A Peak Of Comic Film

This thesis puts the comic films of the 1930s and 40s vintage in China under scrutiny, with a view to bringing the authentic historical facts about the comic film production in perspective and to identifying the inherent regularities and conventions that govern their production and to assessing their artistic achievement.This thesis argues that there are two distinct notions, that is, comic film production for the sake of commerce and entertainment, and the comic film production for the sake of social criticism, in the 1930s and 40s, especially when audio-comic film emerges. Although no specific theorizations have been made about the two notions, they are embodied by real comic film productions. Tomboy (1936), and At the Crossroads (1937) and Angels in the Street (1937), amongst others, are distinctive samples of them. The former notion continues the full-fledged commercial idea which begins in the voiceless film age and serves the purpose of entertaining the public; the latter emphasizes the social function of comic films, with an ultimate aim of exposing the evils and vices of the society and leveling its criticism at the then government.The historical reasons behind the formation of the two notions are very special and complex. In the 1930s, the meeting of the historical storm with the emergence of audio-films prompts filming to swiftly switch from being an ideological device to assuming its social responsibility. The foray of the revolutionary and progressive Left-Wing force into the filming industry, and above all, its occupation of the forefront of film critique and its conscious efforts to guide films to criticize the society and to educate the public, mark the division of the production notions. With more powerful intrusion by the Left-Wing force into the filming field comes up the dissent that film should be artistic and serve the purpose of entertainment. Through the "Soft and Hard" debate in 1934, the watershed of film production notions has been explicitly made, between social responsibility and pure entertainment. Its hallmark is realized in actual film productions. The company "Yihua" (Art China) finished its production of Tomboy (1936) and hits a record-high sell. To counter its success, the Left-Wing Film immediately produced At the Crossroad and Angel in the Street in 1937, making comic films a focal point of contention. And it is through this contention that the two diametrically different notions take their own forms. They have been continued through their own independent exploration during the Anti-Japanese War and the post-war period but do not take on the form of fierce contention but benign development of their own. During this period, there crop up a vast array of comic films and the two notions bear their own fruits through rich productions. It is through this complementation and interaction that the comic films in the 1930s and 40s are taking a diversity of aesthetic forms. This thesis argues that the comic films produced in this period fall into four types:fun films, ethic films, grassroots films and ironic films. The first type depends on humorous and ridiculous means to achieve the carnival and entertaining effect, with Tomboy and Han Langen series as its representations; the second type takes as its subject matter the life of middle-class capitalist families and the love between males and females. It dodges the sharp class conflicts in reality but edifies the public, praises moral virtues and wisdom while criticizing the immoral issues involved in ethic and love affairs in a benign and humane way. Films, such as Enchanting Night (1943) Long Live the Wife (1948) Miserable at Middle Age (1949,) are its indications. The grassroots films focus on the life of those lower social classes in the urban, reflecting the universal common people's life in tragicomic way, laying bare and directing critique at, the dark sides of social life. The Angel in the Street (1937), At the Crossroads (1937) and Crows and Sparrows (1949) all go to this type. The ironic type either directly responds to social and political issues or adapts and translates the domestic and foreign works while integrating the realistic issues, with piercing through the hypocritical masks of the ugly realities as its ideal aesthetic. Diaries of Returning to Nature (1947) and Sunny Days (1948) are typical examples.This thesis has made the following contributions to the studies on the comic films in the 1930s and 40s in China:(1) It probes the two notions of comic films in the 1930s and 40s in China, and based on this analysis, it restores the original mainstream values of commercial entertainment behind the film production. (2) It identifies the historic role played by the comic films in the development of Chinese filming. This thesis holds that there is a deeply established divisive state of two distinct notions of film production in the middle of the 1930s, which marks the discrepancy in the overall industry. But during the special period of the Anti-Japanese Way, the comic films assume the special mission of continuing the Chinese film tradition and heralds the beginning of nationalizing film production. (3) It summarizes the four types of comic films at that time and defines their major features, the time of emergence, the subject matters involved and the representative writers and their works and aesthetic expressions. It also discusses their aesthetic forms, typologies and how they are continued and evolved. (4) Finally, it delves into some issues that have not fallen into the formally established and well-received sphere of film research, for example, the works of voiceless comic films, the history and the writers of Shanghai comic films during the Anti-Japanese War period. This thesis also attempts to overcome the limitations inherent in the previous research which uses social utilitarianism to judge the worth of comic films and to approach the issue from multi-perspectives and through case studies.The thesis in the conclusive part argues that the comic films in the 1930s and 40s in China can be regarded as a peak in filming history in China. It also analyzes and comments on its contributions and influences.