日 出
陈钰
一.导演、演员介绍
1.导演
于本正,中国著名电影导演,中国“第四代导演”(中国电影界约定俗成的一种说法,目前将中国导演分为一到七代)之一,辽宁丹东人,1941年出生于上海。从小喜爱文学,在上海行知中学时对电影戏剧产生兴趣,1960年考入上海电影专科学校导演系,1963年毕业分配在海燕电影制片厂,后在上海电影制片厂工作,1975年任导演。1987年后历任上海电影制片厂副厂长、厂长。早年参与《年轻的一代》、《难忘的战斗》的拍摄,代表作品有《等到满山红叶时》、《日出》、《紫红色的皇冠》,其中1985年的《日出》是于本正事业的巅峰,1987年青少年题材电影《紫红色的皇冠》荣获当年第三届儿童少年电影童牛奖。
2.演员
方舒,1957年出生于天津,中国大陆女演员,代表作品有《日出》、《勿忘我》、《吕后传奇》等,在《日出》中饰演陈白露。7岁时在电影《烈火中永生》中饰演“小萝卜头”(在解放战争中牺牲的最小烈士宋振中)。1978年考入北京电影学院,期间参演《有一个青年》、《瞧这一家子》、《年轻的朋友》,1982年毕业后到北京电影制片厂任演员,1984年荣获《中国青年报》评选的最受青年喜爱的十大影星称号和北影优秀青年演员进步奖。1985年在《日出》中饰交际花陈白露一角,提名第6届中国电影金鸡奖最佳女演员,最终获第9届大众电影百花奖最佳女演员、亚洲及太平洋地区最受观众喜爱女演员奖、全国十大电视剧明星、上影厂小百花最佳女主角奖等荣誉。
王诗槐,1957年出生于安徽合肥。1981年毕业于上海戏剧学院表演系,中国内地男演员,任安徽省话剧团演员,在《日出》中饰演陈白露的朋友,富有理想深沉气息的知识分子方达生。1984年,任上海电影制片厂演员。他凭着自己扎实的基本功和熟练的演技,塑造了许多深入人心的角色,其他代表作品有《华罗庚》、《午夜两点》、《诈骗犯》等。
王馥荔,1949年出生于江苏省徐州市,中国内地女演员,在《日出》中饰演翠喜。12岁进入江苏省戏曲学校学花旦,十五六岁时改学花旦和青衣(花旦、青衣都是中国戏曲中“旦行”的角色,青衣通常是端庄娴静的女子,花旦指天真活泼的少女)。1975年,在《金光大道》中因为成功塑造了贤惠、善良的农村妇女形象而获得了“天下第一嫂”的称号。1984年,因出演《咱们的牛百岁》获第7届大众电影百花奖最佳女配角。1985年,王馥荔在《日出》中扮演的翠喜,于1986年获第9届大众电影百花奖最佳女配角奖和第6届中国电影金鸡奖最佳女配角奖。其他代表作品有《水上游击队》、《天云山传奇》等。
【参考文献】
百度百科.于本正[DB/OL].[2020-7-20].
百度百科.方舒[DB/OL].[2020-7-20].
百度百科.王诗槐[DB/OL].[2020-7-20].
百度百科.王馥荔[DB/OL].[2020-7-20].
