Title : | Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: the genesis of China's fifth generation | |
Author : | Ni, Zhen | |
Publisher : | Duke University Press, 2002 | |
Published in : | Asia-Pacific;(2002) | |
Abstract : | After graduating from the Beijing Film Academy in 1982, directors like Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou revolutionized Chinese cinema with Red Sorghum, Farewell My Concubine, Yellow Earth, Raise the Red Lantern, and other international successes. Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy tells the riveting story of this class of 1982, China's famous "Fifth Generation" of filmmakers. It is the first insider's account of this renowned cohort to appear in English. Covering these directors' formative experiences during China's tumultuous Cultural Revolution and later at the Beijing Film Academy, Ni Zhen--who was both their screenwriter and teacher--provides unique insights into the origins of the Fifth Generation's creativity. Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy illuminates the Fifth Generation in light of the social and political history of contemporary China. While it addresses the collective identity of the filmmakers, most of whom were born in the late 1940s or early 1950s, it also examines how they view themselves and relate to one another. Ni Zhen has supplemented his personal knowledge of these directors with new interviews conducted for this volume. Intervening in current debates, he argues against mistaken postcolonial criticisms which allege that these filmmakers marketed an exotic image of China to Western audiences. He also demonstrates the diversity of the Fifth Generation, commenting on the breadth of styles and themes explored by its members and introducing a range of male and female directors, cinematographers, and production designers famous in China but less well-known internationally. The book contains vivid descriptions of the production processes of two pioneering films--One and Eight and Yellow Earth. | |
Identifier : | ISBN: 0822329565 (alk. paper); 9780822329565 (alk. paper); 0822329700 (pbk. : alk. paper); 9780822329701 (pbk. : alk. paper); LCCN: 2002-5107 | |
URL : | http://site.ebrary.com/lib/dukelibraries/Doc?id=10198347Note: Electronic access restricted; authentication may be required: http://site.ebrary.com/lib/dukelibraries/Doc?id=10198347 | |
Notes : | ill. ; 25 cm. Admission -- Noses to the grindstone -- First steps -- Graduation -- Postscript. Original title in Chinese not available./ Includes bibliographical references (p. [213]-223) and index./ Also issued online. Other format available: Online version:; Ni, Zhen.; Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: the genesis of China's fifth generation.; Durham : Duke University Press, c2002 Ni Zhen ; translated by Chris Berry. Biography (bio); Internet resource (url); eBook (ebk) Book; Internet Resource Date of Entry: 20020409 | |
Subjects : | Motion pictures -- China.Motion picture producers and directors -- China -- Biography.Cinéma -- Chine.Producteurs et réalisateurs de cinéma -- Chine -- Biographies.FilmhochschuleAbsolventGeschichte 1982.Zhang, YimouChen, KaigeBeijing dian ying xue yuan -- History.Beijing dian ying xue yuan -- Histoire.Peking | |
Languag : | English | |
Linked guides : | Chinese Film Studies | |
Book Review : | Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy While not directly addressing these issues in the main text of the book, Ni convincingly demonstrates through the portraits of the filmmakers how the shared experiences of coming of age during the turbulent Cultural Revolution (1966-76) affected both their personal lives and the aesthetic, content, and market decisions they would eventually make in their films. What lies beneath this guise of an academic journey is Ni's harsh criticism of the political and class system that not only caused tremendous suffering to the entire nation during the Cultural Revolution but also created the sort of politics of admission (chapter one) and postgraduate job assignment (chapter four) at BFA that he so vividly, and poignantly, documents in the book. Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The Genesis of China's Fifth Generation Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The genesis of China's fifth generation Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The genesis of China's fifth generation by Zhen Ni and translated by Chris Berry is reviewed. Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The Genesis of China's Fifth Generation Havis reviews "Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The Genesis of China's Fifth Generation" by Ni Zhen and translated by Chris Berry. Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The Genesis of China's Fifth Generation Ni Zhen. Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The Genesis of China's Fifth Generation. Duke Univ. Jan. 2003. c.240p. tr. from Chinese by Chris Berry. photogs. index. ISBN 0-8223-2956-5. $54.95; pap. ISBN 0-8223-2970-0. $18.95. FILM Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The Genesis of China's Fifth Generation DeBoer reviews Memoirs from the Beijing Film Academy: The Genesis of China's Fifth Generation by Ni Zhen and translated by Chris Berry. | |
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