Many people when they hear "women's films" may think of stories about women made by female directors, but this is actually a public perception. The Chinese film field has always been a male world, from directors, screenwriters, producers, etc., men are mostly game rule setters, participants, critics in this circle, the first generation of directors Zheng Zhengqiu, Zhang Ishikawa and others, as well as the fifth generation of directors Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and others, and then to the seventh generation of Jiang Wen, Jia Zhangke are all male directors.
In fact, some male directors will also make good female stories, but there is always no delicacy of female directors, in the film history of New China for more than forty years, films that can become women's films are rare, if not unique.
The theory of feminist cinema began in the 1960s as a genre of contemporary film theory, its history is not long, but with the strengthening of gender concepts in contemporary society, it has changed the most. "Feminism" has always been regarded as a new title in society and has begun to arouse heated discussion among the public.
When gender can be emphasized, it may be a thing worth pondering and vigilance...
Since the 21st century, a large number of cutting-edge female directors have begun to emerge, from 2000 to 2013, more and more female director works have entered the top 50 at the box office, Xu Anhua's "Jade Guanyin" in 2003, Li Shaohong's "Baby in Love" and Yu Feihong's "If Love Has Providence", Xu Jinglei's "Letter from a Strange Woman" (2006), Li Yu's "Apple" (2007), Jin Yimeng's "Very Perfect" (2009), Zhao Wei's "To the Youth We Will Eventually Pass Away" (2013), Xue Xiaolu, "Beijing Meets Seattle" (2013), Teng Congcong, "From Me to Qingyun" (2019).
Here is only a small part of the integration, although the box office is a number, but it also represents a lot of things, from which it is not difficult to see the entire Chinese market for women's film acceptance, as well as the domestic audience of women's film absorption, all women's films can take the audience to pay attention to the film itself, into the movie, everyone sees the position and view of women in these movies.
<h1>Women ≠ unprofessional</h1>
The most important year for "women's cinema" was 1972, when the first International Women's Film Festival was held in New York, as well as the women's feature at the Edinburgh Film Festival, and the first publication devoted to feminist cinema, Women and Cinema, appeared that year.
In China, "Man, Ghost, Love" (1987), directed by Huang Shuqin, was evaluated as "China's first 'women's film'." ”
What is a "women's film"?
Two types
One is a film aimed at a female audience, known as a "tear sheet"
(The directors of these films are some men and women, and most of them are made by male directors.)
For example, "July and Ansheng"
It's a serious female film, but the interesting thing is that the director is a man!
Zeng Guoxiang is characterized by an extremely delicate portrayal of women, and female audiences who have watched "July and Ansheng" will definitely find poignant scenes and lines in it, which is Zeng Guoxiang's "strength". Zeng Guoxiang grew up with his sister when he was very young, and also watched a lot of books and movies with female protagonists, he said to the camera: "Women are more emotional than men, and I am very interested in this complexity!" "He grew up being cared for by his grandmother, sister and mother, so this also had a profound impact on Zeng Guoxiang's film creation."
After watching the original work of "July and Ansheng", the first thing he thought of was not how to perform the love triangle, but the growth of the two girls and their friendship, what kind of pain they experienced in the process of growing up, so what Zeng Guoxiang really wanted to hit was the profound theme of women's self-identity.
The second is a film made entirely by a female director.
For example, "Woman Forty"
Xu Anhua as a female director, her portrayal of real life is extremely delicate, never emphasize the temperament of "feminism", the film "Woman Forty" is full of humanity, the storyline is not complicated, through the ordinary life of a middle-aged woman, set off the forty women in the face of life difficulties expressed by the patience and strength.
"Woman Forty" this movie is highly evaluated, compared to the momentum and style of male directors' works, female directors' films are more prominent in details, portraying the details of the story from the most simple places, digging out the most ordinary human feelings of ordinary people, increasing the sensibility of the film, and triggering the resonance and empathy of female audiences.
In China, as long as it is filmed by female directors, works that mainly show women, show the true existence and awakening of women, can be counted as women's films, so for the emerging term "women's films", many people frankly admit that it will not be remembered by history, because its definition is still being constantly revised and expanded, and not all women-based films are women's films...
Today, what female filmmakers are doing is to gradually eliminate gender differences, pay attention to the film itself, pay attention to the fate and situation of women, and believe that one day "women's film" and "feminism" will no longer be a symbol or a label.
After all, the proposition of Chinese women's films is too broad, and its essence is not something that can be expressed in three words, and in recent years, Chinese women's films have their own style, and good films are frequent. The same is true of American women's films, and under the influence of the two feminist movements, the idea of women's awakening has also swept into the film field; in the history of Japanese cinema, there are many people who have tried to create women's films, such as Keisuke Kinoshita's "Carmen Returns to Her Hometown" (1951), Suzuki Kiyoshi's "The Legend of Haruhi" (1965) and so on.
These works, all exude the atmosphere of the times and society, full of the power of embracing the times, they are the insight into social problems, with extremely sensitive nerves to touch the heartbeat of the times, most of the works are generally serving the times, the current film market caters to entertainment, but also caters to the tastes of the public, how to find a balance between artistic expression and commercial demands? Or female directors is also a problem that the entire film market needs to think about.
<h1>epilogue</h1>
Movie "Big Red Lantern Hanging High"
Civilization places women in a "mirror city", in which "women", being women, and women become an eternal confusion, pain and embarrassment. In this mirror city, the appearance of women's "real bodies", or makeup as men, to express and act; or "return my daughter's body", and forever silent..."
- "Man, Ghost, Love"
Don't ask what a "women's movie" is, just read a movie.
Original text, figure network