FILMS of traditional Chinese operas seldom attract a big audience and the viewers are mostly elderly and middle-aged opera lovers, but a new opera film, "Dream of Butterfly" is more spritely, filled with special effects.

The premiere last week was packed and included some young people. According to a manager of Shanghai Bona Insun International Cineplex where the film was screened, "quite a few young people" had called to inquire, saying they wanted to take their parents or grandparents.

The film will be screened for two months, with daily screenings in the morning. Tickets cost only 20 yuan (US$3.17).

The dwindling audience and scarcity of young theater-goers is deeply worrying and supporters of traditional opera have tried many approaches to popularize it.

The "Dream of Butterfly," which uses digital technology to produce spectacular effects, is one of the attempts to woo a younger audience accustomed to pop and flashy, fast-moving entertainment.

It remains to be seen how successful that attempt will be, perhaps it will be a curiosity. The sensibility is far different from that of opera films, considered an important way to preserve historic works and performances of masters.

Traditional operas rely heavily on symbolism and the significance of a single gesture. So, completely computer-generated backgrounds can be a bit unsettling for traditionalists.

Some critics warn that high-tech scenes and special effects are quite the opposite of traditional opera and say the opera experience should not remind one of a video game.

The new Yueju Opera film "Dream of Butterfly" opened to a full house on April 21. The film produced by the China Central Newsreel and Documentary Film Studio attracted middle-aged and elderly people, as well as a few young people in their 20s and 30s.

Yueju Opera, which is soft and elegant, originated in the early 20th century in the south of the Yangtze River Region and was very popular in Shanghai in the 1930s.

'Modern look'

Adapted from a Yueju Opera performance in 2001 of the same name, the film tells a story of ancient philosopher Zhuang Zhou (famous for dreaming he was a butterfly) who believed that women are by nature capricious and decided to test his wife's fidelity in ridiculous ways.

The digital film is directed by the former TV host on opera programs, Wei Xiangdong, who is in his 30s. He says extensive use of digital composition gives the play a "modern and poetic" look.

"It took actors only 19 days to perform in a studio against a green screen but the film's post-production took more than two years," Wei says. "Based on shots filmed in the studio, we used digital composition to insert romantic backdrops and scenes."

The technology saved a lot of money on props and settings. All the scenes have the feel of traditional ink-wash paintings and create a fantasy mood.

"It could be a new trend for future production of traditional opera films," Wei says. "Traditional opera performance usually relies on fictitious scenes and settings. Our use of digital Chinese ink-wash paintings in the setting works quite well because the images are simple, abstract and elegant."

But Yueju Opera performer Wang Zhiping, who stars in the film, says that shooting in the studio was challenging because it was impossible for her to interact with a large stage audience. She had to make her performance and eye contact seem much more natural.

Some older viewers were uncomfortable. In traditional Peking Opera (and other opera) shows on stage, much meaning is conveyed by symbolic representations. For instance, a stage backdrop - it can simple be a cloth, a painting - may represent a landscape of several hundreds of miles; a single flag held to the side of a character may represent a battle scene; and a flag extending from a costume may indicate that a general in battle.

"Film should retain its tradition of realism, which makes it different from a stage performance," says Xie Guolin, a retired office worker in his 70s. "Moderate use of special effects is all right, but there are too many in the movie. Some scenes are very much like my grandson's video games."

Chen Qingyi, a manager of the Bona Insun International Cineplex, says operators see the market potential of traditional opera films among the post-1980s and post-1990s generation.

"We have received many inquiries from young people who are eager to see the film with their parents or grandparents on weekends and Mother's Day," Chen adds.

The cinema also plans more regular screenings of classic opera films such as "The Peony Pavilion" and "A Dream of Red Mansions."

With a "Butterfly" budget of 2.8 million yuan (US$444,546), director Wei is optimistic about box office performance, saying his company recouped its investment of 3.9 million yuan with two Yueju Opera films of "A Dream of Red Mansions" in 2007.

"Compared with other commercial film genres, traditional opera films don't have a large fan base, but it's one of the most loyal. Fans' enthusiasm for performers and the story can impel them to see a movie many times."

Wei plans to make films of the excerpts of traditional opera performances. But whether they are digital or non-digital will depend on the stories. "Though opera films cannot be mainstream, they have an irreplaceable spot in Chinese cinema. We don't have to revive it, but it is our responsibility to keep it as it is an integral part of Chinese culture and memory."

The first traditional opera film "Dingjun Mountain" was made in 1905. Since then, traditional opera films have played an important role in Chinese cinema, and Mei Lanfang (1894-1961), the leading performer of classical Chinese Peking and Kunqu operas at that time, had a strong affinity with the genre.

In 1920, the Commercial Press's Motion Picture Department made two silent films featuring Mei, "Chunxiang Disturbs the Studies" and "Shattering Flowers." Mei was famous for his portrayal of young women and his elegant dancing, facial gestures and movements.

Some of the scenes were filmed in a private garden and a close-up shot was used when Mei's character first appeared.

He made 14 traditional opera films and promoted opera to an international audience.

His last film, "Sweet Dream In the Garden" (1960), was a challenge since Mei, in his 60s, played a young girl who dreams of her lover. He feared his wrinkled features would be evident on the big screen, but makeup disguised his age.

From the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, China produced around 90 traditional opera films. Opera performers were the superstars of their day.

The Yueju Opera film "A Dream of Red Mansions" (1962) starring Xu Yulan and Wang Wenjuan was a box office sensation, but because of its romantic theme the film was banned during the "cultural revolution" (1966-1976), when virtually all traditional operas and opera films were banned and replaced by propaganda theater.

When the ban was lifted in 1978, many theaters nationwide screened the film for 24 hours, around the clock. At a time when most Chinese people earned an average of only 36 yuan a month, the film earned more than 200 million yuan in the late 1970s.

This particular opera film was unsurpassed in its influence, according to Chen Daming, an official with the Shanghai Dramatists Association and expert on traditional theater.

"Many of its singing episodes were known to every household," Chen says. "The film also inspired many people to take up artistic careers in Yueju Opera."

The popularity of traditional opera films waned in the late 1980s when other types of entertainment emerged and people had many more options. Although a few traditional opera movies have been made in recent years, the audience is shrinking.

"A big reason is that traditional opera is losing its appeal to the younger generation," Chen says. "Traditional opera filmmakers today must use more diverse methods for shooting and take young people's taste into consideration."

He notes that digital composition for virtual scenes can save costs and attract young people but should not be used blindly.

Professor Shi Chuan, a film expert and critic from Shanghai University, urges the local government to provide more financial support to opera films.

"Many traditional opera artists are aging and their stage performance are part of the country's cultural heritage," Shi says. "Unlike commercial films, traditional opera films have their special function and social responsibility to preserve the artists' valuable performing episodes for future research and study."