Research On Shaw's Huangmei Films

This article gives an overview of Huangmei Opera Film history of Shaw Brothers(Hong Kong)Limited.In terms of its "linear history" of production,experiment,brilliance and silence,it is divided into six periods,namely,"the Pre-classical Period","the First Experimental Period","the First Classical Period","the Second Experimental Period","the Second Classical Period",and "the Declining Period".Combined with film observation,on-the-spot investigation,and the review of data at home and abroad,this article has specifically investigated the "Shaw" Huangmei Opera Film from multiple angles,such as drama stories,music,body figure,singing,melody,costumes and so on,and believes that the artistic concept of "Shaw" Huangmei Opera Film is subject to commercial objectives,and its creative team plays a decisive role in the film style which mainly manifested in film language,music structure,the lineup,etc.Afterwards,from the perspective of audience groups,times psychology,morphological characteristics and aesthetic pursuit of the two arts of opera and film,this article makes an objective and comprehensive study on the reasons for the rise and fall of "Shaw" Huangmei Opera Film,holding that it is rooted in a diversified immigrant culture with its material selection tends to drama stories and folklore,showing the intersection of stage and screen in form,as well as pursuing a classical and dream China in aesthetics.This article traces back to Hong Kong's social aesthetic tendency and audience's interest in movies from the 1960 s to the 1970 s,outlines the production and sales mode of "Shaw" Huangmei Opera Film,and extracts the transformation principles from stage art to film art,as follows: selecting classical stories,absorbing popular music and cultivating excellent actors.And the“Shaw”develops Huangmei Film into a genre mainly by reducing costs,curing style,simplifying music,and honouring stars as well as production line.Chapter One,combing the history of "Shaw" Huangmei Opera Film and choosing representative works of each period for analysis,points out that the"pre-classical period" is an accidental attempt led by Li Hanxiang,which is a forerunner of "Shaw" Huangmei Opera Film in style and aesthetics."The First Experimental Period" is a conscious creative experiment of Li Hanxiang's team,aiming to find a balance between aesthetic ideals and commercial market.As the result of "the First Experimental Period","The First Classical Period" basically establishes the narrative form of the combination of Mandarin and singing and dancing performances,as well as the overall aesthetic pursuit of “classical” and “dream”."The Second Experimental Period" is Shaw's attempt to rebuild his creative team for the purpose of increasing production.The new and old directors have made active attempts under the Huangmei Film type;"the Second Classical Period" is the birth of the neoclassical style under the operation of the "non-Li Hanxiang" class,which is obviously different from Li Hanxiang's class in terms of film language,scene scheduling and music design,etc.;“the Declining Period” is the stage in which “Shaw” Huangmei Opera Film art quality declines and business value is gradually lost,mainly for the lack of creativity in the film story,dull music and shoddy overall.In the meantime,this article summarizes the commercial,artistic,social and cultural factors in the formation,development and decline of Huangmei Opera Film from the creative purposes and characteristics of each stage of “Shaw” Huangmei Opera Film.Chapter Two,on the basis of Chapter One,considers the reasons why the “Shaw” Huangmei Opera Film turns out to be success.It is believed that it is mainly attributed to the success of film music,the demand of market environment and the support of the company's industrial model.Chapter three focuses on the creative methods of “Shaw” Huangmei Opera Film.It specifically analyses the films with both artistic and commercial value such as Diao Chan,An Empress And The Warriors,Butterfly Lovers,etc..It is believed that the formation of “Shaw” Huangmei Opera Film is based on the choice of traditional stories,the cultural appropriation of the opera role system and the poeticization of the film language.Chapter Four aims to summarize the artistic features of “Shaw” Huangmei Opera Film.It believes that it presents the thematic features of Yin flourishes while Yang declines,the emotional features of the times,the rich and varied cultural characteristics and the distinct director style.Chapter Five,returning to the present situation,explores the practical significance of the "Shaw" Huangmei Opera Film,and considers that it is a large-scale attempt to combine opera with film,a high-quality channel for Huangmei Opera to spread abroad,and an artistic reference for thecreation of opera and film.Finally,this article proposes the specific development strategy of Chinese opera films under the background of pan-entertainment,in order to provide a theoretical guidance with realistic reference value for the inheritance of contemporary opera art and the production of opera-type films.