Topic Development
Shang-Chi And The Legend of the Ten Rings. Marvel Studios (2021)
The Importance of Authentic East Asian Representation in Hollywood
I wanted to do this topic because as an Asian myself, I’ve always noticed that there was a lack of diversity in Hollywood movies. Even childhood favourites that I’ve enjoyed like Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan, Ip Man that represented Chinese culture, it was heavily focused on martial arts. I thought that it would be interesting to dive deep into the history of East Asians in film and study the context that forms the film industry landscape of today.
Articles of Interest
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/china/marvel-s-shang-chi-was-made-china-mind-here-s-n1280571
https://screenrant.com/shang-chi-marvel-china-release-movie-backlash-explained
Films of Interest
Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961). Directed by Blake Edwards [film]. Paramount.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021). Directed by [film]. Marvel Studios.
Crazy Rich Asians (2018). Directed by Jon M. Chu [film]. Warner Bros. Pictures.
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). Directed by Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert [film]. A24.
Parasite (2020). Directed by Bong Joon Ho [film]. CJ Entertainment
Critical Report Outline
Keywords
Asians in Film, Hollywood Stereotype, Yellow Peril, Media Influence, Misrepresentation
Project Rationale
This article will examine the representations of East Asians in Global Cinema. Through the comparison of films such as Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, Everything Everywhere All at Once, Past Lives, and Crazy Rich Asians, the article will argue that it is important to get more authentic East Asian perspectives in film and discourage problematic stereotypes by accurate representation.
The main points I will talk about is:
- Historical context of East Asians in Film: “yellow face”, “yellow peril” and the fear of the rise of Asians in the West
- Case study of Shang-chi
- Future and position of East Asians in the film industry.
Proposal in relation to key texts, issues and debates
‘Shang-Chi’ is a box office hit and a milestone for Asian representation—but fans in China may never see it. By Mcgregor talks about how a successful film that is considered a milestone for Asian representation in Hollywood is flagged as appropriating Chinese culture and banned from the cinemas in China. This article shows the difference between cultures in the “East” and the “West” and how further research on what representation is should be conducted.
Hollywood Diplomacy : Film Regulation, Foreign Relations, and East Asian Representations. Is a book that covers film distribution across countries and East Asian representations in film in general.
‘Representation of Asians in Hollywood Films: Sociocultural and Industrial Perspectives’, Conference Papers — International Communication Association
Further emphasizes my argument about the sociocultural nuances in modern day film representation of East Asians.