An Analysis Of Feminism In American And Chinese Films

Feminism and film are two separate fields of studies. The former refers to a kind of social movement or culture, while the latter indicates a kind of mass media. Actually, feminism is utilized in different cultural studies to various degrees, including film studies, which covers a wide range of mass media topic. The film involves aesthetics, technology, economy and audience, and all these elements will condition the moving images. American feminist films play a special role in the development of international feminist films, while Chinese ones are not important in mainstream films. In fact, the proposition of this thesis is to use feminist thinking to analyze American and Chinese films.It is widely accepted that feminist films are developing gradually in the West, esp. in the USA. However, in China, feminism in films is comparatively a new branch of studies. The paper attempts to review related studies within the research in China concerning feminism and feminist films. Much research has been done to explore the influence of western feminist film theory, in other words, there is rarely definite feminism in the history of Chinese film.Based on the survey, the author of this thesis attempts to show a different approach employed in the area of feminist films, so that the research seems to be more comprehensive. Specifically, the author makes a brief summary of the research from the seventies of the last century to the present, the research can be classified into several aspects.As feminist films have been vital in the development of American films, the author points out that American feminist films develop gradually during the three decades, while Chinese feminist films are completed with their own characteristics. Moreover, the author argues that Chinese feminist films areadvancing from different perspectives, namely, female images in feminist films and women directors in feminist films. Besides a brief review of American feminist film theory, the author also makes an analysis of the relationship between China and the USA in feminist films.In the following discussion, the main purpose of the thesis is to develop film studies in terms of feminism, both in China and in the USA. Hence the author is to trace different angles to see how feminism is employed in films in China and in the USA, furthermore, to see what the relationship sHrould be. So a number of both American and Chinese films are illustrated in the paper in detail.In this case, feminist thinking is advanced in the thesis to study films. Beyond doubt, there are other feminist dispositions, which may be powerfully inferential in film studies. In other words, as a result of sexual, cultural and ethnic complexities veining the adventurous feminist media work, films cannot any longer be remote from feminism.To sum up, the approach used in the paper includes not only the traditional theories concerning American feminist films, but also the author's personal viewpoints of analyzing typical Chinese feminist films. The author hopes that in the thesis, the friction of feminism with films in the USA and in China might strike a few new bright sparks.