The Development And Prospect Of TV Documentary Film Criticism In China

TV documentary film criticism in China has been discussed in few cases. Up to now, only has He Suliu who works in Beijing Broadcasting Institute studied the TV documentary film criticism in China from 1982 to 1993. First, this article analyzes the genres of Chinese TV documentary film criticism from the Fifty's last century to now, including four periods which are obscurity period, ideology criticism period, ontology criticism period and culture criticism period. Secondly, the article discusses the relation between documentary film development and documentary film criticism. Then it points out their possibilities and limitations.The pattern of criticism had not taken shape in obscurity period because the TV documentary films were paid attention to obscurely. Early criticism was limited by objective condition and was mainly partial, non-learning or oral. Such case was not improved until some special periodicals provided position for criticism.Since the development of Chinese documentary had clung mostly to the propaganda and the open policy improved academic environment, people usually criticized documentary in political or ethical angle. Political mode and ethical mode were major critical modes in the second period.In the third period, criticism was unfolded around ontology of documentary film and the most important topic was record of actual events which rectified the current of subjective creation.The last period was named after cultural criticism. During this period, the massculture becomes popular in China and new technology is put to use, especially the latest generation of technology- the DV camera which has changed the style of creating TV documentary. As a result, documentary film criticism also becomes many-faceted around cultural meaning.The development of TV documentary film criticism in China is moving in three directions: from Chinese style to Western style, from ideological discourse to intellectual discourse, from unitary to plural. Such research is a try to record the development of TV documentary film criticism in China and disclose the regulation of it, and this article would also try to explore a broader concept of documentary criticism.