Chinese Theater Collaborative

Opera Film


Opera film (xiqu pian 戲曲片) was a very important genre of Chinese filmmaking in the PRC, in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore in the 1950s into the 1970s. The first major color film in the PRC was an opera film (Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai 梁山伯與祝英臺, 1953). Hundreds of such films were made during those decades. In some regards, this genre paved the way for the eventual rise of the martial arts/Kung fu action film that found audiences around the world.

Opera films are principally designed as films rather than as live theater. In that regard, they are akin to Western-style musical drama films. Opera films are shot in a studio setting. They take advantage of film to remediate other art forms such as theater, painting, poetry, and more. They also make use of special effects. The accomplished singing is an integral part of the appeal of such productions. In some cases, actors and actresses developed a reputation in live performance before being featured in opera film (e.g., Chang Xingyu in Hua Mulan, 1956). In other cases, the genre of opera film itself became the vehicle for stardom (e.g., Ivy Ling Po in Hua Mulan, 1964).

Opera films were shown in theaters, but in the 1950s, they were also shown by the cultural teams that visited the countryside in the PRC. Their blend of traditional elements with modern messaging appealed to a broad swath of audiences in many parts of the Chinese-speaking world.
 

MODULES ON OPERA FILM

  1. Hua Mulan 花木蘭 (1956)
    • "Transforming Into a Man," a module on the 1956 PRC Yu opera film adaptation of the Mulan.
  2. Snow in June 六月雪 (1959)
    • "Constructing Shared Repertoires with Sign Language and Chinese Opera," a module on the Cantonese opera film adaptation of The Injustice to Dou E. 
  3. The Injustice to Dou E 窦娥冤 (1959)
    • "Creating A Socialist Revolutionary Subject," a module on the Pu opera film adaptation of The Injustice to Dou E. 
  4. The Crimson Palm 血手印 (1964)
    • "From Love Story to Film Noir," a module on a Hong Kong Huangmei opera film adaptation of The Dream of the Crimson Robe 緋衣夢.
  5. The Lady General Hua Mulan 花木蘭 (1964)
    • A module on the 1964 Hong Kong opera film.
  6. The Story of the Western Wing 西廂記 (1965)
    • "How to Assume a Male Martial Identity," a module on the 1964 Hong Kong huangmeidiao opera film of Mulan.
  7. Crimson 红娘 (1976)
    • "Crimson’s Vocal Imitation of Other Characters," a module on the 1976 PRC Beijing opera film.

 

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