"Writing-Continuity": Subtitles in the Silent Film Era of Chinas (1931-1938)
Li Xiaoyang
(Li Xiaoyang, Beijing Film Academy, Haidian, Beijing 100088)
Abstract: Subtitles in Chinese silent films functioned as a reading device, embedding into filmsin a visualized form to set up narrative assumptions and perform the explanatory role of dramatic"acts."Silent films constructed the film's meaning and rhythm through subtitles; subtitles are animagination and simulation of sound. The absence of sound led films to use "'written-actlanguage" as a substitute for "audiovisual language."Panoramic subtitles, embedded in films asvisual elements, convey language concepts and pre-narrate themes. The purpose of' silent filmsubtitles was to resolve narrative, emotional tone, and thematic issues in the film, formingcinematic "syntactic pauses."Subtitles created the flowing boundary of sound, forming a trinityof "subtitle-image-writing" and interacting with classical aesthetics,establishing a continuity. Thesubtitles of silent films are a form of aesthetic thetoric; they not only extend the narrative of the film but also serve as a substitute for auditory elements, marking the presence of sound.Presentedin a visual form, subtitles constitute a "visual frame for sound." From narrative to atmosphere,dialogue to commentary, subtitles in the silent film era reveal a distinctive cultural character ofthe time.
Key words:Subtitles; Syntax;Pre-narration; Auditory
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