Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

AAST355, The Cheat: Arakau is literally depicted as a "savage".…

- - - - Arakau’s home is filled with Southeast Asian decor such as animal skins, carved decor, and darkened lighting. This mise-en-scene encodes his character as an exotic and dangerous one.
      - Edith is represented in a stark contrast–scenes where she acts are brightly lit, and framed in softer tones–signaling innocence and purity.
      - In this context, debt acts as a racialized power structure: Edith, a white woman, enters an Asian coded space, which is depicted as morally dangerous.
    - - In 24:00-28:00, Arakau corners Edith in the private room at the ball. In this scene, we once again see a darker tint than the ballroom, with shadows falling over Arakau’s face while Edith stays in a brighter light. The use of this mise-en-scene literalizes the fear and negativity associated with interracial relationships. The “trap room” represents wester fears of Asian men’s proximity to white women.
    - - Arakau holds Edith down and tries to brand her shoulder. This shot is taken in a tight frame with high contrast between Arakau’s shadowy figure and the bright region associated with Edith. The branding is both sexual and racial possession, and it is seen in the film as a symbol of Eastern contamination. It is the climax of the film, asserting that interracial contact is irreversible damage.
    - - The film restores order through the death of Arakau and recentering the white nuclear family.
  - - - In this film, Allen is washed ashore by the Siren Sea, and Lotus flowers helps him recover. They fall in love, and Allen promises to take her back to the US. When the time comes, he says she can't come with him. He returns to the US and marries his childhood friend. During this time, Lotus Flower is raising their child, and when he finally returns to her, she gives away her child and commits suicide, "returning to the sea".
    - - The Rescue (4:00 - 8:00):
        
        Lotus Flower pulls Allen Carver from the sea. This scene is framed in greens and reds–colors that are meant to exoticise her world through early Technicolor. Some other uses of mise-en-scene:
        
        Lotus is soft-lit, surrounded by nature, harmony, and tranquility.
        
        Allen is dressed in crisp whites and khakis, symbolizing Western civility and control
      - Abandonment Scene (28:00 - 33:00)
        
        Allen announces that he must return home. When this happens, LF clings to him (this scene is framed in a red light, signaling overwhelming emotion). In contrast, he is shot in pale, natural light, indicating he does not care. Once again, color and staging contrast Asian emotion with Western detachment.
      - LF Alone with her son (40:00-44:00)
        
        In his father’s absence, LF raises her son. LF’s upbringing of her son represents the “tragic Asian mother”, raising a child that connects and excludes her from the Western world.
        
        When Allen returns with his white wife, frames are once again painted in whites and blues, colors of moral purity. This scene is extremely important, because the film restores racial order by giving LF’s mixed son to the white family, removing LF from the narrative entirely. She later goes on to commit suicide (1:03:00), emphasizing the theme of “restoring” purity and racial hierarchy, and marking it the price of white domestic stablit.
        
        Similar to The Cheat’s final restoration of order through the death of Arakau.
  - - - Introduction of characters (3:30 - 8:00)
        
        When Fu Manchu and Ling Moy are initially being introduced on his deathbed, the room is shadowy, and filled with Asian Decor. The staging constructs Asian identity and aliens. We see a “theatrical space of Orientalism” rather than distinct Asian identities.
        
        Fu Manchu’s command of her vengeance on his deathbed frames revenge as a hereditary responsibility, making violence and villainy a a trait native to “Asian” culture, rather than something that is circumstantial. Ling Moy doesn’t choose evil, she is born into it. This reinforces the early Hollywood impression of Asians that Asian identity carries encoded violence as a result of being an “ancient” culture.
      - Ling Moy’s Seduction
        
        Ling Moy first appears in a Western dress at a dance performance, creating a seductive initial impression of her character. Her seduction is a substitute for agency, and as a result, while she drives the plot, she herself is driven by males.
        
        Her father’s dying command
        
        Her desires for the white hero.
        
