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AAST 335: Asian Americans in Film, hypersexuality, LGBTQ as an Asian…

- - - - Sessue's character is very violent and dominant. On the other hand, Edith is very vulnerable and innocent seeming. He is very overbearing, ripping Edith;s clothes off, physically abusing her, and forcibly branding her. Here their opposite representations are juxtaposed, feeding into the demonization of Asian men and also painting them as hypersexual. His violent, predatory (not normal) mannerisms dehumanize him and also emphasizes his otherness.
        
        Although he was clearly the sexual villain, he was still alluring. His is exotic and mysterious. It catered to Western fantasies of the exotic East. Although his character is intriguing to white audiences, he differences in mannerisms and physical appearance still maintain his role as the outsider.
      - This scene reveals a lot about the portrayal of Sessue's character in this film. He is wearing very dark colors, appearing mostly black on screen. Furthermore, he is wearing thick, dark eyeliner and eyebrows and also a dark lip. He is being color coded as the villain. On the other hand, Edith is always wearing white, representing an innocent, good white woman.
        
        When Sessue's character brands Edith, this not only cemented his role as the villain but also seemed to be a visual representation of Edith, a good white woman, being contaminated by a foreigner. Her purity was tainted by another race.