“Woman,” a visionary, hardworking yet kind and sympathetic soul, is clearly illustrated in classical films based in the 1930s in the Chinese setting. The central theme portrayed then, “New Woman,” provided an insight into the roles of a woman and the struggles and shifts taking place during the 1930s era. Many films were produced then, but this work emphasizes two classical works: ‘Goddess’ and ‘New Women.’ In both films, creating a vivid image of the woman is central. ‘Goddess’ and ‘New Women’ illustrate women’s challenges in their day-to-day lives using different stylistic devices, background music, and camera techniques (Chinese Film Classics, 2021). Despite their similarity in focusing on the ‘new woman,’ Goddess and New Woman’s classical films differ in plot development and in ways used to illustrate the evolution of women within the era in Chinese society.
Both ‘Goddess’ and ‘New Women’ films are classical silent films that are best referred to as “Problem Films,” vividly illustrating Chinese women’s challenges in the new era. In the film Goddess, the protagonist suffers the life of a single mother, having to raise her son in urban life as a single parent (Dallas 18). The main actor is portrayed as a prostitute and caring mother: “On the nighttime streets, she is a cheap prostitute; when she holds her child in her arms, she is a divine and pure mother. In both, she shows great moral character…”. Her main struggle is when she meets a problematic, thuggish man who makes her life hard and dictates her deeds, troubling her and her son. As the film progresses, the character’s child, initially a small child, grows into a strong young man, thanks to this mother’s struggle. Similarly, the film ‘New Women’ is a sensational classic that focuses on questioning the status of women in China and the problems they face. As depicted in the film, women were traditionally required to be modest and confine their sphere of activity to their homes (Modern Chinese Cultural Studies, 2020). The modern popular press put women in the spotlight as women had different scopes of jobs. The three women in ‘New Women’ are Wei Ming, Aying and Miss Wang. Wei Ming is a divorced woman who moves to a different city to teach music. She meets Miss Wang, who then becomes her friend. After some days, Wei Ming’s sister brings her daughter, who is severely sick from pneumonia. Wei Ming is financially needy and opts for prostitution to secure the money to treat her child. She leaves prostitution and later faces assault and demoralization by Dr Wong, one of her clients (Chinese Film Classics, 2021). Wei Ming eventually commits suicide due to the high levels of discouragement and public humiliation.
From the stylistic point of view, “Goddess “and “New Women” symbolize silence. Silence in both films shows the nature of women in society: to have no say, to be quiet and listen. In “Goddess,” the protagonist has a troubled life because she has to be silenced by a thug-like man who essentially dominates over her (Modern Chinese Cultural Studies, 2020). Also, the protagonist is seen as a minority in society who has no say besides offering her body to men for prostitution. In the Film ‘New Women”, Wei Ming is portrayed as a modern woman who ventures into the world of music and even garners herself a teaching job. However, her teaching job is stripped off when she denies Doc the privilege of getting drunk and having an affair with him (Chinese Video Classics, 2021). Miss Wang also faces public humiliation and has no say in it because the propaganda spread of her being a worthless prostitute who has an illegitimate child was begun and spread by a man.
Cinematic techniques in both films are apt, creating a vivid ability to decipher facial expressions and structural appearances. The methods employed in both films, “Goddess” and “New Women,” enhance the central theme of modern women. Essentially, strategic camera angling is evident, portraying different scenes and directing the audience’s direction. For instance, after Wi Ming, in “New Women,” poisons herself and is taken to the hospital, the camera is concentrated on her face despite there being several people beside her bed. It lets the audience feel her pain as she cries, “I don’t want to die” (Chinese Film Classics, 2021). In the classical “Goddess,” the camera repeatedly focuses on the protagonist, Ruan Lingyu. An example is during the film’s commencement when Ruan Lingyu is soothing her son to sleep (Modern Chinese Cultural Studies, 2020). The camera highlights her face and helps the reader decipher her need for the baby to go to sleep. As soon as she eyes the clock on the stand, she notices the time for her to head out to her work.
In conclusion, the classical films “Goddess” and “New Women” stand not only as cinematic landmarks of the modern woman but also as symbolic representations of the complexities that women faced during the 1930s. The complexities are not tied down to that time frame as women worldwide still suffer from the problems depicted in the films (Modern Chinese Cultural Studies, 2020). Through a comparative analysis, these films illuminate the struggles of the protagonists, who are women in both cases, though under different circumstances. The trauma that these women protagonists face is not limited to their looks but to the cultural and societal requirements. Notably, these films are relevant in illustrating the evolving roles of women and tracking the history of the gender requirements and restrictions that limit the scope of women.
Works Cited
Chinese Film Classics. (2021). New Women. [Video]. Amazon. https://amzn.to/3
Modern Chinese Cultural Studies. (2020). Goddess with English Subtitles. [Video]. Amazon. Amazon. https://amzn.to/3
Dallas, Stella. “The Goddess.” Remaking Chinese Cinema: Through the Prism of Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Hollywood 1 (2013): 18.
write