《华语电影-命名的起点：论易水的电影实践与《马来亚化华语电影问题》= The origins of the term "Chinese-language Cinema" : on Yi Shui’s practice of filming and "on issues of the Malayanization of Chinese-language cinema”

Abstract

本文認為「華語電影」一詞不是最初被港台學者於20世紀90年代開始提出採用，而是可以追溯到上世紀五十年代的新加坡和馬來亞。從1958年11月至1959年5月，新加坡國泰機構的華裔導演兼發行人易水，陸續在《南洋商報》的影藝版落力提倡「華語電影」。當時其「華語電影」跟當下通行於東西學界的「華語電影」 （Chinese-language cinema）概念具有一些共同的維度，不但包含港台「國語片」，也包涵方言電影，例如粵片和閩南語片（廈語片）等等。這些系列文章於1959年結集成書《馬來亞化華語電影問題》，易水亦身體力行，完成數部「馬化華語電影」。This article purports that the term "Chinese-language cinema" was not first used in the nineties of last century by scholars in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but that its origins can be traced back to Singapore and Malayasia in the fifties of last century. From November 1958 through May 1959, the Chinese director and distributor, Yi Shui, of Singapore Cathay Productions, vigorously promoted "Chinese-language cinema" in the “art of cinema” section of the Nanyang Siang Pau. This earlier use of "Chinese-language cinema" shared some common ideas with the current usage of the concept in academic circles of both the East and the West. It not only included “Mandarin film”, but also films in such dialects as Cantonese, Southern Min (Amoy) and others. In 1959, Yi Shui’s essays were compiled into a collection titled On Issues of the Malayanization of Chinese-Language Cinema. Yi Shui also practiced what he preached, producing several Malayanized Chinese-language films.