二.电影梗概
20世纪30年代,中国大地处于半殖民半封建社会的复杂黑暗时期,各种社会的罪恶行径污浊横流,这些黑暗和霓虹歌舞、灯红酒绿的繁华表象一起包裹在城市的光怪陆离之中,不同的人各有各的不幸,底层人民更是生活在水深火热之中。
故事发生在抗战前的天津,交际花陈白露原本是书香门第的小姐,早年与一诗人成婚,在失去孩子并与诗人分道扬镳后,陈白露怀揣着前夫的诗集《日出》,从乡下来到了城市里,从此走进了她的交际花人生。凭借着美丽动人的容貌和惊艳的歌舞,陈白露获得了上流社会的追捧,住在豪华的大旅馆里,以银行家潘月亭的供养为生。
陈白露过着夜夜笙歌、纸醉金迷的生活,在她的周围是一群“富足有余”的人:投机狠毒、工于心计的银行家潘月亭,手段残忍冷酷、操纵金融的恶势力金八,俗不可耐的富孀顾八奶奶,挥金如土、油腻丑恶的面首胡四,满嘴洋文实则衣冠禽兽的“洋博士”张乔治等等。陈白露与他们每天周旋玩乐,过着看似堕落放荡的生活,但是没有人知道,在她的心中,仍然保留了一份原先的纯真、理想、美好,她厌恶并深切鄙视周围这些“人不人鬼不鬼”的群体,“哪有人啊?”在生日宴醉酒后,于痛苦中她发出这样急切的追问。
不相信陈白露如传闻般堕落,过去的好友方达生——一位带着书生气的正直青年,千里迢迢赶来劝陈白露回去并和他成婚。陈白露见到了故友,唤醒了内心对生活的憧憬,但已习惯奢侈生活,并对目前的交际花地位有少许自得的她,既无法向前一步,脱离这用金钱堆砌的浮华生活,又无法后退一步,磨去自己所有的理想品质,心安理得地完全成为“他们”中的一员,于是她在沉沦中痛苦着,在痛苦中自我嘲讽和厌弃着。
陈白露勇敢、善良并具有正义感,她果决救下一个偶然闯入她房间的女孩“小东西”,为了避免她落入金八的魔爪,陈白露和方达生一起保护着她。但是“小东西”最终被奸人告发并掳走,最终不堪忍受自己落入妓院的命运而自尽。“小东西”所在的妓院“宝和下处”正体现了这“歌舞升平”的社会的另一面,许多被侮辱和损害的女性在这里讨生活,翠喜就是其中一个,为了养家糊口,翠喜在妓院一边照顾孩子一边挣着微薄的钱,还要忍受被丈夫嫌弃责骂的境况。
陈白露在找到了“小东西”的尸首后,越发对这个黑暗腐朽的上流社会感到失望和厌弃,她像逐渐枯萎的玫瑰花一样日益消沉。她对生活的绝望随着供养她的银行家潘月亭破产而达到了顶点。面临着要被迫依附为其付清账单的金八的命运,陈白露看不见人生的出路,最终选择了服药自尽。在日出之前,她年轻的生命凋零了。与此同时,方达生决定留在大城市为贫苦人民做些实事,在清晨中向日出迈进。
三.相关获奖、报刊评价情况,颁奖词和权威的获奖评价
1.相关获奖
(续表)
2.相关评价
该片改编得比较好,金八还账那场戏是绝妙的,结尾“收尸”那场戏也是绝妙的,原作的结尾是某种程度的净化,而影片的结尾陈白露的尸体放在匣子里,更令人感到惨痛,这样的结尾值得赞美。
【参考文献】
田小惠,夏虹,顾晓阳.银幕向舞台的挑战——《日出》《雷雨》《原野》影片座谈会(一)[J].电影艺术,1986(06):3-15.
与原作相比,电影《日出》的悲剧气氛更加浓厚,思想内涵也更深刻,改编者充分利用、发挥了电影艺术时空转换自由和表现生活广阔、丰富的特点。陈白露的形象在片中得到了充实和丰富,有了更多的侧面,成为编者艺术透视的焦点。
【参考文献】
周安华.《日出》改编琐议[J].电影新作,1986(02):93.
曹禺说《日出》电影是成功的,上海电影制片一厂的领导肯下功夫和资金,其认真态度是值得提倡的,他一再赞美该厂《日出》摄制组奋发图强的合作精神,演员们都称职,尤其是王馥荔演的翠喜,方舒演的陈白露,王诗槐演的方达生,刘维明演的胡四,袁国英演的顾八奶奶,刻画他们从未见过的人物,异常用心,翠喜尤其出色。
【参考文献】
王嫣,一木.访曹禺谈《日出》[J].瞭望周刊,1986(06):38-40.
