THEATRICAL THEMES IN THE CINEMATOGRAPHY OF THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA (1980-2010)

Abstract

The article studies the evolution of theatrical themes and imagery in the cinema of the People's Republic of China since the beginning of the reforms in the 1980s. It is emphasized that the democratization of public life and the rejection of the reformist doctrine of the “cultural revolution” inspired the “fifth generation” filmmakers to use the symbolism of the traditional Chinese shadow theatre and musical drama. The directors of the “sixth generation” of Chinese cinema in the 1990s turned to the lives of representatives of the avant-garde theatre. The subject of the article is theatrical themes in the cinematography of the People's Republic of China (1980-2010).The research methodology is based on search, system-historical, analytical, and comparative methods, which made it possible to achieve a comprehensive artistic analysis of theatrical themes and imagery in the cinema of the People's Republic of China 1980-2010.Conclusions.Thus, in the early 2000s, in connection with the commercialization of performing arts in the PRC, the interpretation of theatre is changing: it appears as a spectacular form that extends to social life and captures it, creating a space for simulations and manipulations.Keywords: Chinese cinema of the 20th and 21st centuries, theatrical themes, directors of the fifth and sixth generations of Chinese cinema, commercial cinema in the PRC.