How Do Fantasy Films Use Defamiliarization to Comment on Contemporary Society And Politics? Discuss the Themes of Two Fantasy Films
Fantasy films play numerous roles in contemporary society. Hollywood fantasy films are produced mainly for money, entertainment, and influence purposes while Chinese fantasy films are mainly produced for ethical purposes making Chinese cinema explicitly nationalistic. However, all fantasy films increase human interconnections, showcase technological innovations, and improve life in general. Fantasy films are considered escapists since they temporarily transport the audiences to imaginary worlds with fictional characters performing extraordinary things. It is imperative to note that fantasy films provide solutions to real-world problems since they are created out of imagination. More importantly, the storylines in fantasy films are based on heroism, morality, and gender equality hence why they are considered a cornerstone in providing solutions to problems in society. The films ‘Alice in Wonderland’ use themes like courage, identity while ‘The Sorcerer and the White Snake’ incorporates honor and struggle of good & evil themes. In essence, fantasy films use defamiliarization to comment on contemporary society through their themes leading to people having fresh and new perspectives about issues they face.
How Fantasy Films Address Real-World Issues
Fantasy films offer an exhaustive study of human behavior since audiences learn about themselves through the characters, the storyteller, and the environment. The end goal is for people to easily identify their problems and develop viable solutions. Some of the issues facing the world today include terror attacks, hunger, famine, and climate change. As noted earlier, one of the reasons why fantasy films are considered interesting is transporting people to another imaginary world but filled with similar problems in the real world. Also, the fictional characters in these films undergo similar challenges like in the real world. Therefore, when these characters find solutions to their problems, it teaches real people about how to solve their challenges as well.
The films ‘Alice in Wonderland’ use themes like courage and identity while ‘The Sorcerer and the White Snake’ incorporates honor and struggle of good & evil themes. When faced with a difficult situation or dilemmas, many people find themselves lacking courage and the will to fight. Therefore, when Alice, a character in the film displays tremendous courage despite facing numerous odds succeeds, it encourages people in the real world to find solutions to problems facing them. From watching such films, people learn how to develop solutions to their problems by reflecting on the behaviors of fictional characters. Additionally, characters with good behaviors influence the world positively and provide a platform where people can learn how to be decent, disciplined, neighborly, and even successful. The audience thus benefits from such fantasy films due to the lessons offered on solving their problems.
The struggle between good and evil themes in ‘The Sorcerer and the White Snake’ is similar to the struggles people face in their lives. For instance, people that are faced with hunger and famine constantly face the choices of doing good or evil like stealing to get the basic amenities. The film has numerous characters that face such choices and this leads to the death of some innocent people. However, evil is defeated in the end and good prevails signifying the significance of patience in real life. Virtues like patience, honor, and respect are present in the film and they are significant lessons taught to the general population. As such, fantasy films act as a moral compass for society and help them overcome their problems.
Fantasy films help address real-world issues through teaching the general population to appreciate the extraordinary within the ordinary. As noted by Li, (2016) good fiction is rooted in reality and people do not appreciate it due to the problems they face. One of the problems the world faces is global warming caused by deforestation and pollution. As Alice grows up in the film, the theme of identity is evident since she gradually learns who she is and her surroundings. In this case, the reality in the real world is that climate change is caused by global human actions done deliberately. This represents a lack of interest to preserve the environment. Through watching Alice grow up and learn to appreciate her environment, people in the real world also learn the significance of preserving the environment to reduce global warming.
Reasons Why Chinese Cinema Is Explicitly Nationalistic
One of the reasons why Chinese Cinema is nationalistic is due to the close link to the nation since it was a tool used to win a war. Historically, cinema was widely used to mobilize various states during the Sino-Japanese war. Therefore, cinema was used to serve different political agendas during a time of war. The Sino-Japanese war led to the nationalist government seeking ways to retaliate against the invaders. At the end of 1937, cinema was the major tool used by the government to educate people on how to defend themselves (Li, 2016). The movies shown in China at that time were mostly about fighting back against oppressors and dictators. With the war continuing to claim more lives, there was heightened urgency to learn about defense, and the government hugely supported mass production of movies in China. All in all, cinema is explicitly nationalistic in China since it was one of the most effective tools used by the government after the invasion by Japan.
Another reason why Chinese cinema is explicitly nationalistic is due to the interactions and reactions to Hollywood. Hollywood misrepresented China in its films either showing them being abused, beaten, or mistreated and any scenes with Chinese were shot in American Chinatowns filled with dirty dark allies. This led to a response from the Chinese nationalist government banning Hollywood movies with such scenes to be aired in the country. Additionally, there was a National Film Censorship Committee established in 1931 to campaign against producing films that victimized, embarrassed, or offensive towards China (Li, 2016). Such actions led to the improvement of cinematography in China since many investors and the government mobilized their resources towards making and promoting Chinese films. Therefore, cinema in China is explicitly nationalistic because it led to their freedom from Hollywood’s offenses, dejection, and rejection of Chinese scenes and actors.
Chinese cinema is explicitly nationalistic because of globalization. According to Fung & Chan, (2011), the global circulation of Hollywood movies has led to people adopting the cultures and behaviors displayed in the films. The influence of these movies is widespread and continues to influence continents like Asia, Africa, South America, and Europe whereby everyone wants to be and act like Americans. Chinese films do not have the same impact as Hollywood films due to their distribution channels in the global market. Additionally, the language spoken is Chinese hence why the films appeal more to people who understand them. The reason why China continues to produce such films is the realization that global cultures promoted by Hollywood will dilute their traditional cultures and gradually erode them away. However, they will make global blockbusters like ‘Hero’ to meet market demands and expend to the global market (Fung & Chan, 2011). In the meantime, Chinese films are purposely reserved for the Chinese language to protect its culture and traditions from westernization hence why cinema is nationalistic in China.
Chinese cinema is explicitly nationalistic because of the specifications of the political-economic environment of the film industry. This means that each Chinese movie before it becomes an international blockbuster must follow the due process set by the film authorities. Before entering the American market, Chinese movies are first promoted in the Korean and Japanese markets (Fung & Chan, 2011). Whether the movies will be pushed towards the American market depends on how well they do on the Korean or Japanese markets. Even though US distributors may acquire copyrights to screen such films, a bad experience in the above markets leads to either postponement or cancellation. Such extreme actions show how nationalistic Chinese Cinema is with the clear message that their movies are not for the Western audiences’ entertainment.
Conclusion
As evidenced above, fantasy films use defamiliarization to comment on contemporary society through themes. Defamiliarization is evident here since watching these fantasy films leads to people having new and fresh perspectives on the real problems they face. Moreover, fantasy films address real-world issues and offer solutions to problems facing humanity. Themes in Alice in Wonderland help people know the importance of identity, preservation, and protection of the environment to reduce global warming. Themes in ‘The Sorcerer and White Snake’ encourage people to persevere through painful experiences, to do good, and to be vigilant. This paper also provided the reasons why Chinese cinema is explicitly nationalistic. Cinema in China has historical significance since it was the major tool used to help end the Sino-Japanese war after Japan invaded the country. Also, globalization leads to the spread of western cultures through Hollywood movies hence why China film associations set restrictions to prevent dilution of their traditions and culture. Through such actions, it is clear that Chinese cinema is explicitly nationalistic and worth protecting.
References
Fung, A., & Chan, J. M. (2011). 14 Towards a global blockbuster. Global Chinese Cinema: The Culture and Politics of’Hero’, 198.
Li, D. L. (2016). Economy, Emotion, and Ethics in Chinese Cinema: Globalization on Speed. Routledge.