四.评论文献综述
电影《日出》是由曹禺的同名戏剧改编而来,无论是商界还是学术界一般都认为这是一次成功的改编,在原著中陈白露只是散点透视的人物之一,但是在电影里,陈白露成为全剧的中心人物,围绕着陈白露性格发展的需要来对原著进行取舍,并且决定着其他人物的发展,这是原著和电影明显不同的一点,同时反过来,又是她周围人物的命运促成了她的悲剧结局。如此一来,陈白露成为融性格悲剧和社会悲剧于一身的人物。她的死,是两者的结合(曹禺评)(转引自王嫣、一木,1986)。
陈白露的性格悲剧在于她的模糊和迟疑,在于她的本性与拜金主义之间的矛盾,以及她对这种矛盾抉择的软弱。“太阳升起来了,黑暗留在后面,但是太阳不是我们的,我们要睡了”(电影台词),这是陈白露喜爱的诗句,她怀揣着对日出不灭的渴望,挣扎在光怪陆离的城市之中,其实本质上也是一个被侮辱、被损害的复杂女性形象。作为交际花,陈白露处在日出和黑暗交界之处,她和唯利是图的商人资本家们在灯红酒绿的环境中生活,却又不同于他们,虽厌倦上流社会尔虞我诈、阿谀奉承的日子,却又无法自拔。对于方达生,她觉得可笑和荒诞,却也向往自由生活,流露出了性格中纯真的一面(邓雨晨,2017)。本名陈竹均的她,曾是一位纯真的大家闺秀,“白露”——正如她为自己改的名字一样,她正如清晨的露珠一般纯洁可爱,即使成为天津上流社会的交际花也不改自己内心深处的本真,这一颗无瑕的“露珠”是清透的,但也是脆弱的。对于自己的交际花地位,陈白露也许心中隐隐有着自得之意,没有认清自己生活的本质真相。在李石清和潘月亭闹翻之后,李石清再也不用敷衍陈白露,于是公开表露了对她的鄙视:“你这个娼妓!”这使得陈白露认清了自己攀附寄生的真实地位,捅破了这层窗户纸后便无法再自欺欺人。第二重打击紧跟其后,金八给失去了供养的陈白露付账,更是赤裸裸地展示了交际花也只是个玩物的真相。这两重打击是电影有别于原著的特殊改动(曹禺评)(转引自王嫣、一木,1986)。看上去光鲜亮丽的交际花与可怜的贫家女孩“小东西”没有本质上的区别,原先没有意识到这一点的陈白露在思想上是幼稚的,这两处改动将她的性格悲剧展现得淋漓尽致。结尾水到渠成,这个还“这么年轻,这么美”(电影台词)的可怜的女性只得走上了自尽的道路(吴贻弓,1984)。在片尾,陈白露正如枯萎的玫瑰花一般日益消沉,又如镜头里凋零的玫瑰花瓣上滚落的露珠一样,预示着即将到来的命运——日出来了,露水散了。
电影的主旨更加鲜明的是里面蕴含的社会悲剧,真实展示了那个时代人吃人的社会悲剧。电影的编剧之一,同时也是原著作者曹禺,在接受采访的时候如是说:“《日出》真实地反映了旧中国大都市黑暗的一角。它通过豪华的高级旅馆、那些烟魅烟陋的人物、阴暗凄惨的三等妓院与翠喜、“小东西”一类受苦人这些社会窗口,揭露了30年代半封建半殖民地旧中国都市上层阶级的荒淫无耻,描绘了社会下层被侮辱与被损害者的悲惨境遇与苦难”(王嫣、一木,1986)。“有余者”和“不足者”所形成的强烈对比是影片拍摄的主题所在,在《日出》中复杂的人物关系和阶层关系表现为“大鱼吃小鱼,小鱼吃虾米”的法则,所有人都在压榨和嘲笑比自己弱小的人。不仅是李石清、黄省三,好似所有人都处于悲剧之中,挣扎在死亡线之上(邓雨晨,2017)。人性就这样在不可理喻的社会中被扭曲了,这样的社会悲剧导致了千千万万个“小东西”的死亡,千千万万个“陈白露”的命运。
