Still, Anna May Wong, Picadilly (1929)Briefly address the following:
What is Orientalism? What purpose does it serve? What are the images associated with this idea/ideology? Dr. Fu Manchu and Charlie Chan were two recurring characters in Hollywood film. How would you describe these characters? What was unusual about the casting of the characters? Describe the “Dragon Lady” of Hollywood cinema? What actress was typically associated with these sorts of roles?
What is Orientalism? What purpose does it serve? What are the images associated with this idea/ideology? Dr. Fu Manchu and Charlie Chan were two recurring characters in Hollywood film. How would you describe these characters? What was unusual about the casting of the characters? Describe the “Dragon Lady” of Hollywood cinema? What actress was typically associated with these sorts of roles?
Orientalism is a theory of how European and Western Culture defined itself by creating an image of the Orient. Eastern Culture was scene as feminine or childlike in order to justify colonization and domination. One image enduring is the Opera Madame Butterfly, story of an exotic meek,long suffering butterfly, a woman who will do anything for the western man she loves.
ReplyDeleteOthering (chpt3)refers to the way a dominant culture ascibes an undesirable trait onto one specific group of people, pick the bad thing about a culture of people and constantly display on screen. The Hollywood non-white people were treated as interchangeable others.
A good stereotype played by Sweedish actor Warner Oland performed in ("yellow face")Charlie Chan a Chinese American detective and member of the Honolulu police force used brillant deductive reasoning to solve all the crime cases.
A bad stereotype, Dr.Fu Manchu, was an evil genius using his "Oriental tricks" to bend the rest of the world to his will through conspiracy ,torture and exploitation.
Wong Liu T Song AKA A nna May Wong, one of the few asian women to play the role of the Dragon Lady-a sort of female equivalent of Fu Manchu. The Dragon Lady used her sexuality to lure men into her web, and was likley to be a spy or a criminal mastermind in her own right.
Orientalism refers to the way white Western culture thinks of the way Asia really is, and serves to create a vision of what an “Orient” should be. Asians were viewed as the “yellow race” and were stereotyped as being “railroad workers” or “Chinese laundry workers”. Charlie Chan was a Chinese American detective and belonged to the Honolulu police. He was viewed as an intelligent hero, and even solved crimes white detectives did not. Dr. Fu Manchu was an evil genius who was always using “Oriental tricks” to torture and exploit society. Both characters were not played by Asians, however they were played by actors in ‘yellow face’ who worn make-up to appear Asian. The “Lady Dragon” was a sort of female version of Dr. Fu Manchu. She was seen as using a lot of violence and also using sexual tricks to trap white heroes. This character was usually played by an white actress or even a Hispanic actress.
ReplyDeleteOrientalism refers to the Western depiction of certain Eastern Asian cultures, in regions known as the “Far East,” as Oriental. Most often, Orientalism is expressed by way of written compositions and film as to support and solidify the notion of inferiority that surrounds the “Orient.” The term, Orient, is completely Western and serves to alienate or differentiate the people from these regions of the world from those in the west. It places races and cultures from the Middle East to India to China on level below the white or American race and culture. Films such as Lawrence of Arabia (1962), The Last Samurai (2003), and more recently, Slumdog Millionaire (2008) are examples of Orientalism and how Western culture uses mainstream media to form false or incomplete ideological views on foreign regions. Dr. Fu Manchu is a stereotype developed around the idea of evil Manchurian Chinese men with Imperialistic views and feministic sexualities. Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese American detective seen as a hero. The two stereotypes in contrast work differently within white American culture. One supports the inferiority of the Chinese while another depicts a Chinese man capturing white criminals. The “Dragon Lady,” often times depicted as famous actress Anna May Wong, is another Asian stereotype of a powerful Empress that uses her sexual lure get what she wants. This character has also been referred to as the Daughter of Fu Manchu.
