A Study on the Theme Evolution of the Film Adaptation of the Folk Tale "TheLegend of the White Snake
RAN Jiangjiang
(1.Northwest Normal University, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000)
Abstract: As a classic folk narrative in China,"The Legend of the White Snake" has givenrise to various types of films such as drama, Huangmei Opera, animation, and Cantonese operaover the past century since its film and television adaptation with "The Legend of the WhiteSnake" by Shanghai Tianyi Film Company in 1926. Its themes have continued to evolve inline with the context of The Times. In the early20th century, the adaptation broke through thebinary opposition between humans and demons, incorporated anti-feudal ideological trends, andconveyed the value of love and righteousness through the image of righteous demons, becominga carrier for pursuing the freedom of marriage and love and the liberation of human nature.Mid-term cross-Hong Kong, Taiwan and cross-border creations endow the works with multipleperspectives. While adhering to the core of loyalty and resistance, they enhance the complexityof the characters' human nature and achieve the integration of traditional ethics and modernreflection., In the21st century, relying on the mature film industry, adaptations not only innovatein genre but also expand on themes such as the awakening of female consciousness and theexpression of diverse emotions, responding to contemporary value demands. The century-longadaptation of the film "The Legend of the White Snake" is not only a fusion practice of folknarrative and film and television art,but also a mirror reflection of social trends in differentperiods, highlighting the immortal vitality of traditional Chinese culture.
Keywords: The Legend of the White Snake;Film and television adaptation; The context of TheTimes;Female consciousness
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