Ye Olde Chosun bitches that Hollywood is giving Korea and Koreans are rough ride [Chosun Ilbo, English], this time citing a scene in the recently released “Because I Said So” [IMDb], which, oddly enough, Arirang TV liked. Personally, I’m outraged—we had to pay 36,000 war dead for the privilege of being negatively portrayed in Korean films [Sports Today, Korean], and Korea gets it for free?
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Do these irate people realize all those American movies featured sucked long and hard (with the exception of Crash, maybe?)
There’s a huge difference between a few lines taking cheap shots at Koreans (or more often, Asians in general but with Koreans presented as the targets) and the movies 괴물 or 웰컴 투 동막골. One is crass and petty, the other is a sign of a significant desire to utterly rewrite history.
So, now Koreans are saying no Japanese are negatively portrayed in Korean films?
It must be joke.
What about these Korean movies:
http://www.wowkorea.jp/upload/.....nbando.jpg
http://image.blog.livedoor.jp/.....192887.jpg
This looks like a job for VANK!
Ummm, did anybody see 괴물(Monster)? It was one of this summer’s biggest movies, if not THE biggest. The premise of the movie was that the American military made a Korean pour formaldehyde down a drain which created a Seoul-ravaging monster. I think there is an underlying theme that most Koreans believe in that movie which is “Everything is Americas fault.” Am I wrong here? Does anybody else see this also? They need to look in the mirror, hypocrites!
Also, Koreans are lucky to be featured in Hollywood movies. There are 1.2 million Koreans in America, which is .004% of the population. There are around 2.8 times as many Chinese in America, why didn’t they choose them?
It’s America’s fault that I’m sooo ugly, but Korea’s fault for making me think I’m a terrible person for being American.
Falling Down was a dumb example as written by the author of the article. Although I cannot recall everything from the scene itself, the writer presented it as the (recalcitrant) Korean owner being the victim of a racist diatribe.
Anyways, a pretty good example of the “do as we say, not as we do” sort of mentality.
Somebody better call the waaaaambulance.
I actually chuckled out loud at the mention of Little Elvis’s depiction in “Team America.” Not only is big bad Hollywood dissing South Koreans, but their brothers up north as well.
I’m surprised they didn’t mention Seinfeld, as in when Elaine visits the Korean nail place and they call her a princess in Korean.
And not a single mention of M*A*S*H!
I wonder what the Iranians are saying about “300″?
Ppali, ppali! Never hear that in Korea. Ever.
Yeah, but they give mean hand jobs, which is astronomically more valuable.
Right, because that never happens at Korean nail salons.
Many American viewers of “The Host” felt it was hard to concentrate on the movie, but it wasn’t because of the anti-American content. It was because the movie sucked balls.
Koreans greedy? That’s outrageous.
Koreans obsessing over money? Again, outrageous.
Sure, because the Korean immigrant living in Koreatown who doesn’t speak any English is just a fantasy stereotype with no basis in reality.
In my experience, a question very few Koreans konw the answer to.
Two words: Bird Flu.
And yet 99% of the insults thrown out by African-Americans in that film are directed at Italian-Americans. Leave it to Koreans to imply that the other 1% being directed at them is the central theme of the movie.
Which just proves Hollywood can do anything.
Come on, the Korean couple in “Lost” were depicted fairly even-handedly, and Randall Duk Kim, who played“the keymaker”in the “Matrix,” he saved Keanu Reeves ass!
(We’ll just overlook the fact that Americans were the villians in most of the recent Korean movies….)
I wish I could disagree with iheartblueballs, but I tend to agree with him. Having lived in Korea four years, a lot of the “stereotypes” in the movies mentioned in that article are not too far off. The Koreans can complain that we point them out (flashback Oprah Winfrey on plastic surgery in Korea), or they have two other choices: 1) accept their culture as it is and be proud of it, shortcomings and all, or 2) change it.
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Who does “we” refer to in “the Koreans can complain that we point them out”?
Seems that some Koreans want to have their cake and eat it, too. Free to indulge in negative stereotypes but if someone else does it to them then the whining starts.
