Colonialism in Jackie Chan Films Essay

Asian American have been depicted as malicious, sneaky and evil minded others that always threaten to rape innocent white maidens. They are thought of as not being able to speak proper English and in the American cinema there are three formulaic traditions regarding the way Asians are depicted in movies, according to Jun Xing: the yellow peril, the Madame Butterfly and the Charlie Chan stories (Jun, Xing. Asian America Through the Lens. Alta Misa Press. 1998.

     Films that are classified as being in the film noir genre all share some basic characteristics. There is generally a voice-over throughout the film in order to guide the audience's perceptions. These movies also involve a crime and a detective who is trying to figure out the truth in the situation. This detective usually encounters a femme fatale who seduces him. However, the most distinctive feature of the film noir genre is the abundance of darkness.

Shanghai Noon is an action comedy starring Jackie Chan and Owen Wilson that was released in 2000. The Tom Dey directed film combines action and comedy as it follows two “misfits” throughout the wild west. While the movie’s action concept primarily comes from Jackie Chan’s stunts, comedy in this movie is mostly derived from addressing many stereotypes about the cultures within the movie in a comical way. Shanghai noon uses common stereotypes to portray a story of an imperial guard shocked into the wild west who must now go against his own culture’s beliefs to save his love, Princess Pei Pei.

During the period of Colonialism, the English settlers arrived in America from Europe looking for religious freedom, land and the opportunity for wealth. While the Spanish Settlers arrived at Hispaniola unexpectedly, like the English; however, the Spanish did not leave Europe because of religion persecution; rather, they wanted to expand their religious belief to the New Word. While in both the English and the Spanish colonization, the Indigenous people were oppressed and enslaved but the English took a different approach. Thereby, although both the English and the European colonized in order to obtain gold and silver to help their countries wealth, the Spanish explorers took a more forceful method of gaining land.

Perhaps, the powerful storyline of the Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was what encouraged one of the greatest cinematic martial arts directors Ang Lee, to make a film out of the Chinese novel. In this film, Lee’s primary function is not only to portray skillfully choreographed fighting scenes, but also to connect powerful sequences of events that touches upon the emotional complex human condition that is associated with both the Taoist and Buddhist belief systems. By not allowing action to be the sole guiding force of the narrative of Crouching

Asians aren’t represented often in Hollywood films, but when they are, they’re usually confined to stereotypes or one dimensional character traits. In Chan is Missing, however, though the characters may at first seem as black and white as the film itself, by the end, many of the characters are well developed and seem like real people. This is conveyed through the film’s simplistic cinematography as well as the casts’ naturalistic performances. The camera seems to have both an ominous third person and, at times, first person perspective. This almost documentary-like cinematography coupled with the actors’ performances make the story seem much more genuine and interesting than many conventional films. The film also punctuates the complexity of its

Zhang Yimou’s To Live is a powerful indictment of communist authoritarian rule and blind patriotism. The film places the viewer in the position of an insider as the Communist Revolution alters the political and social landscape of China. By using dramatic irony, Zhang Yimou appraises communist collectivist culture, class structure and power in revolutionary China, and the Cultural Revolution. In addition, by using shadow puppetry as a symbol of indoctrination, Zhang Yimou examines the link between political change, personal tragedy, and bureaucratic incompetence.

Big Trouble in Little China was directed by John Carpenter, which turned out a window of how mainstream Americans perceived Chinese immigrants over 1980s. The film reinforced the stereotypes by assigning film characters personalities, costumes and behavior. Wang was very knowledgeable of traditions and the history of Lo Pan, in addition to using Chinese when talking to his friends, which referred to the stereotype that Chinese-Americans were familiar with their language and ancestral culture. Also the costumes of Thunder, Lightening and Rain, and Lo Pan and Miao in the wedding had a drastic reinforcement on Chinese traditional culture. Additionally, Jack’s bravery and adventurousness were good reinforcements of mainstream American culture. Moreover, the film employed Chinese mythology[9], ancient magic, and martial arts[10] throughout it. The story of Lo Pan, the dark magic of the Lords of Death and the Kung-Fu scenes were good examples. Overall, the film was entirely surrounded by an air of Chinese culture. It carried tremendous cultural elements. The traditional Chinese wedding scene, and maximized use of martial arts instead of firearms clearly were good instances.

Imperialism is a important period for China because it protected natural resources, and gave the economy a boost it needed. The European countries were looking to exploit the vast natural resources China had and without a strong government and no political power they could have gotten walked all over. From there this boosted the economy to the point where they could produce materials the European countries were looking for. They also had the ability to sell the natural resources straight up which brought more money into the nation. With the boost in the economy education and culture were able to flourish throughout which led to a positive influence for the future. Imperialism created many great things in China and resulted in them flourishing into a powerhouse.

influential in regards to the public’s opinion of Asians. The film stands true today as a

Lee faces the influence of environmental pressures from the weight of being the son of immigrant parents hired to construct railroads. Despite his attempt at assimilation into American culture through removing his queue, speaking English, and donning American clothing, “To the so-called whites [Lee] was still a Chinese, but an untrustworthy one; and at the same time [his] Chinese friends steered clear of [him]” (Steinbeck 162). Lee was considered far too American for the Chinese, yet far too Chinese for Americans. Consequently, Lee spent much of his life speaking pidgin and kept his queue to blend in to the preset image Americans had of him, sporting “His long black glossy braided queue…[which]hung over his shoulder and moved rhythmically against his chest...He wore narrow cotton trousers, black heelless slippers, and a frogged Chinese smock…[and] hid his hands in his sleeves...as most Chinese did in this day” (Steinbeck 159). By adopting the language and mannerisms of the typical Chinese immigrant, Lee disguised his true identity for the sake of achieving a sense of acceptance within society. He recognized that although this method would not solve his issue, it was a way of feeling powerful in a society that dominated his culture and removed from him his identity. He makes the point that when conversing with most Americans, “Pidgin they expect, and pidgin they’ll listen to. But English...they don’t listen

As many people know, Imperialism has shaped the culture and customs all over the world. Imperialism is the dominance of one country over another politically, economically or socially. Western culture can be seen in all parts of the world; from Asia to Africa, to the Indies and the Americans. The downside of having the bits of western culture all over the world, is how it got there. Western influence was forced upon places in Asia, specifically India, Indonesia with a hellacious price; lives and poverty.

China, the country of Jamie Graham’s birth, has been invaded by the British and the Japanese but due to his cultural

Ang Lee’s Crouching tiger Hidden Dragon is probably one of the most successful foreign films to ever be screened in America. Being the number one film of the year in 2000. On the other hand it was reportedly considered a flop in China. While it was influenced by American film styles, it still kept true to many aspects of its Chinese film heritage. With very apparent love story, it lacked the Extreme amount of Kung Fu fight scenes eastern audiences have come to enjoy. This is a stunning love story between a monk and widow. While it does have its share of over the top fight scenes, when you start to dig deeper the films many social implications become apparent. With ties to subjects such as religion, martial arts, philosophy, love, and even gender issues. This film is a representation of the modern era and how long practiced traditions are being challenged. Each character and plot line allows a glimpse into the Social and Traditional understanding of a culture.

Imperialism has been noted to be practice of foreign rule in a context of hierarchy and subordination, which can eventually lead to the formation of an empire. Imperialism refers directly to the enhancement of power and military superiority.