A Study Of Identity In Edward Yang's Films

Edward Yang,an influential film maker in Taiwan,is known for the critical spirit in his works,which reflect social reality in a profound way and relate to human being's soul.Identity is the very idea through all of his “seven and a half” films,a very significant theme in his individual life construction.The thesis,established in the interpretation of Edward Yang's individual life stories,is intended to explore the way in which he tries to find the loss and search of his own and other Taiwanese identity from the new perspective of “identity” through the examination of his films' contents and artistic forms in the hope of interpreting effectively Edward Yang and his films from a new dimension,and to seek some referential experience for the present-day Chinese-language films.The thesis falls into six parts with Introduction,Main body and Conclusion included.Introduction highlights the research status about Edward Yang and his films at present,the thesis background and research significance,expounds on the historical background of Taiwan movies' emergence and development,on the value and meaning of Edward Yang's film-making in the development of Taiwan movies.Chapter 1 explains the basic definition of the “identity” theory,generalizes its features and connotations and summaries different theories deriving from it.Chapter 2elucidates the historical context in which “identity” comes into being in Edward Yang's films,interprets the manifestations of Edward Yang's self identity from three different identities: Mainlander,Taiwanese,and artist.Chapter 3 makes a profound analysis of the film texts which are selected from Yang's “seven and a half” films,to further Edward Yang's speculation and criticism of his own and other Taiwanese loss of social identity.Chapter 4 analyzes the artistic features and the movie pictures in Edward Yang's films,explains the works style and characteristics,summaries the achievements Yang's films have made in artistic expression.In the Conclusion,the significance of “identity” in Edward Yang's films is comprehensively discussed,introspection is made about the present Chinese-language films position from artistic rule of Yang's film making,confusion and problems in the writing of this thesis are also stated.