Research On Rao Xiaozhi’s Films In The Perspective Of “Author’s Film”

Rao Xiaozhi entered the film industry as a theater director,and with his solid script-writing skills and rich experience in stage directing,he has gained market recognition while ensuring the artistic quality of his films,forming an outstanding style of absurd comedy and becoming a representative figure of the new power director group.Nowadays,there are few comprehensive studies of Rao Xiaozhi’s films,most of which are conducted through a certain perspective or specific analysis of a single work,making it difficult to balance depth and breadth.Taking the theory of "authorial cinema" as the starting point,this paper takes four films by Rao Xiaozhi as the main objects of study,identifies his identity as an "author of cinema",and interprets the thematic construction,narrative strategy and audiovisual style of his creative works based on the relevant theoretical views of scholars at home and abroad,such as Andrew Sarris and Dai Jinhua,in order to explore the characteristics of "authorial cinema" reflected behind the films.The first chapter of the dissertation provides an overview of the theory of authorial cinema and seeks to interpret the "authorial cinema" style presented in Rao’s film works in the light of his personal growth experience and film creation history,so as to establish Rao’s identity as a film author.The second chapter of the thesis focuses on the creative characteristics of Rao’s films at the thematic level.From the perspective of thematic construction,Rao’s films focus on three aspects: caring and thinking about the underclass,writing about the metaphor of disease,and interpreting the aesthetics of violence in multiple dimensions.The third chapter of the thesis focuses on Rao Xiaozhi’s narrative strategies.From the perspective of narrative strategy,he always sticks to the civilian narrative subject,and through the depiction and portrayal of the marginalized characters and alternative heroes,he has shown his concern and sympathy for "human nature" by mapping out his in-depth exploration and consideration of "human nature".In terms of narrative techniques,Rao is adept at using narrative structure flexibly to achieve different degrees of dramatic pursuit;he is accustomed to a consistent closed ending to conclusively complete the film and meet the audience’s emotional expectations.At the same time,he also uses parody and collage to pay tribute to classic works and to look back on his youth.The fourth chapter of the thesis focuses on the creative characteristics of Rao’s films in terms of audiovisuality.From the perspective of visual expression,the closed spatial shape,diverse camera methods,and multiple referential object symbols constitute the unique characteristics of Rao’s films in terms of picture presentation,while the functional use of vocals and lyrical use of music reflect Rao’s characteristics in the use of sound.