun shui xiang dong liu/The Spring River Flows East (Cai Chusheng and Zheng Junli, 1947). Though generally shown through the defining buildings and structures of the concession area – the Bund, the stone lions that guard the Hongkong and Shanghai Bank, the glittering lights holding the promise of lurid nightlife – Shanghai stands for urban life in general. Initially, it fills the protagonists with awe and expectation, until they understand the falsity, injustice and the suffering of the downtrodden. Many an honest woman is forced to go into prostitution. Facing the vices active in city life, the heroes, and often heroines, will choose to join the revolution, be it against the Japanese invasion or against the abusive reign of the Kuomintang government. Despite its allure, Shanghai was a symbol of foreign oppression, a call to arms, and a place that needed to be reformed.
After the foundation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the predominance of Shanghai as film-industry centre and location came to an end. The studios in the city had to deal with other subjects as defined by the government in Beijing. With Jing wu men/ Fist of Fury (Lo Wei, 1972) and its remakes, the Shanghai of the 1920s reappears in Hong Kong cinema first as the setting for martial arts movies. It is the criminal underworld that intrigues and provides the background for the righteous to prove their strength.
The number of films made in China has been increasing steadily since the 1980s, with a staggering rise since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Despite the appeal of Shanghai as business and financial centre, there are few films that depict the modern day metropolis. The overriding image of Shanghai remains a stylized version dating back to the literary and filmic representations of the early twentieth century. The majority of movies set in this era are international productions like Ruguo Ai./ Perhaps Love (Peter Chan, 2005) or Se, Jie/Lust, Caution (Ang Lee, 2007), while audiences may recognize the same corner of old Nanjing Road, as rebuilt at the Shanghai Film Park on the outskirts of the city.
Literary adaptations are numerous. Preference is given to historical pieces, one of the most internationally renowned being Empire of the Sun (Steven Spielberg, 1987). An exception is Shanghai Baby (Berengar Pfahl, 2007), based on the controversial autobiographic novel by Wei Hui, which features Shanghai's modern skyline, multi-layered highways, and the sense of confusion that infuses some of its younger inhabitants. The feeling of being lost and the search for identity is evident in independent Chinese productions like Wo men hai pa/Shanghai Panic (Andrew YS Cheng, 2001) or the Sino-German co-production Suzhou he/Suzhou River (Lou Ye, 2000). The latter is set in then-abandoned areas of Shanghai which evoke an urban situation that is mysterious and tragic. Nanjing Lu/Street Life (Zhao Dayong, 2006), an independent documentary, focuses on the migrants in Shanghai, a subject explored decades earlier, but this time in no way romanticized.
A few notable productions filmed in Shanghai recall major events of China's past, not focusing on the city itself but on the national calamities that took place, such as Le violon rouge/The Red Violin (Francois Girard, 1998) or Meili Shanghai/Shanghai Story (Peng Xiaolian, 2006). The semi-autobiographical Qing hong/Shanghai Dreams (Wang Xiaoshuai, 2005) is set in the period immediately following the Cultural Revolution with Shanghai featured only as an object of yearning and hope.
Increasingly, major Hollywood productions have chosen this modern metropolis as one of their locations. But as with the recent Skyfall (Sam Mendes, 2012), it seems that the 1930s Hollywood production methods have returned, with large sets being constructed in studios, thereby keeping location shooting to a minimum. In this case, again, it is a stereotype of Shanghai that is called upon, the city of exotic allure, full of unknown charms and excitement as it is created in the spectator's imagination. In most films, Shanghai continues to appear as its own cliché.
CHAPTER 2SPOTLIGHT
REPUBLICAN ERA SHANGHAI
Hollywood of the East
Text by DONNA ONG
DURING ITS HEY-DAY as the 'Paris of the East', the major commercial and cosmopolitan city of Shanghai was the natural birthplace of the first Chinese film industry. Throughout the Republican Era from 1911–49, a recorded 3,000 films were produced, and the industry, as modelled on the Hollywood studio system, was complete with its own constellation of movie stars set against all the glitz and glamour that the city had to offer. Although very few of these films survive today, the myriad film publications that have provide an insight into the vibrant nature of Shanghai's film culture.
The city's large film audience from different sectors of society is a crucial factor in determining Shanghai as the first capital for China's film-making industry, rather than other treaty ports like Hong Kong. The beginnings of film viewing in Shanghai can be traced back to the first screening in 1896 by travelling showmen from the West. It became an established entertainment business after the Spaniard Antonio Ramos built the first cinema hall in 1908. Ramos's business proved extremely profitable and expanded quickly into a chain of six grand cinemas by 1920. Although early audiences were predominately foreigners living in the treaty port, it did not take long for such entertainments to catch on with local crowds. By the 1920s, going to the movies had already become an integral entertainment ritual in the city, which boasted over forty cinemas by the late 1930s.
