An Amorous History of the Silver Screen

by Zhang, Zhen

• ISBN13: 9780226982380
• ISBN10: 0226982386
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-02-01
• Publisher: Univ of Chicago Pr

Summary

Shanghai in the early twentieth century was alive with art and culture. With the proliferation of popular genres such as the martial arts film, the contest among various modernist filmmakers, and the advent of sound, Shanghai cinema was transforming urban life and national culture.

Author Biography

Zhang Zhen is assistant professor of cinema studies at New York University.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	vi
Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	xiii
PART ONE THE VERNACULAR SCENE
Chapter 1 Vernacular Modernism and Cinematic Embodiment	1	(41)
Chapter 2 Worldly Shanghai, Metropolitan Spectators	42	(47)
Chapter 3 Teahouse, Shadowplay, and Laborer's Love	89	(29)
Chapter 4 Building a Film World: Distraction versus Education	118	(33)
PART TWO COMPETING MODERNS
Chapter 5 Screenwriting, Trick Photography, and Melodramatic Retribution	151	(48)
Chapter 6 The Anarchic Body Language of the Martial Arts Film	199	(45)
Chapter 7 Fighting over the Modern Girl: Hard and Soft Films	244	(54)
Chapter 8 Song at Midnight: Acoustic Horror and the Grotesque Face of History	298	(47)
Envoi	345	(6)
Abbreviations	351	(2)
Notes	353	(60)
Glossary	413	(10)
Filmography	423	(16)
Bibliography	439	(26)
Index	465