For what it’s worth, I do happened to agree that it’s problematic that so much of the media attention Korea gets—including in film—seems to be negative. I think it does perpetuate a distorted picture of Korea. It’s just that we have a classic pot-calls-kettle-black situation here. Can anyone remember a Korean film produced in recent years in which Americans were positively portrayed?
The best part of the Chosun article was the beginning, stretching the lead far enough to try to make a connection between the recent rape case and the way Koreans are treated in Hollywood flicks. Then they had to stretch again, this time all the way back to 1989 (Do The Right Thing) to find enough mild examples of Korea-bashing. Anyone who takes a South Park movie seriously and gets offended deserves their misery.
Hollywood uses stereotypes to free up the plot for all those neat special effects the audience prefrs over plot and character development.
And Marmot, which media are you talking about? Korea gets a huge amount of flattering coverage in the U.S., from positive reports on Ban Ki-moon to the NYT and L.A. Times raving about kimchi. Other than that, ethnicity is incidental in most U.S. news reports, unlike here where a big deal is made of it.
If you look at the coverage coming OUT of Korea, sure, it’s finger-chopping protestors, shoe-throwing politicians and a protest against something every day, but Koreans bring that on themselves.
Can anyone remember a Korean film produced in recent years in which Americans were positively portrayed?
Which were those movies then? No, I’m not trying to be a devils advocate asshole. If you can maybe you can also explain why those particular movies were not favorable about Americans.
robert,
i can’t recall any recent movies, or any korean movies for that matter that portrayed americans or american in a positive light. ironically (or maybe not), the closest i would think is in the host where the american guy is the only guy willing to risk his life to save the people trapped in the bathroom (??) while everyone else is running away from the monster. or was that guy a canadian?
why don’t people write to newspapers with articles like this to point out the hypocrisy, and ask if the writer has the right to complain about america when korean movies portray americans negatively, and/or treat se asians like second rate citizens? say you are writing to correct distorted facts about america on the net, calling yourself the YANK, as opposed to VANK.
oops. “americans or america.”
i was actually surprised by the chosun article. like what michael wrote, from korean food to pop culture, anything related to korea has been getting lot of positive reviews/posts by the american media.
Netizen Kim # 21, Please elaborate or give some examples.
Netizen Kim # 21, Please elaborate or give some examples.
I’m the one who is asking for examples. Since the claim was made that current Korean films have unfavorable portrayals of Americans. I’d like to know which ones are they and why.
Netizen Kim: Did you not read the link?
One generic criticism I would make of the depiction of foreigners in Korean films is that Korean directors/producers cast inept foreign actors. Then we have the situation where a professional is showcased next to an amateur thus resulting in the latter coming off all bumpkiny.
Koreans won’t be happy with their representation in hollywood until at least 3 of the following occurs over the next 2 years:
1) Clint Eastwood directs a film on the Korean War, completely in Korean language and from the perspective of the ROK military
2) Tom Cruise produces and stars in a film titled, “The Last Tae-Kwon Do Fighter”
3) Sofia Coppola writes and directs a moody, atmospheric character study set in Seoul titled, “Lost in Han Gul Translation”
4) Oliver Stone writes and directs, “The Disgrace of Apollo Anton Ohno.”
It is interesting in that the article begins:
and ends with
The style of the article has got that Hani-thing going on which makes one wonder just who is working the cultural section of the Chosun nowadays.
As a footnote to that article, from what I have been told, second-hand, all films that come to Korea are hand-picked by a review process — by Koreans. If such films are not suitable for Korea, then why would anyone import them to begin with?
The best part of the Chosun article was the beginning, stretching the lead far enough to try to make a connection between the recent rape case and the way Koreans are treated in Hollywood flicks.
That could be a scene in some future Korean movie. I’m supposing that the implicit message here what’s good for the goose is good for the gander. Some here are complaining about how Americans are portrayed in Korean movies. It could be a lot worse. Trust me.
“Some here are complaining about how Americans are portrayed in Korean movies. It could be a lot worse. Trust me.”
