Gender and the Family in Contemporary Chinese-Language Film Remakes
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Gender and the family in contemporary Chinese-language film remakes Sarah Woodland BBusMan., BA (Hons) A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2016 School of Languages and Cultures 1 Abstract This thesis argues that cinematic remakes in the Chinese cultural context are a far more complex phenomenon than adaptive translation between disparate cultures. While early work conducted on French cinema and recent work on Chinese-language remakes by scholars including Li, Chan and Wang focused primarily on issues of intercultural difference, this thesis looks not only at remaking across cultures, but also at intracultural remakes. In doing so, it moves beyond questions of cultural politics, taking full advantage of the unique opportunity provided by remakes to compare and contrast two versions of the same narrative, and investigates more broadly at the many reasons why changes between a source film and remake might occur. Using gender as a lens through which these changes can be observed, this thesis conducts a comparative analysis of two pairs of intercultural and two pairs of intracultural films, each chapter highlighting a different dimension of remakes, and illustrating how changes in gender representations can be reflective not just of differences in attitudes towards gender across cultures, but also of broader concerns relating to culture, genre, auteurism, politics and temporality. The thesis endeavours to investigate the complexities of remaking processes in a Chinese-language cinematic context, with a view to exploring the ways in which remakes might reflect different perspectives on Chinese society more broadly, through their ability to compel the viewer to reflect not only on the past, by virtue of the relationship with a source text, but also on the present, through the way in which the remake reshapes this text to address its audience. Chapter One of the thesis introduces recent theory on remakes, including relevant concepts and methodological approaches, before Chapters Two and Three address the intercultural remake. Chapter Two begins the core analysis of the thesis with the American original film What Women Want (2000) and its Chinese-language remake (2011). Using narrative and psychoanalytic analysis methodologies, the chapter finds that differences in attitudes towards masculinity, femininity, sexuality and the family are at the heart of changes that 2 occur between the original Hollywood film and its Chinese-language remake. In this way, the remake adapts its source material to reflect the dynamic nature of political and social discourse on the family in Chinese society. Chapter Three complicates the notion of cross-cultural remaking as a straightforward process of translation, establishing the importance of the mediating factors of genre and auteurism in the case of the Coen brothers Blood Simple (1984) and its remake A Woman, A Gun and A Noodle Shop (2009). While Zhang Yimou maintains the heavy reliance on the theme of failed masculinities seen in the original film, he also significantly shifts the generic bases of his remake to Chinese comedy and performance arts, orienting his film towards audiences with knowledge of these art forms and demonstrating the significance of genre in creating meaning for remake audiences. The next two chapters shift focus to the intracultural remake. Chapter Four considers another dimension of genre in its examination of the role of genre and gender as proxies for domestic cultural concerns, specifically, the relationship between Hong Kong and mainland China in the Hong Kong film A Chinese Ghost Story (1987) and its remake (2011). The original film, with its strong themes of political anxiety regarding Hong Kong’s handover to China and its casting of bisexual actor Leslie Cheung, presented a chaotic mixed-genre film featuring an array of sexually ambiguous characters. In contrast, the remake, which is a collaborative effort between Hong Kong and mainland Chinese production houses, abandons the gender ambiguity of the original film. These changes reflect a more hetero- normative view of gender, and this chapter explores whether this transformation is just another example of Chinese cinema’s transnational dynamics, or whether the remake might be reflective of the complexities of representing the Hong Kong identity in the mainstream Chinese cinematic and cultural landscape. The idea of the remake as a form of political allegory is explored further in the final chapter, with a discussion of how the mediating factor of temporality influences the similarities and differences between Fei Mu’s 1948 film Spring in a Small Town (1948), and its remake 3 Springtime in a Small Town (2002). The remake bears the marks of the past sixty years of literary and cinematic interventionalist national cultural policies in China. Combined with the political inclinations of its director Tian Zhuangzhuang, the remake uses the metaphor of the family home, gender stereotypes from Mao's social realist vision, as well as the semiotic connection to the original film's title, to comment upon China's political past, present and future. All four analysis chapters thus provide insights not just into the specifics of remaking processes, but into how remakes function within a Chinese-language cinema context. The thesis finds that the distance between original and remake is not simply cultural but also temporal—allowing implicit comparisons and contrasts to be drawn between past and present—and this is a factor that has been overlooked in remake studies to date. In addition, the changes that can be observed tell us something about contemporary Chinese culture today, irrespective of where or when the original film was made. 4 Declaration by author This thesis is composed of my original work, and contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference has been made in the text. I have clearly stated the contribution by others to jointly-authored works that I have included in my thesis. I have clearly stated the contribution of others to my thesis as a whole, including statistical assistance, survey design, data analysis, significant technical procedures, professional editorial advice, and any other original research work used or reported in my thesis. The content of my thesis is the result of work I have carried out since the commencement of my research higher degree candidature and does not include a substantial part of work that has been submitted to qualify for the award of any other degree or diploma in any university or other tertiary institution. I have clearly stated which parts of my thesis, if any, have been submitted to qualify for another award. I acknowledge that an electronic copy of my thesis must be lodged with the University Library and, subject to the policy and procedures of The University of Queensland, the thesis be made available for research and study in accordance with the Copyright Act 1968 unless a period of embargo has been approved by the Dean of the Graduate School. I acknowledge that copyright of all material contained in my thesis resides with the copyright holder(s) of that material. Where appropriate I have obtained copyright permission from the copyright holder to reproduce material in this thesis. 5 Publications during candidature No publications. Publications included in this thesis No publications included. Contributions by others to the thesis No contributions by others. Statement of parts of the thesis submitted to qualify for the award of another degree None. 6 Acknowledgements My biggest thanks go to my parents Ian and Vicki, and my younger brother Paul, who have supported, loved and encouraged me over the past four years. Thank you to my Principal Supervisor Dr Rosie Roberts, and my Associate Supervisor Dr Joe Hardwick, who have been so patient, supportive and helpful personally and academically. I have been so lucky to have such dedicated supervisors to help me on this journey. Thank you also to Dr Lara Vanderstaay, who gave her time, enthusiasm and expertise to mentor me throughout this PhD project. To my friends, thank you for all of your support. For four years, you patiently listened to my seemingly never-ending stories about my research, and let me bounce my ideas off you when I needed to get the clarity that comes from talking things through with other people. You kept me going when I was feeling defeated, and I could not have done this without you. Thank you to my colleagues and fellow PhD students at the School of Languages and Cultures for your encouragement and support. I am grateful for every day I have spent with such motivated and inspirational people, and your energy and enthusiasm for your work and research, and for mine, has made me feel valued and appreciated. 7 Keywords Chinese-language cinema, remake studies, Asian cultural studies, gender studies. Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classifications (ANZSRC) 190201 Cinema Studies 40% 200205 Culture, Gender, Sexuality 40% 200202 Asian Cultural Studies 20% Fields of Research (FoR) Classification 1902 Film, Television and Digital Media 40% 2002 Culture, Gender, Sexuality 40% 2002 Asian Cultural Studies 20% 8 Contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................................................... 2 Declaration by author ................................................................................................................................................