Take the Monkey King, or Sun Wukong, as an example. The main character in the 16th-century classic novel, Journey to the West, is a romantic figure of bravery and adventure that charmed millions of readers before the appearance of online attractions. Havoc in Heaven, a new Peking Opera film,attracted the wider public to the glamor of the traditional Chinese performance art,featuring one of the best-known chapters from Journey to the West. This film,expected to create a new channel to promote Peking Opera, includes nearly all the key ingredients of Peking Opera. It covers all the basic techniques, more than 10 classic tunes, and makeup for dozens of facial representations of different figures' characteristics. It's actually a big challenge to combine Peking Opera and film, each of which has its own rhythm, according to Cheng Lu, director of the film, who is adopting a fresh approach to present the traditional art form. One challenge that Cheng and his production team faced is how to balance the new approach with maintaining the fundamentals of the art. The basic principles and performance skills in Peking Opera cannot be changed. For example, performances in Peking Opera often emphasize symbolism over the accurate representation of motion. There are never real horses on stage, and the film reflects that. And when Sun Wukong eats peaches, he merely copies the action of eating without taking a bite. Some background images on stage, such as a painted waterfall, remain, and a live band was on the set to provide sound for the film, rather than employing the pre-recorded music. "If we change traditions to cater to people's taste and preference for a regular film, it will no longer be a Peking Opera piece of art," Cheng said. On the other hand, some creativity was needed because Cheng and his team did not just want to document a stage performance. Computer technology is also applied to achieve some visual effects and to present impossible scenes, such as explosions or the heavenly court floating in the clouds. Also, the filming process leaves no room for actors to make the slightest mistake in front of cameras, such as those that would probably go unnoticed in an opera house. Peking Opera films played a powerful role in the 1960s and 70s, but their popularity gave way to more diverse entertainment. In recent years, there has been a recovery in the popularity of Peking Opera films. However, the overuse of special effects in many film adaptations of Peking Opera plays has weakened the original charm of the stage performances. The imagination (enabled by the stage)can never be sacrificed for a film's expression.(1)What is the purpose of the first paragraph? ____
Many older people around the world have at least one common concern: How to get younger people, hooked on their electronic devices, interested in classic art. Take the Monkey King, or Sun Wukong, as an example. The main character in the 16th-century classic novel, Journey to the West, is a romantic figure of bravery and adventure that charmed millions of readers before the appearance of online attractions.
Havoc in Heaven, a new Peking Opera film,attracted the wider public to the glamor of the traditional Chinese performance art,featuring one of the best-known chapters from Journey to the West. This film,expected to create a new channel to promote Peking Opera, includes nearly all the key ingredients of Peking Opera. It covers all the basic techniques, more than 10 classic tunes, and makeup for dozens of facial representations of different figures' characteristics.
It's actually a big challenge to combine Peking Opera and film, each of which has its own rhythm, according to Cheng Lu, director of the film, who is adopting a fresh approach to present the traditional art form. One challenge that Cheng and his production team faced is how to balance the new approach with maintaining the fundamentals of the art. The basic principles and performance skills in Peking Opera cannot be changed. For example, performances in Peking Opera often emphasize symbolism over the accurate representation of motion. There are never real horses on stage, and the film reflects that. And when Sun Wukong eats peaches, he merely copies the action of eating without taking a bite.
Some background images on stage, such as a painted waterfall, remain, and a live band was on the set to provide sound for the film, rather than employing the pre-recorded music. "If we change traditions to cater to people's taste and preference for a regular film, it will no longer be a Peking Opera piece of art," Cheng said.
On the other hand, some creativity was needed because Cheng and his team did not just want to document a stage performance. Computer technology is also applied to achieve some visual effects and to present impossible scenes, such as explosions or the heavenly court floating in the clouds. Also, the filming process leaves no room for actors to make the slightest mistake in front of cameras, such as those that would probably go unnoticed in an opera house.
Peking Opera films played a powerful role in the 1960s and 70s, but their popularity gave way to more diverse entertainment. In recent years, there has been a recovery in the popularity of Peking Opera films. However, the overuse of special effects in many film adaptations of Peking Opera plays has weakened the original charm of the stage performances. The imagination (enabled by the stage)can never be sacrificed for a film's expression.
(1)What is the purpose of the first paragraph? ____
A. To blame young people addicted to electronic devices.
B. To advertise a new Peking Opera film, Havoc in Heaven.
C. To express older people's concern about the young generation.
D. To arouse readers' interest in traditional Chinese performance art.
(2)What did Director Cheng do while producing the film? ____
A. He made changes to basic performance skills.
B. He made use of symbols and motions equally.
C. He insisted on a band playing music on the scene.
D. He brought onto the stage exact details of real life.
(3)What innovation did Cheng's team make? ____
A. They opposed a rigid recording of the performance.
B. They enriched visual effects with modern technology.
C. They allowed actors to repeat actions before the camera.
D. They adopted real explosion scenes during the shooting.
(4)What can we conclude from the last paragraph? ____
A. Imagination is a unique charm of Peking Opera films.
B. Technology makes up for the loss of stage imagination.
C. There is some possibility for a film to replace Peking Opera.
D. The original charm of Peking Opera cannot be sacrificed for films.