The Countryside as an Inhospitable Frontier in Australian and Chinese Films

Chunyan Zhang

doi:10.5539/ells.v10n3p39

Abstract

The Countryside as an inhospitable frontier, as a place where human beings live a harsh life, frequently appeared in both Australian film and Chinese leftist films in the period of nationalism, the 1920s and 1930s. In Australia, this construction manifests itself in the old idea of human beings in conflict with nature, working in an unfriendly environment to make the barest living. In China, it is a new construction, differing from the old motif of a &ldquo;pastoral&rdquo; countryside blessed by nature. In Australia, despite its challenges, the countryside was still regarded as a peaceful homeland for human beings to return to, but in Chinese leftist culture, the construction of a negative image of the countryside was so extreme that it was depicted as a totally wretched world.

Highlights

During the period of the 1920s and 1930s, in Australia, a number of films presented countryside as a negative force posing obstacles and trials to the white Australian bushmen
In Australia, this construction manifests itself in the old idea of human beings in conflict with nature, working in an unfriendly environment to make the barest living
It is a continuation of the late 19th century pioneer legend, in which the image of the brave bushman is an expression of a national sentiment, it reflects a new ideology of nationhood, baptized by the First World War

Summary

Introduction

During the period of the 1920s and 1930s, in Australia, a number of films presented countryside as a negative force posing obstacles and trials to the white Australian bushmen In these films, the pioneer conflict with the land was stressed—in a narrative that emphasized the harsh qualities of bush life in the face of fire, drought and other difficulties. In Chinese film there was a recurring motif of representing the suffering of the rural lower-class people in countryside In this motif, the economic bankruptcy of the countryside was worsened by the threat of natural phenomena. Australian film The Breaking of the Drought (1920) and Chinese film Wild Torrents (1933) will be used as representative examples to demonstrate this motif.

The Countryside as an Inhospitable Frontier in Australian Film

The Countryside as a Negative Image in Chinese Film

Differences in Similarities

Conclusion