Fifth-Generation Filmmakers Advance Towards the Market

By TANG YUANKAI

The TV play "The Palace of Great Brightness" directed by Li Shaohong.

POSSIBLY no other school reunion has aroused more attention or had such a palpable ethos of commerce than that of the Beijing Film Institute class of 1978.

At Spring Festival in February of this year, fifth-generation filmmakers, including Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou, and Tian Zhuangzhuang, who graduated from the Beijing Film Institute in 1982, attended the gathering. Journalists from the media shadowed these well-known personages, and the television station that had won exclusive rights to report on the event did its best to prevent other channels from encroaching on its "territory," for reasons of "safeguarding the interests of our sponsors."

When the fifth-generation filmmakers first caught the public eye, it seemed to many that they went out of their way to show contempt for the market. Now, however, the major figures of this generation are a dominant force in promoting the general espousal of the market principle.

It is ironic when recalling how, in the mid-1980s, fifth-generation filmmakers gave little thought to, or indeed had any inkling about the "market." At that time, their works attracted only a small audience, and what concerned them most was their films' artistic value and humanistic expression. The majority of them rejected the contemporary melodramatic style, emphasizing instead the essential aspects of sound and light, and the charm of imagery. Stress on dialogue and plot was substituted for skillful cinematography, and in order to pursue an effect based on realism, they took themselves and their equipment "back to nature," where real scenery replaced painted backdrops.

Chen Kaige.

At the time Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou and their classmates studied at the Beijing Film Institute, the "cultural revolution" (1966-76) had just ended, and spiritual emancipation just begun. The onset of reform and opening-up brought them inspiration, and also provided opportunities to demonstrate their ability. They used the camera to create the kind of splendor never before seen, outshining previous generations of filmmakers. As students, they did not keep to the recommended study curriculum, but instead scrutinized, criticized and gradually identified their preferred style of cinematography. Upon graduation, they grasped every chance that came their way to create new concepts, and revolutionized the entire approach to filmmaking. The films they produced still enjoy a high reputation around the world.

These fifth-generation films are, in reality, direct products of an historic tragedy -- the "cultural revolution" and the "educated youth movement." This phenomenon became imprinted on their consciousness in their youth, as it was during their teens that one summer morning everything, they had accepted as normal up to that point changed, as Red Guards swarmed through the hitherto peaceful streets, and amiable, respected neighbors were suddenly labeled "class enemies." The experiences they went through in the "cultural revolution," the sufferings of their families, and the setbacks they were dealt in their youth not only changed their lives, but also predetermined their destiny. After an abrupt departure from middle school, they became peasants, or rural workers in construction corps, and the life they lived later became a source of inspiration that is reflected in the films they made during the first 10 to 15 years after graduating from the Beijing Film Institute. The fifth-generation films are a grave and sorrowful 1980s monologue. They were, at the time, a distinct voice within the whole film genre that created a watershed between the filmmakers of different generations, as regards political ideology, cultural consciousness, modes of thinking, aesthetics, and values. The fifth-generation directors persevered in their artistic pursuits and maintained their stylistic characteristics.

Director Tian Zhuangzhuang.

Then, in the twinkling of an eye, or so it seemed, they matured, and entered their prime. Their innovative concepts and spirit of exploration actively contributed to international aesthetic trends, and they soon became internationally acclaimed. Prestigious awards, including the Cannes "Gold Palm," the Venice "Gold Lion," and the Berlin "Gold Bear," acknowledge and honor the achievements of this generation of filmmakers.

Although the "writers' films" made by fifth-generation directors have aesthetic significance and potential market value, for a period of time they were dismissed as "academicism." Basing their criticism on some of the earlier fifth-generation films that stressed imagery at the expense of a discernible plot, some went so far as to accuse these directors of having no concept of narrative technique, and of never having studied classic films, made in Hollywood or elsewhere.

Zhou Chuanji and Ni Zhen, two teachers of the fifth-generation filmmakers, disagree with this point of view. Professor Zhou believes that his students have a mastery of audio-visual language, and have seriously and effectively explored the time and space of film, to the extent that they have indeed the capacity for narration in filmmaking.

For a period of time Li Shaohong left filmmaking to direct TV plays.

Professor Ni points out that in their four years at the Beijing Film Institute, the students of this generation had almost unlimited access to the narrative techniques employed in traditional and classic films. Their compulsory courses comprised traditional classics of China, Hollywood, and the former Soviet Union, and constituted an important and fundamental influence on their later works.

According to the Beijing Film Institute curriculum, students were required to watch four films a week, so in their four years of study they would have seen at least 1,000 films, including some in a more commercial vein. They were initially fascinated by techniques of plot and narration, "But after grade two, our interest waned," more than one fifth-generation film director has admitted.

In their early period, these defiant fifth-generation filmmakers, who regarded film as the vehicle for their aspirations and therefore as an integral part of their lives, were intentionally unconventional, just for the sake of being different. The narrative style in these films was the directors' own - different from the accepted norms, but existent nonetheless.