Foreign films, primarily those from Hollywood, dominated the domestic market. Chinese audiences were enraptured by the glamour of Hollywood and its stars. Shanghai's significant educated class, ever hungry for new and cutting edge trends from the West, was a crucial driving force for foreign film imports. China was one of the largest overseas markets for Hollywood product, and during the entire Republican period, American films constituted 75 per cent of films screened in the country. High-level visits to Shanghai by Hollywood actors, by the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and Anna May Wong, gives some indication of the importance that the city had in relation to the American film industry.
As cinema viewing became closely intertwined with everyday life, the impact of Hollywood and western films on Shanghai culture was immense. Its influence was evident in Shanghai's fashion, lifestyles and social values. Wealthy women were said to have taken their tailors to the cinema hall to copy dresses worn by actresses on the screen. According to Dance World magazine, the city's popular dance halls were also an offshoot of filmgoing culture. In the 1932 guidebook The Gateway to Shanghai, Wang Dingjiu recommends the cinema hall as a good place to bring one's date. Not only does it provide an intimate space in the dark, but also the fun of copying the romantic moves on-screen with one's date.
The local film industry in Shanghai was both a benefactor and victim of the foreign film presence. It was able to capitalize on the ready demand for films and learned quickly from the latest film techniques and trends of the West. Domestic films also catered to a broader Chinese population with local tastes, explaining why one of the early popular genres of the Silent era was the traditional martial arts film. At the same time, early films were important in projecting the new modern nation, often dealing with social issues facing the transitional society such as marriage, free love and the role of women. Despite the large number of films produced and strong fan followings for local movie stars, local productions were perceived to be inferior to western films and struggled to gain the same level of respect ability.
The local film industry's effort to combat the monopolization of foreign films is part of a national movement to promote domestic goods against foreign imperialism. This nationalist mission to improve the fledgling industry and project a strong nation through cinema attracted the city's many intellectuals to join the film-making industry, all of whom were avid film fans. During the tumultuous years of growing Japanese aggression from 1931 to the eventual outbreak of war in 1937, film became an intense battleground with intellectuals from the left and right promoting opposing political ideologies and visions of the new nation. The leftist films that portrayed social inequality and patriotism against foreign imperialism, such as Shennu/The Goddess (Wu Yonggang, 1934), have come to define today's conception of Republican-era films. However, a look at the box office records show that broader entertainments, notably martial arts, romance and comedy, were also important genres of the day.
Shanghai's film industry faced and overcame the many political challenges of the early decades of the twentieth century. It survived the war years by collaborating with the Japanese occupiers, and managed to make a revival, after which some of the most sophisticated films of the period were made, the most famous now being Xiaocheng zhi chun/Spring in a Small Town (Fei Mu, 1948). Film production in Shanghai was eventually brought to an end when the Communist Party took power in 1949 and nationalized all mainland film- making. Many industry people found sanctuary in the British colony of Hong Kong, bringing with them film-making traditions and experience from Shanghai to help make Hong Kong the new Hollywood of the East. The most well-known Shanghai studio to impact the Hong Kong film industry from the 1950s and beyond was Shaw Brothers, formerly the Tianyi Film Company. Their entertainment films, especially period costume dramas, are one prominent legacy carried forward from their early Shanghai days.
The link between Shanghai and Hong Kong had long been established, from the pioneering period to the war years, where studios and film-makers had bases in both cities. Though few emphasize this historical link, it is important to acknowledge the first period of Shanghai cinema in setting some of the standards and establishing many of the trends or traits of today's mainstream Chinese-language films.
SHANGHAI EXPRESS (1932)
LOCATION
Soundstage recreation of Shanghai North Railway Station, now Shanghai Railway Museum, 200 Tianmu East Road, Zhabei District
'A DISTORTED MIRROR of problems that beset the world today, [Shanghai] grew into a refuge for people who wished to live between the lines of laws and customs – a modern tower of Babel.' This description of the city of Shanghai by director Josef Von Sternberg is expressed vividly in his highly stylized Hollywood production Shanghai Express. A motley group of first-class passengers from Beijing to Shanghai during the Chinese Civil War find themselves on an expected adventure. The main characters, the notorious 'coaster' named 'Shanghai Lily' (Marlene Dietrich) and her former lover, British Captain Harvey (Clive Brook), are accompanied by a Chinese courtesan (Anna May Wong), a zealous missionary, an American gambler, a German opium dealer, a spinster boarding housekeeper, an elderly French officer and a mysterious Eurasian who turns out to be a warlord that hijacks the train. The final scene, when the train safely arrives at Shanghai station, shows the cosmopolitan 'Paris of the East' with its multiracial crowds, bilingual signs, European shops and stylish advertisements. The lively montage cuts between the media sensation caused by the train's escape from capture, the relieved passengers as they bid their farewells, and the romantic tension between Shanghai Lily and Captain Harvey who continue to resist each other until just before the very end. In classic Hollywood fashion, the two finally confess their love for each other, after Shanghai Lily buys Captain Harvey a new watch as a symbol of restored love, and the film ends with a kiss.
