FILM ANALYSIS
The short animated movie What are you anyways is best defined by authorship in that it is produced and directed by an Asian American and the main character, although in animation i also depicts an Asian American. It can also be defined as a marketing movie because it is aimed at specific audiences such as Japanese Americans and is probably intent on obtaining funding for production and dissemination. The focus is one individual trying to find his self-identity and fit-in with American society not conflict with it, so it does not adhere to Francias definition in any way.
The past is a distant colony is another Asian short film that fits into different definitions it can be defined in terms of its authorship, its content, its marketing, and at the same time it holds fast to Francias definition in that it is a quasi-documentary illustrating the defiance of the South Vietnamese against communism the ruling culture and their struggle to assimilate into American culture.
B. Asian American cinema is defined by Francia (1995) as a Cinema of Opposition and Criticism (p.103), meaning it constantly sets out to question, criticize and oppose western culture and dominance in an attempt to pursue and present their own identity and culture. The fundamental differences between Asian cinema and Asian American cinema are that Asian American cinema strives to depict the struggles of individuals now living in America, their struggles with assimilation and cultural identity their films tend to concentrate on the history and culture of their ethnicity most are dependent on funding most do not receive much compensation in the way of monetary gain, and most are presented in the genre of documentaries. This preference for documentaries is because they are the best means by which directors can present their culture, history and identity while at the same time probe and question the superiority of western culture in a less threatening and acceptable manner.
C. Peter Feng (1995) in his article In Search of Asian American Cinema defined Asian American film within four categories authorship, marketing, content and past tense. Authorship pertains to films wherein key or controlling positions, such as the producer and director, are filled by Asian Americans the problem with this definition is that it limits the input in terms of different ethnicities, whereas the genre of film requires cross racial and ethnic cooperation and alliance. Marketing refers to how Asian American films are marketed to specific audiences, whereby they are able to access funding specifically assigned to Asian American cinema in terms of their dissemination and theatres, such as Asian Cinevision. A problem with this definition however, is that it strengthens the western stereotypical view of Asian Americans as never being a true American when Asian films are exposed together with Asian American films, at film festivals for example. Content is a definition that insists the story within an Asian American movie must concern Asian American issues irrelevant of marketing or authorship factors. The problem with this definition is that it limits the scope of what an audience will expect and accept as an authentic Asian American movie, thus negating the Gregg Araki question. The fourth definition the Past Tense definition refers to mainly documentary films made between the late 1960s and early 1980s, which were focused on assimilation and cultural identity of Asians living in America.
2. The Gregg Araki question is concerned with whether or not an American Asian movie that is
not concerned with American Asian issues is still classified as an American Asian film.
D. In his interview with Michael Guillen, Peter Feng shows favor for the hyphen to be removed from Asian-American because it is grammatically incorrect the word Asian should be an adjective modifying the noun whereas when hyphenated they both become nouns. The term was originally used in a disparaging way to intimate that Asian Americans were divided in their loyalties to both their home country and America.
2. Focus on East Asia in the TCM series is prominent over other Asian regions that are less evident because America was not really aware of South East Asia until the Vietnam war, and other countries such as India were bequested by British colonialism, so Americans were not really interested in them. Japan and China on the other hand, had been dealing more upfront with America.
3. The representation of the Chinese and Japanese in American film during times of conflict was influenced by the way in which they were regarded by governments and the people Japanese for example initially came to America as the underdog and merely laborers later however, when Japan emerged as a global player, immigration doors were closed to Japanese other than white collar workers, thus the Japanese in America were in competition with the locals. In film they were depicted as strange, not popular and a faction to be avoided and feared. In film the Chinese transpired from ignorant farmers to allies and friends in war after WW2, and then reverted back to ignorant farmers when communism came into rule.
4. The movie The Crimson Kimono created hot debate in terms of miscegenation because it was the first film to show an interracial relationship with an Asian man and a white woman, and raised the issue of a white woman losing her American citizenship if she married an Asian man, even though he was Asian American. The final scene was the stereotypical kiss, which in this movie was omitted when shown on television in 1960s an d 1970s.
5. Feng does not believe that Asian actors like Jackie Chan, Chow Yun Fat or jet Li are creating more opportunities for Asian Americans in Hollywood because rather than Hollywood choosing the actor for a film they are making the film around the actor in other words they are making films to suit the Asian actors focused in their own country, and if they are shown in America it is usually only to solve a case or some such mission.
E. Michael Grayson, in the movie Go For Broke joined WW2 to fight for his country against the Japanese but finds he is expected to fight alongside American Japanese in a Nisei unit first constructed in Hawaii. He tries to get a transfer to his old platoon the 36th unit but inevitably has to stay where he is. While fighting in Italy and France with his Nisei unit however, he gradually changes his opinion and his prejudice diminishes. In the end, he gets his transfer back to his old unit as a liaison officer but by this time he does not want to go. Finally, in the same way that Graysons derogatory opinion of Asian Americans change, so too did his mens opinion of him, particularly after they found out he had defended them against his friend in his old unit. The movie culminates in a battle in which the 36th are surrounded by Germans and the Nisei men save the day. The film ends with heroes returning home and medals and honors being handed out.
2. Lt Grayson, a pure Texan, is the main character in the movie , who considers Japanese American soldiers no different to the Japanese because many were in internment camps before the war but now fighting for America. He got into a fight with his friend Sgt. Culley in defense of his Japanese American men Cullley has ridiculed them in a derogatory manner.