In Ni Zhen's opinion, although fifth-generation filmmakers have continued to produce new films and develop their distinctive style, as an artistic movement of a specific period under specific circumstances, the fifth-generation film era ended in 1991. Such films include "One and Eight" (director Zhang Junzhao, cameraman Zhang Yimou), "Yellow Earth" (director Chen Kaige, cameraman Zhang Yimou), "King of the Children" (director Chen Kaige, cameraman Gu Changwei), "Red Sorghum" (director Zhang Yimou, cameraman Gu Changwei), "Hunting Ground" (director Tian Zhuangzhuang), "Horse Thief" (director Tian Zhuangzhuang), "Evening Bell," (director Wu Ziniu) and "Singing while Walking" (directed by Chen Kaige). The film "Singing while Walking" was the last of this kind, and Zhang Yimou's "Judou" and "Raise the Red Lantern," marked the beginning of his cinematic combination of commerce and art. Zhang's new films differ greatly from those of the previous fifth-generation productions.

As fifth-generation films became well known abroad, the number of Chinese cinemagoers dropped dramatically. By the 1990s, audiences were dwindling by 1 billion each year, from a figure of 29.3 billion in 1984.

A scene from "Oranges Have Turned Red."

This phenomenon was partly due to social factors and partly to the film industry itself. Under the planned economy, a state monopoly in purchases and sales was practiced. The film market also suffered from the popularization of TV, and introduction of foreign films, which combined to distract the interest of Chinese film audiences. Now, however, since the advent of the market economy, there is hope for the Chinese film industry, as a film "market" has been created. Chinese filmmakers have realized exactly how discerning it is, and are now ruthless in the treatment of poor quality films, whether or not the director and performers are famous. The market economy means competition, but also fairness, and only films of a high standard can win the market and therefore the audience. With China's entry into the WTO and the promulgation of new film management regulations, the first issue Chinese filmmakers face is the market -- a question of life or death for the Chinese film industry. Meanwhile, with the introduction of quality films from abroad, Chinese filmmakers have gained new knowledge of the international film industry, regarding its creative level, artistic trends, high technology, the market ecology, and mode of operation, and thus have a wide and realistic frame of reference.

It seems that fifth-generation filmmakers have unconsciously changed to a new course. Following the maturation of their creativity, and internationalization of their vision, they have a clearer understanding of the essence and function of film, and continue to explore and innovate, in order to find ways of suiting the tastes of the populace. They now pay more attention to the portrayal of characters and their psychology, and have substituted the overemphasis on imagery in their early works for step-by-step and complete narration. Chen Kaige formerly gave little heed to the box office appeal of his films, but after the premiere of his film "Jing Ke Assassinates the King of Qin," he revised it of his own accord, one of his aims being to gear it to the market. From "Farewell My Concubine" to "Jing Ke Assassinates the King of Qin," the plots of his films became more interesting, but not at the expense of their philosophical content. Zhang Yimou also changed his style to suit audience preferences, and trends in the film market. "Grand Eunuch Li Lianying" (directed by Tian Zhuangzhuang) and "Red Rouge" (directed by female director Li Shaohong) also have far more interesting plots than their earlier works.

A scene from "Being with You."

Meanwhile, Jiang Wen, He Ping and Feng Xiaogang, although not 1982 graduates of the Beijing Film Institute, also belong to the fifth-generation filmmakers and make painstaking efforts to combine artistic appeal with ideological content in their films.

Since the mid-1990s, the market system and social development have been gradually perfected, and fifth-generation filmmakers now have a greater awareness of how the market operates. Zhang Yimou, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Li Shaohong and Chen Kaige have begun to explore personal projects, and enter into commercial operations. Han Gang, their contemporary in the Fine Arts department, prize winner for his films "Win a Prize in the Lottery" and "Old Man Ge," has continued to make inroads into television. His TV plays "Prime Minister Hunchback Liu" (a comedy), "Parents" (a play about family ethics) and "How Iron and Steel Are Tempered" achieved a record high in audience ratings, and he has won several other awards for artistic achievement. Seeking artistic merit that is rewarded by profits is now a mode of creativity and existence for fifth-generation filmmakers.

At present, Chen Kaige is making a film on a modern theme entitled "Being Together with You," in which his wife plays the leading role. There are many foreign filmmakers in the cast, and Chen will employ international cooperation through its distribution, as a means to determining the state of play on both the domestic and overseas film markets.

Chen Kaige says that art and commerce are not contradictory, the example he cites being the film "Yellow Earth," which is a representative fifth-generation work. It has great artistic appeal, and also commercial value, as it has earned high profits for the China Film Corporation in its overseas distribution. It has also enjoyed moderate success domestically.

According to Zhang Yimou, a film director should be responsible for artists, and also for the audience and investors. He is currently making the film "Heroes," in which he combines the mode of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the cast of "In the Mood for Love" (directed by Wong Kar-wai). This is his first mainstream film, featuring a dazzling array of film stars, a huge investment, and an internationalized operation. It is a commercialized action film, and also a new exploration of his personal style. Zhang is very confident: "I believe in the appeal of the stars and the effectiveness of a market operation."

When asked his view of the low ebb of China's film industry, Zhang Yimou expressed optimism. He said, "It is not only the fifth-generation filmmakers, but all Chinese directors that should adapt to the trends of the era, and nurture the audience's interest in Chinese-made films. Through the efforts of generation after generation of filmmakers, we may regain our lost audience. We should not judge our achievements within three to five years, or even thirty to fifty years. I firmly believe that it is impossible for the Chinese people not to like Chinese films, any more than they could dislike Chinese dishes."