Picturing Chinatowns

The Chinese-American Male in 20th Century Film

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Presentation Outline

Project IntroductionDiscussion of the FilmsConclusion

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Presentation Outline

Project IntroductionDiscussion of the FilmsConclusion

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Project Description

Class approach: Perceptions of the Chinese-American community

through various genres of expression

Project approach: Portrayal of Chinese-American males in 20th

century cinema

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Project Significance

Why are we using film as a medium to examine the formation of identity?

Why are we studying the Chinese-American male?

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

What films are we studying?

Shadows (1922)Sixteen Candles (1984) Year of the Dragon (1985)Wedding Banquet (1993)Double Happiness (1995)Rush Hour (1998)

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

How did we choose these films?

Films cover a wide domain in cinema different time periods multiple genres Hollywood vs. Independent various director backgrounds

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Presentation Outline

Project IntroductionDiscussion of the FilmsConclusion

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Shadows (1922)

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Shadows (1922)

Meant to be a sympathetic portrayal of the Chinese-American male

Instead, reflects and perpetrates the idea of the heathen Chinese

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Sixteen Candles (1984)

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Sixteen Candles (1984)

Chinese exchange student mocked simply because of his ethnicity

Box office success signals wide appeal of such humor, even in 1980s

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Year of the Dragon (1985)

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Year of the Dragon (1985)

Chinatown as exotic, mysterious and crime-ridden

Chinese villain as charismatic but effeminate

Emphasizes inability of the Chinese-American male to assimilate

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Wedding Banquet (1993)

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Wedding Banquet (1993)

Overseas perspective on the Chinese-American immigrant experience

Depicts a liberation of the Chinese-American male

Liberation, however, comes at great cost

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Double Happiness (1995)

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Double Happiness (1995)

Directed from perspective of second generation Chinese-Canadian

Chinese-Canadian male reduced to one-dimensional notions of success

His abandonment as part of the Chinese-Canadian female’s liberation

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Rush Hour (1998)

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Rush Hour (1998)

Pairing of a crossover Hong Kong kung fu master with an African-American comedian

Acceptable ethnic stereotypingYet Chinese-American male stars

as master of an exoticized martial art

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Presentation Outline

Project IntroductionDiscussion of the FilmsConclusion

May 10, 2002 Liza Ching & Eric Wong

Themes

More complex portrayals over timeProgression from playing into

stereotypes to playing with stereotypes Continued lack of complete

representationIdentity formation as an increasingly

dynamic process

THE END