Yes, they could portray Americans the way North Korean movies do. Who knows, with so many leftist 386 type directors around, sooner or later, there will be one made in the vein of the worst Nork propoganda, if one hasn’t been made as of yet.
Uh, no.
You first have to separate film from more traditional news media. And then even after considering the fact that Hollywood is in the business of entertainment for profit, and (rightly) gives two shits about fair, accurate, and balanced portrayals of nationalities/ethnicities portrayed in their films, they STILL do a relatively decent job of presenting stereotypes that are pretty close to reality. None of the examples cited in the Chosun article can be called inacurrate. They’re just unflattering. Same with the depictions on Lost. And we all know that from a Korean perspective, if it’s not in the domestic Korean media mold of “Rah-Rah Look at us and how successful/unique/great/unique Koreans are,” then it’s an insult.
As far as traditional news media goes, I think you’re way off base in saying that “so much of the media attention Korea gets seems to be negative.”
Outside of North Korean nukes, the main themes related to Korea that received media coverage in the US in the last few years have been:
World Cup - largely positive, with an unbelievable focus on the Korean cheering crowds and how wonderful they were for everyone.
Technology/Internet - Overwhelmingly positive, and there was a veritable flood of articles in 2004/2005/2006 citing South Korea as the perfect model for cheap high-speed internet penetration, online government services, and do-everything-with-your-cell phone society. Korea was basically portrayed as a high-tech wonderland that left the US in the technological dust.
Cyworld anyone? Massive media blitz coverage for its US launch, citing 90% usage in Korea and its complete domination there, with predictions of it challenging MySpace, despite the fact that it had no success outside Korea to speak of and predictably tanked in the US.
Cultural - largely positive, with a disproportionate amount of attention given to Korean culture by the LA Times/NY Times/Wash Post/SF Chron in comparison to the number of Koreans in America and international status of Korea in general. Not to mention a load of breathless articles highlighting the emerging dynamo of Korean film, along with a load of coverage of the Korean wave, its effect on Southeast Asia, and even its penetration onto American shores. The fact that the authors of 90% of those articles were named Kang, Lee, Kim, or Chang was purely coincidence by the way.
And don’t forget the consistent tear-jerking articles about separated NK families that get coverage every 6 months.
Negative coverage outside of North Korean nukes? The SF Chron series on prostitution, and what else? I don’t see how you can look at the ledger and see it stacked toward the negative.
In fact if there’s any distortion in the view of Korea presented in the American media, it’s giving South Korean trends far more credit and coverage than they deserve. The ratio of positive coverage for Korean films to box office performance is outrageous. Old Boy, The Host, Sympathy for Lady Vengeance…all got significant media coverage in the US despite the fact that none of them made dick squat at the American box office. Highly reminiscent of Cyworld coverage. All media hype, no real impact or popularity.
“Following the recent release of two U.S. soldiers who sexually assaulted a female Korean police officer,”
That’s about as much as I read of that movie review. The rest is not worth my time.
Well actually, Koreans would be pretty pissed if Tom Cruise starred as the last tae-kwon-do fighter but I get the point.
Personally I don’t see what the fuss is about. That toxic waste scene in the host wasn’t that offensive. Its sure as heck less offensive then Crash or any Spike Lee movie involving Koreans.
i don’t really care how koreans are portrayed in movies per se, but i find some of their portrayals as simply racist and contradictory. for example, you got the movie ’stir of echoes’, in the scene where the wife has to go to the ‘bad’ part of town, you see a korean woman eating a bowl of noodles- in the pouring rain. just racist. then, you got this movie ‘crash’, here we have a movie that promotes racial healing by promoting racial stereotypes. nuts.
‘well, they do it too!’ said the expat.
really? so what? you mean, if koreans portray americans in a negative light, it’s ok for americans to do the same to koreans? then, why do you guys go on and on about ‘dongmakgol’ and the ‘host’? if koreans don’t have a right to complain, then why do you have the right to complain? you going to come out and say koreans did it first?
this all goes to show that none of you are against stereotypes because you’re not against stereotypes when it comes to koreans, you’re only against stereotypes when it comes to your own. that’s why i can’t take you seroius. you contradict yourself.
btw, blacks in hollywood probably have a lot to do with negative portrayal of koreans in the movies.
it’s hard to practice what you preach, isn’t it?
oh, and i forgot to write that i still thought ‘crash’ and ‘…echoes’ were fantastic movies. i don’t let these kinds of things prevent me from watching a good movie. that takes a certain level of maturity.
