Dual-Dimensional Storytelling in Chinese Main Melody Films: A Study of Narrative Strategies in the Film 1921

Abstract： As a tribute to the centennial anniversary of the Communist Party of China， the film \"1921\" tells the story of the first group of Chinese Communist Party members who took on the heavy responsibility of saving the country in the impoverished and weakened old China， and worked hard to make China's society shine anew. Based on the general strategies of previous main melody films such as thematic storytelling， typicality， and a sense of history， the film uses a \"dual-dimensional construction\" narrative mode， and through techniques such as emotional thematic storytelling， detailed grand narrative， sectional linear storytelling， and poetic heroic storytelling， it has made some artistic innovations in the narrative of main melody films. This article uses text analysis and literature analysis methods to study the narrative strategies of \"1921\" and explores a new path for the new era of Chinese cinema to \"tell good Chinese stories and inherit the red genes\".

Keywords： \"1921\"; main melody films ; narrative; dual-dimension

Project： Jilin Province Education Science ‘14th Five-Year Plan’ 2022 project， project approval number GH22232. Chinese Library Classification number： J9.

From a historical perspective， New Chinese Cinema's main melody films embody national ideology， promote revolutionary traditions and socialist values， and convey positive social energy. Initially， these films had a surplus of themes and a shortage of innovative artists， leading to criticism that their ideas were more important than their form. However， over time， Chinese cinema evolved and the creative techniques and modes of expression in main melody films changed. The focus shifted to engaging plotlines， well-developed characters， vivid and colorful visuals， and narrative structures based on genre. Main melody films have gradually revealed their unique artistic charm， particularly in successful films that reflect revolutionary historical themes. \"1921\" is a representative film in this regard， which commemorates the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. The film faces the possibility of success in inheriting the experience of main melody films and obtaining significance， but also a higher level of demand for innovation to achieve a breakthrough in this type of film. Director Huang Jianxin attempted bold innovations in the narrative strategy， transforming the basic narrative mode of main melody films and constructing the overall narrative mode of \"1921\" in two dimensions： \"large\" and \"small\". By interacting and interacting between the two dimensions， the political historical events have a story charm that conforms to the public's psychology， achieving many new breakthroughs in the narrative of main melody films and bringing many regular insights into the artistic expression of main melody films.

The Non-Conceptual Conveyance of Theme Narrative

The central theme of a film is often an artistic expression of mainstream cultural norms and values guided by a national ideological discourse within the context of mainstream cinema. Consequently， a thematically conceptualized discourse is the most critical narrative element of such films. However， Huang Jianxin， the director of two films commemorating the same decade， has developed new ideas and implementations in his thematic presentation.

Historical chronicle films like \"The Founding of a Republic\" use films to convey a historical concept， but the conceptual sedimentation in this theme often obscures the individuality and characteristics of the characters. Therefore， Huang Jianxin attempts to present both the passion of the great people who fought for revolution and their ordinary emotional lives with a sense of authenticity in \"1921\". He changes his perspective and creates a novel expression of the same historical theme. For instance， the film portrays the beautiful love between Li Da and his wife Wang Huiwu， and Li Da's training of her to alleviate inner tension by running quickly so as not to embarrass her for lying， making the scenes genuine and close to life.

The film portrays a group of young communists pursuing the truth and debating certain issues on which they have different opinions， but this does not affect the unified direction and actions of the mainstream revolutionaries. The character portrayal is vivid and realistic， and the concept of revolution is demonstrated not only by a broad idea， but also by the competitive and persistent spirit of young people in the small details. Therefore， the subjective camera lens of the film presents revolution as a kind of empathy， making it more vividly portrayed.

The film begins with a documentary-style scene of the broken state of China at the time， followed by a close-up of Chen Duxiu's eye looking out of the iron window. This close-up shot is from Chen Duxiu's subjective perspective of seeing a crumbling China， allowing the audience to maintain a high degree of emotional consistency with the characters in the play and immersing them in the context of the film.

Detailed Presentation of the Grand Narrative

Mainstream revolutionary historical films usually adopt a resolute and unwavering narrative structure and plot， which may make them appear detached from reality. Director Huang Jianxin recognizes this issue and highlights the importance of incorporating \"dramatic details\" in his film \"1921.\" While maintaining the \"worldliness\" and \"internationality\" of the film to accurately reflect the grand historical landscape and profound historical connotations， the film must not lose sight of the smaller， more subtle elements of the story.

Huang Jianxin believes that the story of the founding of the Chinese Communist Party has a \"worldly\" perspective after the October Revolution， due to Marx's efforts to promote communism globally and establish the Communist International. From this perspective， the film introduces the angle of Japanese communists coming to Shanghai to attend a meeting and presents the process of the representatives avoiding danger before and after the First National Congress. This approach not only provides a grand and realistic historical background for the story， but also adds commercial film appeal to the main theme， as seen in the thrilling car chase scene.

