Future Development Direction of Chinese Musical Film-By Comparing with the American Musical Film

Research Article
Open access

Future Development Direction of Chinese Musical Film-By Comparing with the American Musical Film

Xinnian Duan 1*
  • 1 College of Visual and Performing Arts, George Mason University, Fairfax Campus, VA, USA, 22032    
  • *corresponding author xduan2@gmu.edu
CHR Vol.3
ISSN (Print): 2753-7072
ISSN (Online): 2753-7064
ISBN (Print): 978-1-915371-29-4
ISBN (Online): 978-1-915371-30-0

Abstract

With the emergence of musical films in mainland China in recent years, the narrative logic, story, song and dance of musical films cannot attract audiences. This paper is to discuss the future development trend of Chinese musical film. This research compares the advantages and disadvantages of the Chinese musical film The Day We Lit Up The Sky and the American classic musical film Chicago via case studies and literature review. Aiming at the aesthetic analysis of these two musical films, this paper discusses the content, theme, song and dance, awards, box office, audience analysis and so on. The research results show that the development of Chinese film industry is later than the United States and Europe, so there is still a lot of room for progress. This paper only analyzes two musical films with different area styles. Chinese musical films should break out of the conventional plot and use a lot of star cameos to attract audiences. The use of truly high standards of music, high quality dance, high level of art and unique film content to produce Chinese song and dance film, but also need to integrate its unique Chinese characteristics, culture and thought. The development trend of Chinese musical films in the future is to walk out of a road belonging to Chinese characteristics and find a positioning and direction that belongs to China, so as to make them different from Hollywood musical films and Bollywood.

Keywords:

Musical films, aesthetic analysis, Broadway, Narrative, Audience

Duan,X. (2023). Future Development Direction of Chinese Musical Film-By Comparing with the American Musical Film. Communications in Humanities Research,3,9-14.
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References

[1]. FEUER, J. (1983). College Course Film: THE HOLLYWOOD MUSICAL. Journal of the University Film and Video Association, 35(4), 70–78.

[2]. Winter, M. H. (1941). The Function of Music in Sound Film. The Musical Quarterly, 27(2), 146–164. http://www.jstor.org/stable/739462.

[3]. Kenrick, J. (2004). History of Musical Film 1927-30: Hollywood Learns to Sing. Musicals 101. com. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from http://www.musicals101.com/1927-30film.htm.

[4]. Gans, A., & Simonson, R., 2003, "Chicago" wins Oscar for best picture. Playbill. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.playbill.com/article/chicago-wins-oscar-for-best-picture-com-112200.

[5]. Sulock, E. (2012, August). Chicago: A movie musical mockery of the media's razzle dazzle image of murder. Digital Commons @ Salve Regina. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://digitalcommons.salve.edu/pell_theses/83/

[6]. Sparshott, F. E. (1971). Basic Film Aesthetics. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 5(2), 11–34. https://doi.org/10.2307/3331672.

[7]. Gracyk, T. A. (1992). Adorno, Jazz, and the Aesthetics of Popular Music. The Musical Quarterly, 76(4), 526–542. http://www.jstor.org/stable/742475.

[8]. Nina Penner. (2017). Rethinking the Diegetic/Nondiegetic Distinction in the Film Musical. Music and the Moving Image, 10(3), 3–20. https://doi.org/10.5406/musimoviimag.10.3.0003.

[9]. Mitchell, E. (2002, December 27). 'Chicago,' bare legs and all, makes it to film. The New York Times. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/27/movies/film-review-chicago-bare-legs-and-all-makes-it-to-film.html

[10]. Zhang, C. 2021 Chinese film market gross box office: world's no. 1 theme film sparks red power, Xinhuanet.com, Retrieved May 27, 2022, from http://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20220110/2246cbd782124b1c986d890ac73b8e8f/c.html.

[11]. Liu, Y., 2021, "The Day We Lit Up The Sky" is a failure of musical film as well as youth film. Jiemian.com. Retrieved May 19, 2022, from https://www.jiemian.com/article/6387323.html.

[12]. Haquyingshi, 2021, (July 26). The Sky of Burning Wild Boys scored 4.5 points and earned 140 million yuan at the box office. Netease. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.163.com/dy/article/GFR8COE005179OJ2.html.

[13]. Li, Y., 2017, Do Chinese audiences naturally dislike musical films? Do Chinese audiences naturally dislike musical films? FX361.COM, Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.fx361.com/page/2017/0419/1621363.shtml

[14]. Menéndez-Otero. (2019). The Musical That Pretended It Wasn’t a Musical: Genre and Narrative Style in Once. Quarterly Review of Film and Video, 36(8), 666–689. https://doi.org/10.1080/10509208.2019.1593029.

[15]. QIYUE, 2021, (January 21). Does Jay Chou have box office appeal after all? Netease. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.163.com/dy/article/G0TGRKPO05118O92.html.

