George Column 繼續看電影中 Continue going to the movies... Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/GeorgeColumn

520愛的鼓勵 11訂閱站台

Hollywood Chinese (Arthur Dong, 2007)

As Chinese finally got an important status in Hollywood now, maybe there’re many people who don’t know there has been a long and serious struggle for Chinese to earn it just like me. Through this film, it’s revealed to people who lived through it and who never knew.

The films about Chinese started very early in the beginning of the twentieth century. But they showed the absolutely wrong impressions about Chinese because of the ideology of the supreme Caucasian society. Until the very first film made by Chinese was out, the true face of Chinese got to be shown to the public.

There were actually some of the bestsellers the stories of Chinese, and the studios were of course eager to adapt them into movies. The most famous one is without doubt “The Good Earth.” But due to the same reason, none of the Chinese actors were cast as leading roles. It may seem to be a pity but not entirely bad if it’s not taken in a racial way.

As the time goes by, some Chinese filmmakers fought their way out of the inferiority. The very first Academy Award won by Chinese in 1964 was a huge breakthrough and a promising future for the Chinese in Hollywood. And the rise of the Chinese actress Nancy Kwan even set a milestone in the history.

In the 80’s and 90’s, some films about China and made by Chinese got highly praised such as “The Last Emperor” which was nominated and won all the 9 Academy Awards. And the Chinese stories were made into films which are actually starring Chinese actors even with non-Chinese directors and crews.

After entering the twenty-first century, Chinese films and filmmakers are already extremely acclaimed internationally, and the credits belong to all of the Chinese filmmakers who devoted themselves in their efforts. It’s very proud to see Chinese won the first directing Academy Award as also a fellow Chinese, but films really should ultimately be taken as works of filmmakers, not definitions of countries or races. This important documentary shows this foresight of not only the Hollywood Chinese but also global Chinese.