In addition， the film pays attention to the handling of small details in the overarching story. For example， the portrayal of the delicate and sincere emotions between newlyweds Li Da and Wang Huiwu reflects their shared revolutionary aspirations. Other details include Mao Zedong's visit to Aunt Tao to borrow a meeting place， bargaining for a discount， and his reluctance to part with Yang Kaihui; He Shuhe's embarrassment when he wants to watch Mao Zedong and Yang Kaihui's farewell， but feels ashamed to do so; Deng Enming， Liu Renjing， and Wang Jinmei's visit to the amusement park and their sneaking back into the dormitory at Bowen Women's College; and Wang Huiwu's visit to Principal Huang Shaolan to borrow the dormitory， only to find Huang getting a perm at a hair salon. These details enrich the characters' personalities and \"changes，\" innovating the images of revolutionaries in mainstream memory.

The Multi-Threaded Structure of Linear Narrative

Historical films typically employ a linear narrative structure， as it aligns with audience expectations and serves to convey a story-driven cinematic experience. However， for events with rich connotations and significant impact， a multi-threaded， open-ended， cross-sectional structure may be more effective in expanding the capacity and perspective of storytelling.

Multi-threaded plots are governed by a central theme， character， or event that unifies the story. The opening scene of \"1921，\" in which Li Dazhao announces their mission to create a new world， sets the tone for the entire film. The cross-sectional structure of such stories moves from dispersion to unity， with multiple points presented simultaneously， thereby expanding the richness of the narrative. The film traverses different locations and skillfully combines historical events， revolutionaries， detectives， love， and other elements to express the social turmoil and unbearable living conditions of the people before and after 1921.

The film's main plot follows the preparations of Li Da， Chen Duxiu， Mao Zedong， and others for the founding of the Chinese Communist Party， with subplots involving international support and obstruction， as well as the Japanese secret police's sabotage and the persecution of Communist Party members by the Chinese police. These three narrative threads create a contrasting tension， avoiding a linear narrative that is overly straightforward and enhancing the historical theme of young Communist Party members who are willing to sacrifice themselves， overcome difficulties， and ultimately succeed in China's rise.

Poeticization of Heroic Narratives

Main melody films often feature central characters who are revolutionary heroes. The characterization of these characters usually contains epic hero narrative characteristics， emphasizing realism and factual accuracy. This is seen in \"1921，\" where Huang Jianxin adheres to the principle of not exaggerating major events and not overlooking minor details. The film begins with real black and white footage of old China， providing both domestic and international backgrounds. At the end of the film， a real image of Chairman Mao Zedong announcing the establishment of the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China in Tiananmen Square is shown in a documentary-like manner， creating a contrast between darkness and light， and combining realism and dramatic effects.

However， solely relying on historical accuracy and mainstream ideological expression in hero narratives may lead to character conceptualization. Therefore， Huang Jianxin uses poeticized settings and details in the narrative to avoid this trap. In film， constructing a specific atmosphere through typical imagery to convey emotions is the primary way of using poetic techniques. Close-up shots are used to depict the inner world of characters， and \"1921\" frequently uses long shots to slowly push and pull the camera to display the rich and profound spiritual realm of heroic figures. To create a particular atmosphere through scenery imagery， the same audio-visual image is repeatedly presented. The appearance of a little girl throughout the film carries profound poetic significance and represents the unwavering spirit and path of the Communist Party of China. Additionally， the recurring rainy scenes in the film are also symbolically represented using poetic methods to convey the message that after experiencing various difficulties and obstacles， the Communist Party has finally seen the dawn of victory.

\"1921\" is regarded as a film that possesses rational and emotional qualities， and gradually moves towards a holistic way of thinking. Main melody films of the past often had one-dimensional hero characters with linear narratives told from a grand perspective， which lacked vividness and diversity. In contrast， \"1921\" portrays the daily life details of its hero characters， making them more three-dimensional and realistic， and contributing to the authenticity of the story. Additionally， the film expands the narrative space by depicting historical events that occur in different spaces during the same time period， enhancing the completeness of the historical events.

The film explores a new direction in the creation of main melody films by effectively combining seemingly separate but interconnected mainstream political ideas and public consciousness through meticulous and vivid artistic creation. This involves combining opposing concepts， such as concrete and abstract， grand and micro， linear and cross-sectional， and realistic and poetic artistic expressions. This approach makes historical themes more innovative and relevant to current realities， enriches the harmony of the main theme ideology， and enhances the artistic influence of the main theme film. Ultimately， this approach caters to the dual needs of contemporary politics and the public.