ReplyDeleteOrientalism is the perception the West has of Asian cultures or what they think it should be without having any direct contact with that world. It is suppose to be viewed as an uncivilized, wild region unlike Europe. Some images associated with this ideology are "Chinatowns", "Yellow Race", "Yellow Peril", "Yellow Horde" which white - run newspapers came up with in order to capitalize on those men who resorted to illegal activities in order to survive and make money instead of taking menial labor positions. Charlie Chan was viewed as a hero in films. He was a Chinese American detective with a brilliant mind for solving crimes and spoke broken English and all his traits helped contribute to a positive stereotype for Chinese men. Dr. Fu Manchu was a negative stereotype because he was criminal and an evil genius who often tortured white men and suppposedly had tricks that made him different from any other villain. Both characters were played by white actors in "yellow face". The Dragon Lady was criminal super genius who was violent and trapped the white hero with her sexuality. The actress typically associated with the role was played by white and hispanic actresses but Anna May Wong became a minor star portraying the character.
ReplyDeleteOrientalism is the way white Euro/American Cultures sees Eastern Asian cultures or what they preserves Eastern Asian culture to be even if they have never experienced Eastern culture before. The Japanese, Chinese and Korean Peoples were seen as alien people who worked on railroads and ran opium dens. Dr. Fu Manchu and Charlie Chan were movie characters that “represented” Asian culture even though neither was actually of Asian decent but played by white actors in “yellow face”. Charlie Chan was a Chinese American who worked for the police department in Honolulu and solved crime using his wise skills. While Dr. Fu Manchu was an evil genus who used tricky to get what he wanted. The “Dragon Lady” of Hollywood cinema is a character that we still sometimes see in movies today who is a beautiful Asian woman who is evil that uses her sexuality to get what she wants.
ReplyDeleteOrientalism is the concept of Eurocentric cultures viewing Asian peoples not how they were, but how the white cultures chose to see them. This term captures the idea of defining white culture by what it supposedly was not: sensual, mysterious and even lawless – again using the concept of “Othering”.
ReplyDeleteWith respect to Charlie Chan and Dr. Fu Manchu, both were characterized by high intelligence and a shroud of mystery – the common stereotype of Asians of the day. It mattered little that one was a hero and one was a villain. For me, the irony again is that both characters aren’t portrayed by Asian actors, but by white actors wearing “yellowface”.
The Dragon Lady stereotype was a mirror of the Fu Manchu character: intelligent and evil, the female villain often seduced white victims with added sexual allure that Fu Manchu lacked. Actress Anna May Wong was typecast in this limited role and she eventually left Hollywood to pursue other films overseas.
Orientalism is a term to describing what western cultures imagined the idea of asian culture, which isn't based on truths only stereotypes, or what they think they know. It brings back the topic of othering. Comparisons or contrasts are made so that other cultures get to know there culture through others. As usual anything outside of western civilization is viewed as exotic and the women are sexualized. Dr. Fu Manchu was evil treacherous man that should never be trusted. He wanted to rule the world his way.Charlie Chan was a detective, I guess playing the slick, mysterious other . Charlie Chan was never played by an asian , Warner Oland played the role however he was Swedish. Before this he played Dr. Fu Manchu . However this role was made more famous by Boris Karloff.
ReplyDeleteThe white actors played in "yellow face" I guess this was the new phase after black face.
The Dragon Lady was of course the evil asian women , Fu Manchus equivalent. She was a criminal mastermind or spy. She would use her exotic nature to seduce the men. The Dragon lady was played by white or hispanic actress in "yellow face"
Orientalism is the way the people from the Western nations saw Oriental people. It was a way for the Europeans to categorize these people. The Orient was seen as exotic, seductive and "civilized." Dr. Fu Manchu was a bad stereotype. He played the criminal, the "evil genius." On the other hand, Charlie Chan played the "good guy." He was a brilliant detective who spoke broken English. These characters were not played by Asian Americans, rather white actors in "yellow face." The "Dragon Lady" was the female equivilant to Dr. Fu Manchu. She was the criminal mastermind with violent tendencies. Her role was usually played by whites or Hispanics, but Anna May Wong played the part for a little while. However, she did not like the way Asian Americans were treated, so she left to make other films abroad.
