| Abstract | This dissertation traces the development of cinema in China between 1896 and 1937, with special attention to the active role Shanghai filmmakers played in constructing a discourse of the modern nation. Close study of long-neglected historical sources and detailed analysis of rare extant narrative films--such as the 1927 adaptation of the classic Romance of the Western Chamber and the late silent New Woman of 1935--reveal the process by which cinema became established as a new field of cultural production in early twentieth-century China. Political, economic, artistic, and social concerns, including classical dramatic forms, the evolving technology, and the representation of women, are all examined as prominent factors shaping the exhibition and production of silent and early sound film in China. Careful consideration is given to the local and global contexts for Shanghai cinema, from the first imports in 1896 through the imminent war with Japan and the dispersal of film production companies by 1937. Local filmmaking practices are discussed in relation to trends in Chinese literature and theater, and concurrent developments in the cinemas of Europe, the United States, and Japan. We find that as filmmakers sought to create a national cinema that was distinct from, yet competitive with, Hollywood imports, they vigorously experimented with diverse ways of making film speak to local audiences. Even as this variety of voices and visions was muted by 1920s and 1930s state and political party attempts to unify the nation through censorship and anti-imperialism, Shanghai cinema managed, nonetheless, to accomodate a powerful element of dissent in the form of 'silent speech.' |
