Minimum length: 5 full pages. Double space. Font size: 12. Proper standard margins.
Goddess (Dir. Wu Yonggang, 1934)
Street Angels (Dir. Yuan Muzhi, 1937)
The Red Detachment of Women (Xie Jin, 1961)
Stage Sisters (aka Two Actresses) (Dir. Xie Jin, 1964)
Farwell My Concubine (Dir. Chen Kaige, 1993)
Youth (Dir. Feng Xiaogang, 2017)
The three distinct historical periods and three important moments of filmmaking in modern Chinese history. They are the golden age of early cinema based in Shanghai under the rule of the Republic of China (1912-1949); socialist revolutionary cinema from the Peoples Republic of China in the mainland (1949-76); and cinema in post-Mao China, namely, in the era of social and economic reforms since 1976. Choose at least a total of three films from these periods in the above list, discuss and compare the representation of Chinese society, culture, or history in these films. Please also briefly comment on prominent stylistic features that you notice in the films. The paper should analyze at least one film from each of the three different periods.
Avoid simple generalizations. Refer to specific elements and details such as characters, scenes, plot, cinematography (shot, editing), lighting, sound, music, and so on. You may consult the required readings, or do some research and look into additional material outside the class. Whatever you do, please always acknowledge your source. Do not use the words and ideas of a publication or an online source without appropriate citations.
Your writing is expected to reflect college-level competence in form and content. Both what you write and how you write will be evaluated. Relevant aspects of writing will be looked at as usual: coherence, organization, argument, elegance, grammar, spelling, punctuation, and so on. You will receive the Grading Rubric in a separate file attachment.
