Constructing the Mythic Father Image: An Ideological Analysis of the Film Zhou Enlai

Abstract

This paper argues that the film Zhou Enlai constructs a mythic father image through ideological operations. Adopting an ideological analysis approach, it seeks to deconstruct how this image is established and to substantiate this argument through close study of the film text. The analysis examines the key ideographs deployed in each scene while attending to the narrative activity and sequential development of each segment, thereby avoiding a static, segment-by-segment reading. By tracing how ideographs and scene-level narrative movement jointly produce and reinforce the father image, the paper demonstrates that this image is not merely a biographical representation but an ideological construct. The study thus contributes to understanding how cinematic texts shape political and affective authority through ideological signification.