[right arrow] Donna Ong
DAYBREAK/TIANMING (1933)
LOCATION
Yu Garden, 218 Anren Street, Huangpu District
IN THE CLASSIC silent film Daybreak, country girl Ling Ling (Li Lili) and her cousin Zhang (Gao Zhanfei) move to Shanghai in order to find jobs as their rural fishing village has been destroyed by warlords. There is the suggestion of romance between Ling Ling and Zhang as marriage between cousins was quite common in the old China. They both find work at a velvet factory, but soon Zhang joins the army instead and leaves Ling Ling to fend for herself in Shanghai. Ling Ling is subsequently tricked into becoming a prostitute and experiences a great deal of suffering in later life, leading to a tragic conclusion. This scene occurs just after Ling Ling and Zhang have relocated to Shanghai and decided to go sightseeing together. They arrive at the Hu Xin Ting Teahouse, which is a famous Shanghai landmark. This wooden structure was built in the Ming Dynasty and can be found in the Yu Garden, located behind the City God Temple in the Old City of Shanghai. The design of the teahouse is unique as it is in the middle of a lotus pond and the 'Z'-shaped Jiu Qu Bridge (or the Bridge of Nine Turnings) has been built around the structure. Standing on the bridge with her cousin, Ling Ling tries to feed the turtles. Turtles are known to have a long life. If you visit Hu Xin Ting Teahouse, you might be able to spot the same turtles that were featured in this film. [right arrow] Hiu M. Chan
THE GODDESS/SHENNU (1934)
LOCATION
Soundstage recreation of Huile Road, now Fuzhou Road, Huangpu District
THE GODDESS REFLECTS the 1930s debate, inside Shanghai's leftist intellectual circles, about the necessity to redeem exploited women, whose condition allegorically evoked that of the country then occupied by colonial empires. Besides showing a moment in the daily routine of Ruang Lingyu's anonymous character – a woman forced into prostitution in order to raise her son – and a crucial turning point in her story, this scene reproduces an aspect of the decadent atmosphere of Shanghai during the time. In particular, it presents a reconstruction of Huile Road, the heart of the red-light district that is today known as Fuzhou Road. Introduced by a shot of Shanghai skyline and the buildings near the Bund, the scene shows the 'goddess' on the street in search of clients. Just like her, the city seems to sell itself by night, where the scenography of lights is aimed at attracting people. During a sudden raid by the police, the woman looks for an escape route in a dark back alley and hides inside a lane house. She enters the room of a sleeping gambler (Zhang Zhizhi) who immediately takes advantage of the situation and forces her to stay, thereby establishing de facto his authority. In the subtle shift of Ruan's facial expression and body language, viewers can perceive the quiet resignation with which she accepts such blackmail. Apparently self-confident (this is only a performance inside the performance), she sits on a table and asks for a cigarette, directly facing the trap she has just fallen into.
[right arrow] Mariagrazia Costantino
(Continues...)
Excerpted from World Film Locations Shanghai by John Berra, Wei Ju. Copyright © 2014 Intellect Ltd. Excerpted by permission of Intellect Ltd.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Table of Contents
Shanghai: City of the ImaginationIsabel Wolte
Republican Era Shanghai: Hollywood of the East
Donna Ong
Scenes 1-8
1932-1947
Fists of Bruce Lee: Shanghai’s Martial Arts Film Legacy
Paul Bowman
Scenes 9-16
1984-2000
Lou Ye’s Shanghai Cinema: Love and Loss in the Urban Labrynth
John Berra
Scenes 17-24
2001-2005
Sixth Generation Shanghai: Politicizing the Aesthetic
Dave McCaig
Scenes 25-32
2005-2007
Sci-fi Shanghai: City of the Future
John Berra
Scenes 33-39
2007-2010
The Great Divide: Depths and Peaks of Shanghai Life
Mariagrazia Constantino
Scenes 40-46
2011-2013
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