Thematic Concerns In films Studied
There are a few thematic concerns in the articles provided that are common in almost all of them. The first theme is tradition. In almost all articles, Chinese traditions have gotten highlighted in one way or another. The Chinese tradition forms a vital part of the people, and amidst all the changes that are happening, they still cling to it as their source of refuge and a point of reference. This occurrence is proof that their culture was sacred to them, and even as the children got born, they were still taught the same values so that they would keep it alive for the next generations to come. In the Benediction, the resilience of tradition is evidenced by the celebrations of the old lunar new years even after independence. This evidence was a sign that the traditions were still believed to be authentic and alive for the people despite westernization and modernization; it still survived.
The second overriding theme witnessed among films studied in this course is change. Change as a theme gets witnessed in the following ways. Firstly, through the introduction of film in China. As stated in the text, when the film got introduced in China, it did not have the same experience as other arts like painting and architecture. It was honestly never pursued at the time, making it a hard path to assess. When the British embassy sent the projector to the Empress, and it exploded, the Empress immediately took it as a bad omen and banned future film production and projection. This action could be termed as cowardice for not accepting the change that was happening at the time. She was clinging to traditions and without thinking straight concluded that it was a bad omen for the people. This action was quite contrary to the population at the time who welcomed it wholeheartedly because they enjoyed the movies and could sacrifice a few coins to watch a film sometime.
Change is also witnessed in Lu Xun’s biography, whereby he first studied western science and engineering, like almost everyone in the country at the time. Deep down, he wanted to change people’s mindset about literature probably because he saw something unique about and saw it better to go further his studies and leave what was termed as ‘normal’ This was a significant risk taken, but it bore fruit at the end since, by the time he died, most of his work was already accomplished. Some of his stories were read and accepted by the young readers who were the best group in society to attract. The reason for saying that is because young people can bring change among themselves and also the future generation, unlike the older adults who, with time, get fatigued and also cannot relate to the younger ones in the society.
Another theme evident in the films in this course is resistance. The captures of resistance are instances where individuals and groups were not on the same terms with specific actions and, as a reflex action, thought it better to resist. The first instance is in Benediction, whereby his conservative frequently criticize the narrator, and this ekes him feel alienated from his town. The narrator’s conservative, the neo- Confucian uncle is always clinging on to the past related to the reformists Kang Youwei and feels the need to resist against the narrator for choosing the western life. This behavior makes the narrator feel marginalized and, in the whole process, decides that he wants to leave. Being a learned neo- Confucian, the uncle was supposed to be more understanding and not rebellious like the rest of the people in the community. As stated earlier, the Empress developed some resistance toward projected film since she saw it as a bad omen when the projector exploded and a form of a laid low attack from the British embassy leading to her banning it for a while.
The last theme evident in the films studied is growth, especially in the film industry. A significant amount of growth gets evidenced in the films produced over the past century. As the film was being introduced as stated earlier, it was difficult to comprehend and follow it through since the Chinese community had no experience whatsoever in film production. This was unlike their counterparts doing architecture and art, who had an experience of over half a decade. That being a factor of the way of life of the Chinese fraternity. Although the industry was faced with many challenges, they still rose above those difficulties and, in the twentieth century, emerged to produce award-winning films. This success was a result of not giving up in the times of tribulations and also persistence to produce more and more films. The more they practiced, the mote they got better and hence the reason for their great success currently in film.