        Her exotic depiction is her only source of power, and this characterization of Ling Moy simply casts her as a dangerous object.
      - Ah Kee’s contrast:
        
        Ah Kee is cast as a noble Asian male, in contrast to Fu Manchu’s bloodline. This amplifies the negative construction of the Manchu line, reinforcing the “Yellow Peril”.
      - Dragon Lady:
        
        Ling Moy embodies the Dragon Lady stereotype. She exists at the intersection of two colonial fears (1) the sexualized woman who refuses patriarchal control and (2) the racialized character that threatens white racial purity.
  - - - In the introduction, (08:15-15:30), Hong Kong is presented as a sensory chaos–neon signs, Chinese Characters, unfamiliar scenes. The hotel that Robert Lomax stays at is depicted as a brothel. We see a slightly deeper oriental depiction than previous films.
    - - Suzie’s broken English contains many mispronunciations, inviting the audience to possibly laugh at her. The Western characters are very well spoken.
      - By having Lomax correct her speech and positioning her inability to express complex thought as a function of race, the film ties language to intelligence, reinforcing a paternalistic dynamic and marking her as permanently foreign—even in her own city.
    - - Lomax’s studio is bright, organized, and filled with Western art. Suzie comes in and asks “stupid” questions. He positions himself as a teacher, explaining to her principles of art, history, etc.
      - Robert and Suzie’s love story requires her to be taught about Western cultural education. In contrast, Robert never has any interest in Chinese culture. Suzie’s submission to Western culture is central to their love story.
    - - One thing that Lomax said to Suzie that stuck out to me was “You’re different from them. You don’t belong here.” While Suzie is seen as a multi-dimensional person only after she is taught about Western culture, all the other female characters are depicted as one-dimensional and interchangeable.
    - - Suzie takes Lomax to a crowded apartment where her son lives with her sister. In this scene, the apartment is coded as a dark, mysterious place where Lomax is uncomfortable, because he is reminded of her past.
  - - - Bruce Lee is sparring with a student in a Shaolin courtyard, surrounded by monks and symbolic architecture. He has calm and precise movements, and gives his students philosophical advice (“Emotional content, not anger”). This contrasts centuries of portrayals of Asian men as dangerous or hypersexual, introducing a new stereotype–the disciplined, spiritual warrior. While still, exotic, we see a new angle on Asian culture, and it is still staged for Western consumption.
      - Han’s island is filmed in a way more reminiscent of older Asian films, with a depiction of the island more catering to Western consumption of Oriental culture.
    - - Lee is approached by a British operative who needs him to infiltrate Han’s island. We see the recurring “Oriental evil” stereotype, but it is somewhat dismantled in the recruitment of an Asian hero to fight it. This reminds me of Ah Kee in Daughter of the Dragon.
        
