LogFAQs > #927653711

gloBal enemy posted...

I don't dispute the source of the material, but merely calling out that the only movies which make it to Western screens are those which play to some kind of preexisting notion of what movies from that region/culture should address. As someone who lived in Asia (and I'm Chinese), there's a whole film industry which is largely unnoticed by most Westerners and there are plenty of other themes/genres whether it be comedy, thriller, horror, etc... but the ones which get the big budget release in the West are the ones which are defined by those stereotypes.

I don't argue that any movie about rich or poor Asians is racist - I'm arguing that the core themes in those is rooted in what are common Western perceptions which are only reinforced by these films.

EDIT: Changed lives to lived to be accurate since I recently moved back to Australia after living in Singapore for a couple of years.

You're literally calling authentic Chinese culture sourced from authentic Chinese literature "preexisting notions" and "stereotypes". It's no different than saying that the only reason the Chinese people spoke Chinese is because it was meant to "reinforce common Western perceptions"

Culture isn't a stereotypes or a perception, so you're wrong there.

And you're also ignoring the fact that the details you've cherry picked are just that, cherry picked details. Kung Fu isnt the core theme of CTHD, being poor isn't the core theme of slumdog millionaire. Sure they're aspects of those movies, but they aren't the core themes. It's be impossible to make a movie that didn't include a single thing that you couldn't twist into a stereotype.

I'm sure there's a booming film industry in Asia and other parts of the world as well, but only the absolute best movies from those places are going to have a chance of making it in Hollywood, which is the cinema mecca of the world. Again Hollywood is purely about the bottom line,they don't put nearly as much thought into perceived racism as you do.

Finally, you're also dead wrong about the last things you've said about these movies. They arent the only ones to hit Western screens, and both crouching tiger hidden Dragon and slumdog millionaire had paltry budgets of $15m.
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