The White Snake is the first 4K panoramic sound Cantonese opera film in China created by Pearl River Film Group Limited and Guangdong Cantonese Opera Theatre, a good case of making a commercial film out of traditional Chinese opera.
The inclusion of Western instruments, the use of ink paintings and the use of special effects is a new way of presenting traditional Chinese opera to the audience and has been well received by many young audiences.
Unlike traditional opera stages of the past, the images are not highly saturated with harsh colours, and the whole is soothing and serene, just like an ink painting. Director Zhang Xianfeng explains that the story of The Legend of the White Snake takes place in the Song Dynasty, the pinnacle of Chinese aesthetics. Therefore, he wanted to incorporate Song Dynasty paintings into the traditional opera.
Meanwhile, styling director Wang Xiaoxia innovated the use of botanical haloes in order to give the costumes a softer colour presentation. She also went to a friend in the Chinese painting department of the Central Academy of Fine Arts and hand-painted the pattern after the fabric was finished, and finally added the hand embroidery. This makes the whole costume path more in line with modern aesthetics
A sequence in which the film uses “Flowing sleeves” (long sleeves in Chinese opera costume) as a weapon in a fight makes Chinese opera elements more resilient in the film.
Even if the film is not quite perfect, it has certainly found a new stage for traditional Chinese opera and has explored new commercial models for traditional opera culture as well. It has also led many audiences who do not understand Cantonese, even younger ones, to appreciate this traditional culture.