《日出》在曹禺所有的戏剧中是改编效果最好的,得到了众多学者和业界人士的称赞。1985年的电影改编吸收了曹禺另一部经典剧作《雷雨》的改编教训,把影片的重心由“戏”转向了“人”、转向了“生活”,充分发挥了电影艺术时空转换自由的特点,对原作的情节结构进行了调整充实。电影改编实现了曹禺的夙愿,将戏剧演出中一直被删掉的反映下层人民悲惨命运的第三幕搬上了银幕,使影片展现的社会生活更加广阔丰富,表现人物形象、刻画人物性格也更加丰满鲜活(朱杰,2003)。在具体的情节改编上,由陈白露讲述给方达生听的过去经历,在电影中以影像的形式呈现在开头,在神秘悲伤的氛围中陈白露埋葬了她的儿子,和前夫分手后便走进城市,走进了她的交际花人生。这一改编把墓地的空间影像展示在观众面前,在叙事的同时隐含了悲剧象征——即对陈白露过去的埋葬,对这个纯真美好的少女曾有的青春、理想、梦幻、爱情的埋葬(邹贤尧,2009)。在影片中,原来舞台上难以表现出来的效果,在电影艺术中可以得到充分的发挥,比如方达生见到陈白露,两人从舞厅出来漫步在街上的片段,那种静谧舒缓的气氛,与舞厅的喧嚣形成一张一弛、一明一暗的对比,都给人极舒服的感觉(吴贻弓,1984)。对于影片的结尾,原作者兼编剧之一曹禺并不满意,他坚持认为用打夯工人们唱着雄壮的歌举着夯石的画面是效果更好的,导演删去这一“光明的尾巴”令他遗憾(王嫣、一木,1986)。
即使影片的年代离我们很遥远,但是《日出》里讲述的金钱与人性的冲突却是个永恒的主题。在电影中,所有人的关系无不维系在金钱上,潘月亭通过金钱供养陈白露,顾八奶奶用金钱包养胡四,胡四又用这笔钱去妓馆嫖娼。陈白露虽留纯真本性,但在方达生向她提出结婚的提议后,却嗤笑并反问方达生是否有钱养自己,她习惯了被金钱堆砌的生活,在金钱的诱惑下逐步迷失。李石清为了获取更好的地位和生活,让太太穿着体面的旗袍,用着家里不富余的资金去和有钱人打牌,“我每天在弯腰、鞠躬,对着那些人不人鬼不鬼的下贱东西,一个个地奉承,一个个地拉拢,一个个地巴结”(电影台词)。在劝走投无路的黄省三去偷窃时,他狠狠地说道:“有钱的人可以从人家手里大把地抢,你为什么就不能偷?!”(电影台词)为了出人头地,为了获得大把的金钱,李石清抛弃了良心和道德,“我要破釜沉舟地跟他们拼了,我要狠狠地出口气,我要硬得成一块石头,绝不讲一点人情,绝不可怜人,绝不!”(电影台词)有着野心的他虽然借着潘月亭的把柄获得了渴望的地位,但最后还是被潘月亭所玩弄、解雇。黄省三失去工作后难以为继,几次三番向李石清下跪求情,却没得半分同情,最终落得妻子离去,而自己亲手杀死了自己的孩子的悲惨结局,无论是李石清还是黄省三,都不过是被侮辱被损害的小人物,那些所谓的上流社会用金钱践踏了他们的尊严。而即便是像潘月亭这样拥有一定财产和地位的银行家,工于心计,最后也“叫一个更大的流氓耍了”(电影中李石清语),面临着破产失势的命运,他所奉为真理的观念——“人不能没有钱,没有钱就不要活着。穷了,就是犯罪,不如死”(电影台词)——最后也反过来吞噬了他。从这个意义上来看,对金钱的迷失也是每个人悲剧命运的根源之一。
在今天的现代社会,人们由于金钱和资产形成的鸿沟,仍无形地割裂着我们的社群,造成了很多不平等的“社会之怪现象”,向往金钱和地位的拜金主义思潮也仍在人群中传播,并深深地影响着当下的年轻人,这些都足以引起我们的重视和反思。从这个意义上看,《日出》是有着超越时代的经典性的。
【参考文献】
吴贻弓.关于改编的探索——从电影《日出》的改编谈起[J].电影新作,1984(05):88-91.
王嫣,一木.访曹禺谈《日出》[J].瞭望周刊,1986(06):38-40.
朱杰.“戏”的困境与“人”的魅力——论新时期曹禺剧作《雷雨》、《日出》的影视转换[J].湖北社会科学,2003(10):15-17.
邹贤尧.曹禺剧作的影像叙事——论《雷雨》、《日出》、《原野》等电影改编兼论经典的再生产[J].海南师范大学学报(社会科学版),2009,22(01):114-117.
邓雨晨.损不足以奉有余——《日出》影评[J].名作欣赏,2017(11):175-176.