        Both Ah Kee and Burce Lee are "heros" to some extent (in quotes because Ah Kee isn't really"), but in different ways. Bruce Lee's depiction is more masculine and moral.
    - - The movie flips the narrative; Lee is now a hero, though he is still still fighting an Asian villain. In this film, Lee reclaims Asian masculinity.
  - - - Ben is very academically successful. He recites facts at a school event and footage shows that he is very meticulous about his GPA, extracurriculars, and volunteer work. Through this footage, we are shown a “model minority” character.
    - - Ben and Virgil begin selling cheat sheets and stole tests. These scenes are shot with handheld cameras, giving us a documentary feel. The cheating becomes a metaphor for escaping the suffocating expectations placed on Asian American youth.
      - Near the end of the film (1:34:00), Steve is beaten and suffocated during an argument. This collapses the entire model minority myth.
    - - A white girl approaches the group and says “You guys are like… the coolest Asians I’ve ever seen.” This “compliment” is a microaggression. I’ve gotten similar compliments, and it only indicates exclusion from the ingroup. Even in moments of acceptance, the group is considered outsiders.
  - - - Tajiiri introduces the idea of “memories that are not my own”, a juxtaposition of personal narration with black screens and sound. This “absence” is a signal that Asian American history only survives as fragments, not as an official record.
    - - Tajiri revisits her mother’s recollection of a ranch house where the family stayed before the camp. This house is instead shown as a house in Hollywood. This shows that the US’s images replace the real memories of Japanese Americans, and the history is contaminated by the dominant culture.
    - - Tajiri cuts to WWII films depicting Japanese American incarceration as humane and cooperative. For example, the incarcerated are smiling as they are packing their bags, and families walk into the internment camps together. This state of cooperation erases the violence that came with incarceration. The propaganda shows us that history is not what happened, but what was filmed.
  - - - We see black-and-white pictures of Filipino and Chinese workers across the screen. Choy overlaps these images with audio interviews describing racializing practices and exclusion laws. This has an effect that reframes the eviction as one of many events in a repeated exploitation. The I-Hotel became a symbol of accumulated labor and community.
    - - The film shows us recordings of city meetings and officials defending the development plan. Their language is very “cold” and technical, contrasted with the emotional language of the tenants, who speak of their livelihood and survival. This contrast reveals the structural racism disguised as legislation. Urban renewal becomes synonymous with cultural erasure.
  - - - Don introduces him from inside his apartment. The lighting is dim, the audio is uneven, and the film is extremely raw. This rawness sets up the film for the entire film. Further, the initial impression contrasts strongly with decades of Asian American portrayals shaped by outsiders.
    - - Don films his overcrowded home. His siblings are arguing, there’s a crying abby, and his house is overcrowded. This raw depiction of poverty, as well as his narration of his situation shows us the component of Asian American culture that often goes unseen, as it is dominated by the model minority myth.
    - - Don films his mother coming home from a long shift, and she is very quiet. Her fatigue and quietness are very telling of her struggles dealing with providing for her family and dealing with displacement.
    - - Don films himself after being robbed in his own apartment. His voice is shaky and he says “I feel unsafe even in my own home”. This is very telling of his experience, he lives in fear of his exposure to danger. Through his shaky voice and raw camera footage, we are able to gain insight into his circumstances.
  - - - In the beginning of the film, we see shots of boarded up buildings, and footage of interviews with workers who were laid off. The men in the interview talk about Japan taking our jobs, framing the economic decline as a result of Asians, resulting in resentment towards the group. In doing so, the film introduces us to a racialized economic landscape. The resentment is directed towards Asian Americans, who are a group that are victimized because of something they have no control over
    - - Interview segments describe Eben’s bachelor party, where the first confrontation with Chin began. During this scene, we see eyewitnesses recount racist insults where Ebens says “It’s because of you little motherfuckers that we’re out of work.” Vincent doesn’t passively accept the abuse – according to witnesses, he responds verbally, which results in a physical altercation. Vincent asserted his own masculinity.
      - Afterwards, Ebens and Nitz chased Chin across Detroit and beat him to death at a McDonalds. (25:00)
    - - Vincent’s mother Lily stands in her home with pictures of Vincent surrounding her. She explains what happens in English, with an accent, and through this we can see her grief in a very raw way.
    - - The final sentence (three year’s probation and a 3000 dollar fine) is insane. The judge claims “these are not the kind of people you send to jail” implying that the legal system will protect white perpetrators while rendering Asian American victims unrecognizable as subjects of racialized harm.
  - - - Right away, we are introduced to the expectations of Wil’s community. Wil arrives at the weekly ballroom dance. During the dance, aunties are gossiping about who is single, who’s getting old, etc. At the same time, Vivian notices Wil, while aunties are trying to set her up with random men. This scene is important because it establishes the community surveillance that Wil has to deal with throughout the film.
        
        I see this in my own community. There is a lot of gossip among the “aunties” and being anything other than straight is frowned on among older generations. However, I think that my community is moving in a positive direction.
      - (5:00) We can see that Wil has a double life due to this pressure. At work she is unrestricted; she is confident and respected, while at home, she is quiet and closeted. This shows us her split identity due to cultural confinement.
    - - Wil comes home to find her mother waiting outside with a suitcase, because she is pregnant and disowned by her parents for not knowing who the father is. Suddenly, we see a parallel between Wil and her mother, as they are both punished for violating their community’s expectations.
        
