Arts in the Chinese revolution: the intermedial relations between cinema and ballet in the "Red detachment of women"

The article aims to analyze the intermediary relationship between cinema and dance in the feature film The Red Detachment of Women (1961, Xie Jin) and in the filmed ballet of the same title (1971, Pan Wenzhan and Fu Jie). The films belong, respectively, to the so-called Period of 17 Years (1949-1966) and to the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), years that comprise the government of Mao Zedong. The analysis takes into account the peculiar development of Chinese cinema since its beginnings, and its aesthetic originality based on the different types of arts in the country. During the Maoist period, initially under Soviet influence, China’s film industry turned to socialist themes with the intention of internationalizing national arts that sought to make the revolution worldwide. Through the slogan gu wei jin yong yang wei zhong yong (古为今用 洋为中用), which means using the ancient for the present, and foreign things for China, the cultural guidelines of the Communist Party relied on the popular appeal of diverse Chinese and foreign arts to build the heroic narratives of a people forged under socialism. They were easily absorbed not only by the local population, but also by people from other countries. The films in question are examples of the aforementioned motto and combine western aesthetic resources, such as classical ballet, with eastern elements such as Chinese operatic theater, resulting in an original aesthetic for cinema.