五.跨文化知识点
1.馄饨
电影中陈白露和方达生在晚上来到一家破旧的馄饨店觅食,因和里面的老百姓格格不入而引起窃窃私语。比起电影中上流社会西式的饮食,馄饨,是受到广大中国人喜爱的一道民间传统面食,用薄面皮包肉馅儿,下锅后煮熟,食用时一般带汤。
古代中国人认为这是一种密封的包子,没有七窍,所以称为“浑沌”,依据中国造字的规则,后来才称为“馄饨”。在这时候,馄饨与水饺并无区别。至唐朝起,正式区分了馄饨与水饺的称呼。许多地方冬至有吃馄饨的风俗,据说是从南宋开始,中国才开始盛行冬至食馄饨祭祖的风俗。
这道美食在中国有不同的称呼,中国北方等地通常称为馄饨,重庆称为抄手,广东称作云吞,还有清汤、扁食、包袱等叫法。
【参考文献】
百度百科.馄饨[DB/OL].[2020-7-30].
2.当铺
电影中李石清为了让太太去和上流社会打牌,去到一家店抵押自己的衣物换取钱财,这种店铺在古代中国称为“当铺”。
当铺亦称“典当”“当店”“押店”,是一种以收取动产作抵押进行放款的高利贷机构。当铺起源于南朝时寺庙经营的当铺,宋代称“长生库”,明朝正式称“当铺”,到清朝当铺已经非常普遍,乾隆皇帝当政期间北京已有当铺600—700家。经营典当的人,称典商或当商。
来当东西的人大多是贫苦百姓。通常当东西的钱一般不超过原价的一半,赎东西时须付利息,期满不赎,由当铺变卖。新中国成立后取消了当铺,人民生活水平也已经大大提升,当铺作为旧时代的一个缩影已经基本在人们的生活中消失了。
【参考文献】
百度百科.当铺[DB/OL].[2020-7-30].
3.妓院
影片中翠喜所在的“宝和下处”是一家妓院,“小东西”也正是被绑架来此,最后不堪忍受自己的命运而自尽。在中国古代,妓院又称怡红院、青楼、娼馆、窑子等,是指娼妓提供性交易服务的场所。
妓院有不同的等级,如北京清末民初著名的八大胡同里就曾分布着许多一等和二等妓院。一等妓院多以饮茶、谈棋说戏为主,出入的嫖客也多为有权势的人,当然也有文人墨客。一、二等妓院的名字以“院”、“馆”、“阁”为主,三、四等妓院多以“室”、“班”、“楼”、“店”、“下处”命名。
古代的妓女也分很多种,有的不一定提供性服务,有些是卖艺不卖身的艺伎。由于古代的妓院也是表演场地,因此原来是表演场地的勾栏和教坊也变成妓院的别称。因为有些古代的妓女具有很高的艺术和文学水平,妓院也成为文人雅士社交和欣赏表演、吟咏诗词的场所,有些妓女也成为客人的心灵伴侣,如南京秦淮河畔著名的“秦淮八艳”,就是明末清初南京秦淮河畔的八位才艺名伎:柳如是、顾横波、马湘兰、陈圆圆、寇白门、卞玉京、李香君、董小宛。
新中国成立后,妇女地位大大提高,多个城市先后采取措施封闭妓院,并成立教养院或工厂,收容妓女并帮助妓女转行就业,过去这个妇女忍辱卖笑为生的行当终于成为了历史的尘埃。
【参考文献】
百度百科.秦淮八艳[DB/OL].[2020-7-30]
知乎.北京八大胡同的妓院[EB/OL].(2018-10-25)[2020-7-30].https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/47628214?ivk_sa=102432ou.
百度知道.中国古代妓院的由来?[EB/OL].(2019-4-26)[2020-7-30].https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/1753685352743764348.html.
凤凰网.北京通过决议封闭妓院 全国各地响应(图)[EB/OL].(2019-11-21)[2020-7-30].https://news.ifeng.com/history/today/200911/1121_7187_1445487.shtml.
六.讨论题
1.你最喜欢电影中哪个故事情节或者片段?
2.你如何看待李石清这个人物,请结合电影情节,分析李石清的人物形象。
3.“日出”这个意象作为这部电影的名称有着丰厚的意蕴,你觉得呢?
4.有人认为陈白露除了死亡其实还有其他出路可以选择,你认为呢?你怎么看她对金钱的追求?如果你是陈白露,你会如何选择?
5.在你的国家有讲述金钱和人性冲突的电影吗?
Ri chu: Who is the Sunrise for?