[16]. Bezdek, M. A., & Gerrig, R. J. (2008). Musical emotions in the context of narrative film. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31(5), 578. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X08005323.

[17]. Gorbman, C. (1980). Narrative Film Music. Yale French Studies, 60, 183–203. https://doi.org/10.2307/2930011.

[18]. Jiao, M., & Zhang, J. (2020). An alternative discourse of modernity in a Chinese monster film: The Great Wall. The Cultural Studies (London, England), 34 (4), 656-674. https://doi.org/10.1080/09502386.2019.1694050.

Cite this article

Duan,X. (2023). Future Development Direction of Chinese Musical Film-By Comparing with the American Musical Film. Communications in Humanities Research,3,9-14.

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About volume

Volume title: Proceedings of the International Conference on Interdisciplinary Humanities and Communication Studies (ICIHCS 2022), Part 1

ISBN：978-1-915371-29-4(Print) / 978-1-915371-30-0(Online)
Editor：Faraz Ali Bughio, David T. Mitchell
Conference website: https://www.icihcs.org/
Conference date: 18 December 2022
Series: Communications in Humanities Research
Volume number: Vol.3
ISSN：2753-7064(Print) / 2753-7072(Online)

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References

[1]. FEUER, J. (1983). College Course Film: THE HOLLYWOOD MUSICAL. Journal of the University Film and Video Association, 35(4), 70–78.

[2]. Winter, M. H. (1941). The Function of Music in Sound Film. The Musical Quarterly, 27(2), 146–164. http://www.jstor.org/stable/739462.

[3]. Kenrick, J. (2004). History of Musical Film 1927-30: Hollywood Learns to Sing. Musicals 101. com. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from http://www.musicals101.com/1927-30film.htm.

[4]. Gans, A., & Simonson, R., 2003, "Chicago" wins Oscar for best picture. Playbill. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.playbill.com/article/chicago-wins-oscar-for-best-picture-com-112200.

[5]. Sulock, E. (2012, August). Chicago: A movie musical mockery of the media's razzle dazzle image of murder. Digital Commons @ Salve Regina. Retrieved May 17, 2022, from https://digitalcommons.salve.edu/pell_theses/83/

[6]. Sparshott, F. E. (1971). Basic Film Aesthetics. Journal of Aesthetic Education, 5(2), 11–34. https://doi.org/10.2307/3331672.

[7]. Gracyk, T. A. (1992). Adorno, Jazz, and the Aesthetics of Popular Music. The Musical Quarterly, 76(4), 526–542. http://www.jstor.org/stable/742475.

[8]. Nina Penner. (2017). Rethinking the Diegetic/Nondiegetic Distinction in the Film Musical. Music and the Moving Image, 10(3), 3–20. https://doi.org/10.5406/musimoviimag.10.3.0003.

[9]. Mitchell, E. (2002, December 27). 'Chicago,' bare legs and all, makes it to film. The New York Times. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/27/movies/film-review-chicago-bare-legs-and-all-makes-it-to-film.html

[10]. Zhang, C. 2021 Chinese film market gross box office: world's no. 1 theme film sparks red power, Xinhuanet.com, Retrieved May 27, 2022, from http://www.xinhuanet.com/ent/20220110/2246cbd782124b1c986d890ac73b8e8f/c.html.

[11]. Liu, Y., 2021, "The Day We Lit Up The Sky" is a failure of musical film as well as youth film. Jiemian.com. Retrieved May 19, 2022, from https://www.jiemian.com/article/6387323.html.

[12]. Haquyingshi, 2021, (July 26). The Sky of Burning Wild Boys scored 4.5 points and earned 140 million yuan at the box office. Netease. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.163.com/dy/article/GFR8COE005179OJ2.html.

[13]. Li, Y., 2017, Do Chinese audiences naturally dislike musical films? Do Chinese audiences naturally dislike musical films? FX361.COM, Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.fx361.com/page/2017/0419/1621363.shtml

[14]. Menéndez-Otero. (2019). The Musical That Pretended It Wasn’t a Musical: Genre and Narrative Style in Once. Quarterly Review of Film and Video, 36(8), 666–689. https://doi.org/10.1080/10509208.2019.1593029.

[15]. QIYUE, 2021, (January 21). Does Jay Chou have box office appeal after all? Netease. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.163.com/dy/article/G0TGRKPO05118O92.html.

[16]. Bezdek, M. A., & Gerrig, R. J. (2008). Musical emotions in the context of narrative film. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 31(5), 578. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X08005323.

[17]. Gorbman, C. (1980). Narrative Film Music. Yale French Studies, 60, 183–203. https://doi.org/10.2307/2930011.

[18]. Jiao, M., & Zhang, J. (2020). An alternative discourse of modernity in a Chinese monster film: The Great Wall. The Cultural Studies (London, England), 34 (4), 656-674. https://doi.org/10.1080/09502386.2019.1694050.

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