        Ma goes on a series of forced, awkward dates with Chinese men from the community. This shows how gender and sexuality are policed within her community.
      - This might make Wil’s mother more accepting of her sexuality? Since she can now understand the cultural pressure.
    - - At 1:22, Wil and Vivian kiss in the supermarket, in front of all the aunties. They are all stunned, but at the end of the day, they don’t care.
      - Then at the end of the movie, Ma finds her partner and Wil and Vivian reunite, and they “reconstruct” their family. This shows that tradition can be transformed in a positive manner.
  - - - At the beginning of the film, we see the expulsion of Jau and his family from Uganda. Idi Amin orders all Asian Ugandans to leave within 90 days. During this scene, we see the family’s double identity when the soldiers play the song on Mina’s mom’s radio, which emphasizes the family’s multiculturalism, and that they are Indian at heart, but Ugandan too. This early scene touches on the idea of the double diaspora.
    - - When Mina and Demetrius first meet at the car accident, their exchanges are flirtatious. This is important because previously (and later in the movie) she is seen as someone’s daughter and an objectified “bride”, rather than her own individual person. That’s why this interaction is a stark contrast, Demetrius recognizes her as her own person, rather than by the community’s “criteria”
    - - The uncles find Jay and Mina hanging out. Mina is dragged away, and Demetrius is humiliated. This scene is important because it emphasizes the community policing in Mina’s community, as well as how interracial relationships are frowned upon in the Indian American community.
    - - At the end of the film, Jay returns to Uganda and visits his old house and school. During this scene, he breaks down–here, we see how Jay has been longing to return to his homeland for decades, and he realized that the world has changed a lot. This scene was very nostalgic.
    - - Mina finally chooses love and autonomy over community policing. This affirms the film’s core idea, that diaspora identity is fluid and shaped by personal choice, not rigid cultural boundaries.
  - - - In the beginning of the film, an American Professor is abducted in Lahore, Pakistan. This triggers Bobby’s investigation, which frames Changez as a possible suspect. I think this will be a central topic in the movie, about how South Asian, Muslim people are automatically treated as threats, or in this case suspects.
      - (5:00) In contrast, we see Changez’s patriotism and pride in the American Dream upon his graduation from Princeton University. This scene establishes Changez as a once “model immigrant”.
    - - This scene is a turning point in the film. After 9/11, Changez is detained, strip-searched and humiliated at the airport because he fits the “profile”. America now views him as a suspect, and Changez realizes that he is no longer accepted. This experience is similar to what many South Asians experienced following 9/11.
  - - - Both characters in the short are Asian, which hints that Asians may be seen as more robotic than other races.
    - - Archie shows interest in either robot, and gets her attention by banging on the window. This introduces a change in the asexual robotic Asian stereotype. We see a change in the perceived masculinity of Asian males.
    - - When Archie takes his shirt off (53:00), he is immediately objectified, seen as an object, not a human. At the same time, the female robot is harassed (51:40). This aligns with the hypersexualized image of Asian women in previous media. Even though Archie is sexualized (contrast to previous Asian American male representation), he is objectified nevertheless, not humanized.
        
        Breaking the asexual Asian stereotype has brought a new form of humanization. Should be careful in breaking stereotypes, breaking one can create another.
    - - When the robots finally meet, they repeat the degrading things said about them. Insults and objectification. By sharing this trauma, they bond, and they recognize each other as subjects who’ve shared a common struggle. Through this vulnerability, the characters are able to prove that they are not really objects, but human.
      - (58:46) Could we get some privacy? Bob’s immediate compliance when asked for privacy marks a turning point. For the first time in the film, the robots’ request is respected. The robots can only gain respect after proving that they are human. In other words, they had to suffer before earning basic respect.
- - - - Political vs Cultural Citizenship: This concept explains the Asian American experience in film and society. Political citizenship is related to legal status (passport, voting, etc. ) but cultural citizenship is social acceptance, being seen as an American, without question.
      - Asian Americans have long held political citizenship, but denied cultural citizenship. Its important in film because for decades, Hollywood worked to deny Asian Americans cultural citizenship by reinforcing stereotypes in casting, and telling stories where Asian Americans were the villains. The accumulated effect of this was that Asian Americans have been denied cultural citizenship.
  - - - Asian As a Category: There are many different countries in Asia, and even within each country, there are many different regions. Feng argues that the label "Asian" collapses this geographic and cultural diversity into one monolith. This has political and cultlural consequences, such as marking all Asian Americans as "foreign", denying them cultural citizenship (see link to Desai)
        
        Yellowface is a significant way in which Asians are cast as a category. Non-asian actors and directors casted and casting Asian character have a shallow understanding of the depth of Asian culture, causing them to perpetuate negative stereotype about "Asians" as 1 community, rather than the diverse groups within it. This can be seen in several films, including Toll of the Sea, Daughter of the Dragon, The World of Suzie Wong, etc.
        
