Outstanding points all around, Askia.
Besides, even if we do consider Chow Yun-Fat’s role to be a romantic one, the absence of any physical affection still suggests that his role was heavily emasculated in comparison to a comparable Caucasian role. In effect, his portrayal amounts to merely a “romantic” role where most of the romance has been stripped away.
Indeed. However my point was that romance can exist quite without the standard expectations, and in Indian culture it undeniably does. It’s not possible on that basis to claim that Anna and the King is not a romance, or that Chow Yun Fat’s role is not romantic, simply because the protagonists never actually get to make out (nor would a tonsil-hockey session be accurate or appropriate given the context, background, and personage of this film).
Generally speaking, Holliwood does make formulaic films that rely on media bias (which in America and Europe is overwhelmingly white), but they’re not exactly alone in this: as I mentioned earlier, when a Hong Kong film (and Hong Kong has no shortage of foreigners) contains a white male actor he is 99% likely to be a villain - not a love interest or a romantic lead. If you’re looking for something a bit more substantial there are works such as Jean-Jacques Annaud’s L’Amant to be found.
Who doesn’t! I keep hoping against hope she’ll go into soft porn…
Thanks for the info on Sixteen Candles, it actually sounds like a fun movie and I will have to check it out. I note that the asian geek ended up with an “amazonian white girl social misfit”. The key here seems to be that they are both misfits, people with difficulties fitting into a particular environment. I therefore suspect the white girl’s advances would elicit horrified reactions from other (white and non) boys.
It would be interesting to hear the discussions that go on among Holliwood producers and casters regarding this subject. I just don’t think that Asians are uniquely discriminated, as some others might believe. Every single non-white ethnic group in Holliwood seems subject to stereotypes, and abroad the situation is often much worse.
Er, my reference to L’Amant was in regards to a strong romantic/sexual lead by an Asian man and a white girl, not to Hong Kong cinema as it might have seemed.
Abe. My problem with Anna and the King is the same one I had with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie in *The Bone Collector * – the romance between the interracial leads is strictly platonic because of some flaw on the male’s part. The spirit is willing but the body is off-limits. Such a cop-out!
We’re essentially in agreement, though. My hope is that we’ll someday see a dashing Asian leading male actor in an American-style love scene with a beautiful actress in a Hollywood production – preferably an Asian female, too, since we’ve never really seen that before, but not limited to that. Well… maybe Jet Li and Aaliyah in Romeo Must Die – but preferably NO kung fu and more romance – sort of a more sexed up Joy Luck Club.) Or vice-versa! Lucy Liu ought to have an healthy on-screen relationship with a Japanese boyfriend.
I already mentioned L’Amant in my second or third post on this thread, but if you have any other recommendations I’d love to hear them.
Well, L’Amant is about as strong as it gets without being porn. On the topic of sex specifically, Rising Sun jumps to mind, the scene in the boardroom between the young Japanese business scion and the hot (subsequently murdered) blonde. But that is one scene, before the shit hits the fan. Still, a memorable one.
Otherwise I’d think of the flick Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. it didn’t seem to have a problem portraying the love between the two leads, although it seems to develop problems.
Romeo Must Die was already mentioned, but if memory serves Kiss of the Dragon contained similar themes.
Johnny Tsunami (in which the kid of Asian father and white mother ends up getting the girl).
Going back to the classics, Crimson Kimono (the Asian man wins the white chick) and Hiroshima Mon Amour (Asian male and white female again).
I’m not very good at the memory game though…