Ma Jia
Ri chu (Rìchū日出,the premiere of the play in 1937,
the release of first version of adapted film in 1938)
Originally,Ri chu (Sunrise) was a play written by Cao Yu in 1936. The story is set in the 1930s in Shanghai—the most bustling and crazy cosmopolitan city of China during that time. This is Cao Yu's second play after his stirring maiden work Lei yu (Thunderstorm) had appeared on stage two years ago. The plot revolves around Chen Bailu,a high⁃class courtesan. Bailu soon feels bored and is full of self⁃hatred for struggling to please wealthy men in order to keep herself in luxury. Finally,Bailu commits suicide when faced with the bankruptcy of her benefactor,Pan Yueting;with the tragedy of the teenage girl Xiao Dongxi whom she had tried to protect;and with her abandonment by her former lover Fang Dasheng. Corrupted and sinful Shanghai is “the heaven built in hell”(Leo 1999, 226). Chen Bailu chooses to leave the world before sunrise because she believes the new day belongs to the emerging,industrious working class. Therefore,this realistic drama “portrays a kaleidoscope of characters around Chen Bailu” and “provides the reader and audience with panoramic insight into the different strata of life in modern China” (to Liu and Wetmore 2014). After its premiere in Shanghai (February 2,1937),and attracting larger⁃than⁃expected audiences,it was adapted into a film with the same title in 1938 by the Xinhua Film Studio. This first version of the black⁃and⁃white film Sunrise was directed by Yue Feng and the emerging star Yuan Meiyun,who acted the leading role. 80 years later,a Chinese audience had the chance to watch the film and praised the film's screenplay,written by playwright Shen Xiling,and the cinematography for its astonishing lucidity and accuracy of style. In addition,the author said that the performance of the leading actress was worth recommending despite her somewhat exaggerated acting style (douban.com,February 4,2015). Unfortunately,few ordinary Western audiences watched this early version of the film except for some scholars and researchers in the field of Chinese literature and film culture. It was not until 1985 that the Shanghai Film Studio produced a second version of Sunrise,directed by Yu Benzheng and with a screenplay by Wan Fang. Wan Fang is the daughter of Cao Yu,whose real name is Wan Jiabao.
C. T.Hsia treated Cao Yu as the number one playwright during the 1930s' in China. Cao's creative talent made it possible for the modern theatre to compete with traditional opera and the movies. It is interesting to notice that in Hsia's description,the modern theatre or modern play—huaju and movies were fighting each other although they both came from the West. Hsia,however,criticised Cao Yu's “lack of a personal tragic vision”,because Cao only borrowed liberalism liberally from his favorite Western playwrights,Ibsen and O'Neil,but didn't have enough time to fully digest them. Meanwhile,Cao Yu followed the prevalent attitudes of his time by mercilessly attacking China's corrupt and decadent capitalism,while showing huge sympathy for the working class. This ideological commitment somehow weakened his reputation as “a serious artist in his own conceit” (Hsia 1961,318).
In 1999,Leo Ou⁃Fan Lee published one of his most influential books,Shanghai Modern. In the book,Lee uses two short stories,“Five Characters in a Nightclub” and “Shanghai fox⁃trot” (written by Mu Shiying),as examples of their artistic characteristics of being “visual” and “permeated with film culture.” He then points out that the combined expressions of such a unique artistic effect of “fictional cinema scape” and conception of “Shanghai,a heaven built in hell” in the stories of Mu Shiying,belong to Neo⁃Sensationalism and appear in Cao Yu's Sunrise. For instance,in the finale of the play the audience hears the “heroic chorus” of workers at a construction site,and Chen Bailu intoning: “The sun is risen,and the darkness is left behind. But the sun is not for us,for we shall be asleep” (Leo 1999,226-227),which show the effect of sound and moving image.