        Who Killed Vincent Chin: We see the effects of this idea play out in Who Killed Vincent Chin. Ebens doesn't care that Chin is Chinese American, he groups him with the Japanese Americans who he claims took his job. This shows the negative impact of inserting the monolithic Asian view into society.
        Aka Don Bonus: attempts to break this down. This is on of the few films where we see his distinct Cambodian identity. His raw storytelling makes us very aware of him and his family's background, actively dismantling the monolithic Asian view that has been created by previous media.
        Better Luck Tomorrow: Also attempts to dismantle the monolith Asian stereotype by showing that they are also members of American culture, sharing lived experiences with many Americans.
      - Asian as a Tool of Exclusion: The term Asian marks people as perpetually foreign. Removes culture.
  - - - Fixity: Once stereotype are created, they are perpetuated. They arae repeated into the heads of everyone that hears about them. Bhabha argues that fixity is the central mechanism of colonial stereotyping. Through fixity, stereotypes become (1) fact (2) repetitive (3) natural, explainign why they are so hard to overcome.
      - Stereotypes are Colonial Knowledge: Bhabha notes that stereotypes are forms of colonial knowledge. The claim to tell the "truth" about colonized peoples. As a result, it justifies a racial hierarchy that consequently justifies colonization.
        
        This is seen in several films, including the World of Suzie Wong (submissive Asian stereotype), Daughter of the Dragon (Yellow Peril), Enter the Dragon (Yellow Peril), and several others.
  - - - Movies are good mediums of ideas: Movies are portrayed in easily digestible format, allowing them to be "better understood and therefore more productive in conveying ideas". Hooks argues that Film is powerful beacuse it is (1) visual and emotoinal (2) narrative driven (3) accessible (4) has massive reach (5) has cultural impact. As a result, it is a critcal site for political and social intervention. They educate, influence, and reach millions.
        
        Films are opportunities to reinforce existing narratives, but also create new ones.
        
        The Cheat: teaches white supremacy. Early Hollywood depiction of Asians was driven by the Yellow Peril narrative.
        The World of Suzie Wong: Through scenery and interactions in the movie, enforces a racial hierarchy, imposing that white people are superior to Asian people/culture/practices.
  - - - Color-as-hue: literal shade
      - Color-as-race: racial categorization, meaning, hierarchies.
  - - - Both Yellowface and Brownface reinforce stereotypes.
  - - - The reason for Indian accents being a source of humor among children and in schools is Fixity. As Bhabha said, once created stereotypes are very hard to undo, and the frequency with which Indian accents are repeated and cemented, they have become a joke.
  - - - Even in death, Wong has been reduced to the villain stereotype.
        
        Toll of the Sea -- Butterfly stereotype, Daughter of the dragon -- Dragon lady, but she ends up being sacrificial, so it is a blend of both, still a polarized casting.
  - - - Better Luck Tomorrow: Reflect's Oh's desire for complex, flawed Asian characters. It depicts Asian honor students as criminals, destroying the model minosrity myth.
        Reluctant Fundamentalist: Tells the story with Changez as the protagonist, shifting the narration, and seeing the West through his eyes.
        Mississippi Masala: Replaces whiteness entirely, there are no white characters, and we see the West through the lens of South Asians.
        Saving Face: centered around queer Asian Identity and is very bold, refusing to justify its cultural specificity.
  - - - I disagree with this. Blending cultures and presenting a gradient negatively impacts distinct communities and creates a monolithic "Asian" perspective. This relates to In search of Asian Americna film.
      - Burce Highlights that Lee became a hero not for Asians but for Black and Brown audiences globally. I think presenting a gradient Asian monolith might make the film appeal to broader audiences, but it risks spreading incorrect bias about the distinctions between Asian groups. I think Prashad's goal is a double edged sword.
  - - - In Movies like The World of Suzie Wong and others, Asian women are seen as an object to satisfy the desire of white men. This connects to the early Hollywood stereotype of the Butterfly Lady. We also see this in The Toll of the Sea and The Cheat
  - - - Chinese women are oversexualized - they are subjects of deisre. And the men are portrayed as asexual.