POET CINEMA From Chang’an to Pasolini’s World of Poetry and Film

Abstract

This article explores the deep relationship between poetry and cinema through recent films such as Chang’an San Wan Li and Full River Red, examining the possibilities of “poet cinema” in contemporary visual culture. It argues that poetry is not only a medium through which Chinese civilization preserves historical memory but also a carrier connecting individual experience with collective cultural identity. Through extensive references to Tang poetry and the portrayal of poets, Chang’an San Wan Li transforms poetry into a cinematic world, allowing audiences to re-enter the historical and spiritual space embodied by Chinese poetic traditions.

The article further examines the poetic tradition within Chinese cinema, discussing the use of classical poetry in films and arguing that poets as cinematic subjects still possess great creative potential. It suggests that contemporary Chinese cinema needs more works exploring the inner worlds of modern poets, particularly films that integrate poetic creation with cinematic expression in the manner of Pier Paolo Pasolini.

The article focuses on Pasolini’s poetic and cinematic practices, arguing that his work is not merely literary adaptation or visual representation, but an extension of poetry through cinematic language. Through film, Pasolini engages with modern spiritual crises, historical contradictions, and conflicts of faith, making poetry and cinema shared forms of resistance against cultural and spiritual decline.

Finally, the article argues that in an age of artificial intelligence and information overload, poetry retains its ability to rediscover and recreate reality. The poet’s role is no longer simply to produce new forms of expression, but to select, refine, and restore meaning within an overwhelming informational environment, recovering humanity’s perceptual connection with the world.