五十年代《国际电影》的南洋呈现 = Representing Nanyang in the “International Screen” by the Motion Picture and General Investment (MP & GI) in the 1950s

Abstract

Due to the Cold War in the 1950s, Hong Kong Cinema industry can no longer reach out to mainland China market, hence it tried to survive by developing the Southeast Asia market as there were huge demand from the overseas Chinese for Chinese films. International screen as the official magazine of Motion Picture and General Investment (MP&GI), claimed to be the recognised authority throughout Southeast Asia, in the recording of Chinese up to date movie news and movements. It first started publication in Singapore in 1952 and was lunched in Hong Kong in 1955. MP&GI produced many movies showcasing the lives of the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, which were also filmed at the location. Not only that, MP&GI also set up distribution lines and modern cinemas across Southeast Asia. All of these were manifested inside International Screen and lots of contents in the magazine have shown connection with Southeast Asia, which presented the importance of Southeast Asia market to MP&GI. This thesis examines the contents in relation to Southeast Asia which were published under International Screen in the 1950s, adopting the geographic approach and horizontal reading to analysis texts, drawing on two films Rainstorm in Chinatown (Yan Jun, 1956) and Air Hostess (Yi Wen, 1959) which set their background in Southeast Asia, also investigates MP&GI cinema chain distributed in Southeast Asia. The study aims to answer how MP&PI have positioned themselves in Southeast Asia market, who were the readers of International Screen, what was the relationship between Hong Kong and Southeast Asia in the 1950s, as well as how International Screen have reconstructed an image of Southeast Asia to their readers and what kind of images of Southeast Asia have been portrayed in the magazine. Due to the Cold War in the 1950s, Hong Kong Cinema industry can no longer reach out to mainland China market, hence it tried to survive by developing the Southeast Asia market as there were huge demand from the overseas Chinese for Chinese films. International screen as the official magazine of Motion Picture and General Investment (MP&GI), claimed to be the recognised authority throughout Southeast Asia, in the recording of Chinese up to date movie news and movements. It first started publication in Singapore in 1952 and was lunched in Hong Kong in 1955. MP&GI produced many movies showcasing the lives of the overseas Chinese in Southeast Asia, which were also filmed at the location. Not only that, MP&GI also set up distribution lines and modern cinemas across Southeast Asia. All of these were manifested inside International Screen and lots of contents in the magazine have shown connection with Southeast Asia, which presented the importance of Southeast Asia market to MP&GI. This thesis examines the contents in relation to Southeast Asia which were published under International Screen in the 1950s, adopting the geographic approach and horizontal reading to analysis texts, drawing on two films Rainstorm in Chinatown (Yan Jun, 1956) and Air Hostess (Yi Wen, 1959) which set their background in Southeast Asia, also investigates MP&GI cinema chain distributed in Southeast Asia. The study aims to answer how MP&PI have positioned themselves in Southeast Asia market, who were the readers of International Screen, what was the relationship between Hong Kong and Southeast Asia in the 1950s, as well as how International Screen have reconstructed an image of Southeast Asia to their readers and what kind of images of Southeast Asia have been portrayed in the magazine.