Sound-on-Film and China’s Modern Film Concept Transformation

At the close of the 1920s, sound-on-film had accelerated a mediamorphosis, broadening the sensory experience and bolstering cinematic technology, thereby giving rise to an audiovisual wonder. With era-specific peculiarities magnifying inherent issues, a high value began being placed on screens in the theater, while drama became one of the hot properties of the talkie era. The written word of modern film language was expanded to include vocal language, sparking a fervent debate revolving around the use of regional dialects versus standard Mandarin, the rights of the masses versus the elite, and the rise of ethnicism versus nationalism. Meanwhile, opposing values set off an intense ideological chess match, whose winner would be determined ironically by the very strength and persuasiveness of their discourse.

Keywords: Drama ; Modern Film Concept ; Sound ; Talking Pictures