Abstract:

 The silenttosound film transformation in the 1930s significantly drove China’s cinematic development, comparable to the movements of “National Film Renewal” and the “Leftwing Cinema”. The exemplary figure who experienced the whole process of the transformation during the period was Sun Yu. Sun started his career in late 1920 sand was influenced by “Ying Xi” (“Shadowplay”). As both a writer and a director, Sun actively engaged in social reality, as can be seen from the films he produced. He absorbed western classic narrative techniques in filmmaking on one hand, and made active exploration into other forms of expressions and effects of conveying feelings on the other hand. As a result, his early film works appeared to be complex in forms and appearance, possibly indicating that these works were in the midway of the silenttosound film transformation.

Key words: film ontology, sound film, Sun Yu, cinema of attractions