3. Tommy parts with his pet pig when he returns from the front. The French family that had been looking after his pig had no food when he saw the five children hungry and pitiful he decided to give the pig to their father in order to feed the children.
4. Bakatara means you are a heel a stupid jerk and a heel.
5. In terms of the various definitions presented for Asian American cinema I believe the most appropriate definition for this movie is Content because the movie focuses on the issues of Asian Americans, more specifically and more predominately in this instance, with one mans opinion and stereotypical viewpoint of Japanese and to a lesser extent Hawaiian Americans. The movie illustrates how the Japanese Americans, even while fighting for America, are considered by other white Americans as inferior and not worthy of fighting alongside them. We see how they are belittled and ridiculed, as too are the Hawaiians but not to the extremes of the Japanese. The most poignant evidence of this, although not being delivered by the main protagonist, is in the scene when Sgt. Culley continually makes derogatory remarks and side swipes at the Japanese Americans in the bar.
F. What Are You Anyways is a short animated, black and white movie depicting multiculturalism today and takes us through the life of Jeff Stearns, the filmmaker. His character is portrayed by a half Japanese and half American boy nicknamed Super Nip, who grew up in a small, predominately white Canadian city called Kelowra. We witness how he struggled with his self-identity through childhood and adolescence until he found love with a girl of the same mixed ethnicity but who had already come to terms with her cultural identity whereupon Super Nip realized where he had failed and thus found his new self.
2. A Hapa is the term used to refer to people who are multiracial which originated in Hawaii in reference to mixed race the Banana Bunch is the name applied to Super Nips cousins all half Japanese and half white (yellow on the outside and white on the inside) similar to a banana.
3. Stearns earned the derogatory name Super Nip from the western stereotype of Asians (Nips) and martial arts.
4. As a result of dating a monoracial Japanese girl Stearn realized that he was ashamed of his mixed ethnicity and preferred to not to associate with those who looked completely Japanese like his mother.
5. Jenni played the most important role in Stearns life, for it was through Jenni (who had the same mixed ethnicity as him) that he realized she was proud of her mixed race and was therefore not picked on by others, whereas he was ashamed and allowed people to pick on him thus he came to realize that he was in fact lucky to be a Canadian Hapa.
The short black and white movie Explosions in the Sky depicts the battle at Dien
Bien Phu, between the Vietnamese and the French colonialists that ended with the division of Vietnam into its north and south segregation. While viewers are enveloped in sites of war that evoke scenes of firework displays rather than artillery, it is the sound effects that impacts most on viewers. Hong-An Truong deliberately fuses two music styles that are fundamentally in opposition one represents the strong cultural ties and values of the Vietnamese (Je ne regrette rien by Edith Piaf) and the South Vietnamese bid to hang on to a and become part of western, particularly American, culture (a bilingual version of Sounds of silence by Simon and Garfunkel). The southern Vietnamese living overseas would find the soundtrack very nostalgic because of its association with Saigon in time of war and its take-over by communist Vietnamese. Such music was a means by which they opposed and defied the north by playing and singing what was termed yellow music and represented their association with the west.
2. Nguyen believes that the romantic aura of French colonialism indelible in the minds of Vietnamese living overseas is confronted in stark and confronting manner. The movie The past is a distant colony moves very slowly like a funeral march the mutterings of two women one a Vietnamese nun, the other unknown in terms of whether she is French or Vietnamese talking in French and Vietnamese about their lives provides the soundtrack no evidence is seen of the usual romantic depicted in sepia-hued photographs or studio, staged or spotlighted images in black and white. Instead Truong presents her movie with a variety of unknown, ambiguous and murky reels of film that are presented alongside each other connoting mirror images, such techniques compel the films audience to react. Nguyen claims the reactions induced in her caused her to think more about herself than the movie she also felt the double images represented the opposition or dualism between north and south Vietnam, between capitalism and communism, and between genders. To further oppose the romantic images of French colonialism Truong presents ironic images of French missionaries teaching children to bless themselves, while at the same time we see thousands of now Catholic Vietnamese having to flee the country in fear of communism any scenes of French grandeur are presented in silence with no sound track, and are mirrored with stark and repelling images of the atrocities of war.
The short fictional movie entitled If I was like you is concerned with racial tensions between Asian Americans and African Americans. It is about Daniel, a single Asian American father living in Los Angeles whose son Billy is murdered and left on the footpath by a group of local hoods. Nobody in the neighborhood will help or give any information because they are afraid of reprisal by the thugs. He puts a large sign over his front door saying If I were a nigger like you would my son be dead, and wielding a baseball bat he starts yelling racist remarks. Daniels actions create a fracas outside his house and although some African Americans try to calm him he continues his outburst his objective is not quite clear however, neither is the outcome. The fact that the final scene involves a Caucasian police officer, wielding a gun aimed at Daniel seems to add further credence to the rejection of Asian Americans even in favor of African Americans by the white American community. Characters in this short movie behave in the manner they do because the director Wesley Du is trying to demonstrate the reality of living in America and the impact of racial discrimination on the Asian and African Americans. He portrays how one ethnic group will band together and keep quiet, indifferent to the problems and plight of others how one group discriminated against by others will try to do the same to another in other words creating a pecking order down the line of immigrants with Asian Americans being near the bottom.
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