He Chengzhou's article,“Hedda and Bailu: Portraits of Two ‘Bored’ Women”,is a comparative study between Ibsen's Hedda Gabler (1890) and Cao Yu's Sunrise. As we know,Ibsen and O'Neil are the two most influential Western playwrights for Cao Yu; therefore,it is always a main talking point to make a comparative study between Ibsen and Cao Yu,or O'Neil and Cao Yu. In my commentary about Thunderstorm,I analyzed Joseph S. M.Lau's article,“Two Emancipated Phaedras: Chou Fan⁃yi and Abbie Putnam as Social Rebels”,which is a comprehensive comparative study of the two characters,Fanyi in Thunderstorm,and Abbie Putnam in Desire Under the Elms. Although we may sense that the influence from Greek tragedy and O'Neil's plays dominated Cao Yu's maiden work Thunderstorm,actually Ibsen might still be Cao Yu's favorite Western playwright.Cao wrote his dissertation “On Ibsen” in 1933 at Qinghua University.Later on in 1940 and 1941,he wrote his two classic works,Peking Man and The Family,both of which were regarded as representative of Ibsen's realism. Here we can see He Chengzhou employing the same methodology to analyze the similarities and differences between the typical characters Hedda Gabler and Chen Bailu. First and foremost,He in his article,points out “the motives behind the suicides are remarkably similar” (He 2001,447),and then he pushes forward his statement with the most important evidence,“’Boring myself to death’ as Hedda describes her life,is exactly the situation Bailu finds herself in Cao Yu's Sunrise” (He,2001,449). After a lengthy and careful examination in detail of how the two heroineshave to do something differently,but eventually all their actions lead to death,He then concludes: ”No matter how consciously or unconsciously Cao Yu has used Hedda as his model,Bailu is nevertheless an independent and successful dramatic creation” (He 2001,462).
Unlike The Girl from Hunan (Xiangnu Xiaoxiao) which was in North American theatres in 1988,neither the first nor the second version of Sunrise was released in North America,so it is not easy to trace the film reviews. Among a few online reviews of Sunrise,a critic, Prof. Lostiswitz,wrote very positively on IMDb in 2004⁃20 years after the second version of Sunrise had been shot. Obviously,instead watching the film in a theatre,the author had watched it at home: “I can't believe I'm the first one to review this gorgeous movie! The colours, the camera work,the composition,all are absolutely exquisite,even in my cheap vhs copy.” Besides praising the artistic features of the film,the author also described the story of Sunrise in detail. But it seems the author doesn't have a deep knowledge of Chinese literature,history and society⁃not only was Cao Yu treated as a novelist,but he also found some parts of the plot difficult to follow. Fortunately,the author did understand the theme from the contrast and conflicts between the rich and the poor depicted in the film.
We mentioned above that the two versions of Sunrise lacked an audience in North America,but somehow it is still remembered worldwide. There was a grand century celebration for Cao Yu's artistic achievements (2010) in China. Besides mainland China,the event attracted people from Macao,Japan,Europe and even North America,only because the themes of “the quest for justice and fairness” (in Thunderstorm),“the need for sunlight” (in Sunrise),and “social change”(in Peking Man and The Family) are still meaningful today.
Discussion Questions
1.Both films Thunderstorm (1984) and Sunrise (1985) are adapted from Cao Yu's plays. From the aspect of artistic characteristics,which one is better presented?
2.How do you understand the tragedy of Chen Bailu?
3.What we can see if we take Chen Bailu to compare with Xiao Dongxi?
4.Do you agree with the opinion that strong ideological commitment has weakened Sunrise's artistic appeal?
5.Fang Shu,the actress who played Chen Bailu in the film Sunrise,won the Gold Rooster Award for best actress in 1985. How would you comment on her performance?
References
1.Xinhua Film Studio. 1938. The film Ri chu (Sunrise),directly by Yue Feng and Yuan Meiyun acted as the leading role. https://www.virtualshanghai.net/films/collection?ID=179
2. Hsia,C. T. 1961 & 1971.A History of Modern Chinese Fiction. Bloomington and Indianapolis: Indiana University Press.
3.Lee,Leo Ou⁃Fan. 1999. Shanghai Modern: The Flowering of a New Urban Culture in China. Cambridge,Massachusetts: Harvard University Press.
4.He,Chengzhou. 2001. “Hedda and Bailu: Portraits of Two' Bored‘ Women” in Comparative Drama (Vol. 35,No. 3/4; Fall/Winter 2001-02; pp. 447-463). https://www⁃jstor⁃org.ezproxy.library.yorku.ca/stable/41154154
5.Prof. Lostiswitz. 2004. Review of Sunrise (1983).
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089916/
6.Liu, Siyuan and Wetmore, Kevin J., Jr. (eds). 2014. The Methuen Drama Anthology of Modern Asian Plays. London: Bloomsbury Publishing.
7.Li Ruru & Jiang,David. 2018. “Cao Yu and His Drama” in A New Literary History of Modern China (Cambridge,MA and London,England: Harvard University Press).