Thursday, February 19, 1998
China, U.S. open dialogue about movies
FIML: Goal is to deepen understanding, develop relationship
between countries
By Louise Chu
Daily Bruin Contributor
There’s more to Chinese cinema than a wealth of Jackie Chan
movies and John Woo films.
Unfortunately, the majority of the American public is not privy
to such Chinese national treasures as "Ju Do," "The Lin Family
Shop" and "Red River Valley," which is what prompted the
Celebration of Chinese Cinema, a three-day film festival that began
Friday at UCLA and included a seminar on "Filmmaking in the U.S.
and China: Divergence and Convergence," on Saturday in the James
Bridges Theater.
The film festival was a unique opportunity to see the directions
Chinese film has taken in the past decade, a time when China’s film
industry grew significantly. Of the 10 films that were shown, many
are rare or are not available in the United States.
As an attempt to deepen mutual understanding and develop
relationships with their American counterparts for future
entertainment ventures, a 10-person delegation of Chinese film
industry leaders, including Zhao Shi (vice minister of film,
television and radio), Han San Ping (president of the Beijing Film
Studio) and internationally acclaimed director Zhang Yimou ("Raise
the Red Lantern" and "Ju Do") met with American film scholars and
professionals.
Some of those on hand for a panel discussion about the artistic,
economic, political and social aspects of film included Michael
Medavoy (chairman and chief executive officer of Phoenix Studios)
and Steve Stabler (co-president of the Motion Picture Corporation
of America).
"The central question is, of course, the debate between art and
politics and censorship," said UCLA Professor Joshua Muldavin,
co-chair of international development studies and the panel’s
moderator.
Muldavin began the discussion with a focus on the issue of film
censorship by governments, ratings systems, the audiences and
religious organizations.
Medavoy continued by giving a general background on the American
film industry "from which discussion is possible." He explained the
importance of American motion picture companies and the large role
that investors must play in the making of a film.
"To give you an idea of the value of one of these companies, the
last conglomerate that was sold was Paramount Pictures, which was
sold for about $11.5 billion," Medavoy said. "It takes a billion
plus dollars to operate one of these companies … Three
hundred-fifty to 400 films are released a year by the major
companies. This is, in some way, why art must co-exist with
commerce."
Then it was China’s turn. Speaking through an interpreter, as
did the other members of the Chinese delegation, Zhao offered some
background on the Chinese film industry.
"The Chinese film industry has a history of over 90 years. It is
developing tremendously, especially since the founding of the
People’s Republic of China in 1949, especially since the economic
reform, which started 20 years ago," Zhao explained.
She continued to discuss the significant growth and success of
Chinese film but admitted that there is still much to learn from
technologically sophisticated countries, such as the United
States.
"Although a brief achievement and progress has been made in the
film industry in the past decade, we are still facing some
problems. So Chinese film professionals try to produce films with
the highest level of artistic value with low cost," Zhao said. "As
far as the technical is concerned, we are trying to learn from the
advances of technology of the world. We are now adopting digital
audio-visual techniques, but we still have a long way to go to
catch up with (other) countries."
One of Zhao’s main concerns was the relative imbalance in the
cultural exchange between the United States and China. She pointed
out that while the Chinese seemed to embrace American films,
Chinese filmmakers were having a harder time penetrating the
American market. This sparked an extensive discussion and analysis
of how Chinese films are and could be received by the American
audience.
Stabler agreed with Zhao and offered a possible solution.
"This is the universal problem that a filmmaker faces, whether
it’s art vs. politics in China, or art vs. commerce in the United
States," Stabler said. "The issue is how American film can be seen
in China, and how Chinese films can be seen in the United States –
Just to make movies that would appeal to the commonality between
the two countries."
Medavoy added: "Things that are fresh, that are different, that
speak to a person’s everyday life in a manner that people are
accustomed to, that have an honesty and integrity to its subjects
are often the kind of films that Americans seem to like."
He cited "Good Will Hunting" as an example. He reasoned that the
film, written by two relatively unknown young actors (Matt Damon
and Ben Affleck), has achieved tremendous success because it "has a
kind of integrity and honesty that’s something of a slice of
life."
Robert Rosen, chair of the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and
Television, examined the appeal of certain Chinese films over
others and found an explanation in two paradoxes.
"The first is defined broader international acceptance … Very
often the mistake and impression is that because American films
sell so well, you should make movies that look like American films
– that’s a bad policy," Rosen said. "(There should be) a dialogue
with the aesthetics of other film artists but ultimately rooted in
your own tradition that makes something distinctive that can find
the niche market in an American setting that will attract
audiences."
Rosen stated that the second paradox was that many films that
had been successful had dealt with "universal" issues, and "hence
accessible to world audiences."
Zhang confirmed this assertion when explaining why he feels his
films have seen international success.
"I respect my own integrity," the Academy Awards nominated
director said. "I respect the Chinese people’s feelings – I just
try to play out their lives. I think one of the reasons my films
get a response internationally would be my concern about people.
It’s a basic kind of humanitarian concern."
And when the panel opened to questions from the audience, it was
Zhang who was the center of attention, prompting questions about
his background and personal taste in film. Apparently, his
cinematic message has come through clearly.