ReplyDeleteORIENTALISM IS A TERM THAT EUROCENTRIC AND OTHER WHITE WESTERN CULTURES REFER TO THE IDEAS OF ASIA. THE IMAGES OF PEOPLE OF THE ORIENT WERE EXOTIC, SEDUCTIVE, SENSUAL, AND SOMETIMES LAWLESS. WESTERNERS ALSO SAW THEM AS FEMININE AND CHILDLIKE. THEREFORE, GAVE THEM THE JUSTIFICATION TO COLONIZE AND DONIMATE THEM. CHARLIE CHAN AND DR. FU MANCHU ARE CHARACTERS THAT CAME ONTO THE SCENE IN THE 1920S. THEY WERE FROM LITERARY WORKS WRITTEN BY WHITE MEN. CHARLIE CHAN WAS A CHINESE AMERICAN DETECTIVE FROM HONOLULU THAT SOLVED MYSTERIES THROUGH DEDUCTION. DR. FU MANCHU WAS THE TOTALLY OPPPOSITE OF CHARLIE CHAN. HE WAS THE PROTAGONIST THAT USED HIS “ORIENTAL TRICKS” TO GET HIS WAY ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. THE CASTING OF THESE CHARACTERS WAS UNUSAL BECAUSE ALL OF THE ACTORS WERE OF EUROPEAN DESCENT. DRAGON LADY WAS DR. FU MANCHU’S EVIL TWIN SISTER IN A SENSE. SHE WAS EVERYTHING DR. FU MANCHU WAS BUT A WOMAN. SHE WAS A SPY AND/OR CRIMINAL MASTER MIND THAT USED HER SEXUAL RUSE TO ENTRAP THE LEADING MEN. WHITE AND HISPANIC AND WOMEN WERE OFTEN CASTE FOR THE ROLES, BUT THERE WAS A CHINESE AMERICAN WOMAN, ANNA MAY WONG, WHICH BECAME A STAR BY PERSONIFYING THE ROLE.
ReplyDeleteWhat is Orientalism? Orientalism refers to eastern cultures in the west
ReplyDeleteWhat purpose does it serve?
What are the images associated with this idea/ideology? yellow race any thing that exhibits something about their race at which might not be a true fact
Dr. Fu Manchu( Evil Asian men) and Charlie Chan (was jackie chan’s cousin... JK) a detective hero>>> Both are stereotypes
What was unusual about the casting of the characters? The way they portrayed as if to be overpowering the white man and the other depicts the great red dragon. China.
Describe the “Dragon Lady” of Hollywood cinema? Asian stereotype-powerful empress, sexual.
What actress was typically associated with these sorts of roles? Anna May Wong
Orientalism is the theory suggested by Edward Said that western people are interested in what they think Asia and Asians are and not how they actually are. Certain images of the Middle-East and Asia became overly exaggerated so that people in the West knew nothing about “the Orient” besides these false images. Charlie Chan and Dr. Fu Manchu are Hollywood stereotypes of Asian-Americans. These roles are usually played by European-American actors in “yellow-face.” These characters usually talk in broken English. Charlie Chan was a detective who was known to quote Confucius and solve crimes. Dr. Fu Manchu was a spy or villain that was almost always cruel and mysterious and use “Oriental Tricks” against the White heroes. The Dragon Lady was a stereotype for Asian-American women. They are usually the female counterpart to Dr. Fu Manchu and use violence and their sexuality to trap the White heroes. These are usually played by White or Hispanic actresses.
ReplyDeleteOrientalism is a term that refers to how Western white societies sensationalize the image of Asians. These depictions of Asians have little or no concern with actual, truthful geographic regions or cultures. Charlie Chan and Fu Manchu were two characters that continued stereotypes by presenting Asians as highly intelligent, yet mysteriously untrustworthy. Though the characters themselves were quite different, both upheld stereotypes in its own way, not surprising since white men created both characters. The “Dragon Lady” was female counterpart to the criminal mastermind of Fu Manchu. She used her sexuality along with violence to carry out her evil plots against white heroes. This role was most notably embodied by Chinese American actress Anna May Wong. She found some success in these roles, yet resented the way Asian Americans were treated in Hollywood and eventually left to pursue a career abroad.
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