Well Haisan, I was not sure since I was indirectly told about how foreign films come to Korea. Just *how* are they selected for import to Korea?
I think most of these filmic “portrayals” of Koreans complained of are fleeting. Until nulji pointed it out, I would not have realized that “Stir of Echoes” contained any reference to Korea/Koreans, nor had I known “Outbreak” did. I think I do vaguely remember someone complaining that there was a Korean can of tuna in the remake of “Godzlla”, but I’m not sure.
Other than that, I agree 100% with blueballs.
I thought “Crash” was awful, even worse than the typical Spike Lee “joint”. “Stir of Echoes” was quite good, however.
RE: the human trafficker scene in Crash
As I recall, the nationalities of the couple were never identified. Since the van was found in Chinatown, non-Korean speaking American audiences would presume the Asian characters to be Chinese. I was surprised when the character spoke Korean to his wife.
I did a little googling to see if the smuggling couple were ever explicitly identified as Korean. Nope. Below is a description of the scenes from a movie review:
Anthony and his friend drive the car to a chop shop but run over a Chinese man in the process.
…
Daniel sleeps safely next to his daughter and we even learn the Chinese man who was hit by Anthony will be ok.”
Maybe the couple were Chosunjok?
Agree completely with Dogbert’s thumbs-down review of Crash. If you haven’t seen it, don’t waste a buck on the rental.
#41:
Is that even necessary? I think it’s safe to say that for your average tinsel-town scriptwriter and run-of-the-mill Hollywood exec, WE all look the same to THEM, which is why I thank God everyday for enlightened individuals like Sonagi et al. who even know what “Chosunjok” are.
Unfortunately, however, YOU are the minority.
Some of my favorite feature-length movies about Asian Americans, by Asian Americans released within the past 10 years (F*** Hollywood; go Indie!):
Eric Koyanagi’s “Hundred Percent”
Chris Chan Lee’s “Yellow”
Chris Chan Lee’s “Undoing”
Justin Lin’s “Better Luck Tomorrow”
Micheael Kang’s “The Motel”
Georgia Lee’s “Red Doors”
Re: Falling Down, here’s the offending scene. Michael Paul Chan plays the grocer.
Bugger flippersExpats will be offended by this Falling Down scene.When this movie was released in the States in ‘93 Korea was pissed. Japs-claiming-Dokdo pissed. Hilarity ensued. And Prof Rhee found his mentor.
Apologies for the broken link. Expats will be offended by this Falling Down scene.
. The freighter shown at the beginning of the trailer is Korean. I think its name was the Dae Han. Can’t find any other clips. Mr. Monkey caused so many problems. In the movie too.
Pawi seems to have outdone himself this time. I particularly like this line, after ranting about racism directed at Koreans:
“btw, blacks in hollywood probably have a lot to do with negative portrayal of koreans in the movies.”
Highting pawi!
As far as the claims and counter-claims of bias in film go, I doubt any country/culture is innocent of it. Koreans give it a good go, writ big and small. The start of the Host was about as flagrant as it gets, but there are tons of smaller examples like the script editing in Memories of Murder to excise any mention of the fact that DNA samples were getting sent to Japan (they were sent to the US in the film - the lesser of two evil technological superiors).
The US has a pretty spectacular record too. Saving Private Ryan and U-571 were both accused of overlooking the British role in the war, and what about the british code-breakers who were changed into americans for US audiences? Pretty savage. Or Black Hawk down where the Malaysian troops who saved the US soldiers were completely edited out?
And on and on…
H. Kim wrote:
“I think it’s safe to say that for your average tinsel-town scriptwriter and run-of-the-mill Hollywood exec, WE all look the same to THEM,…
It ain’t just a Hollywood thang. I recall hearing so-called American characters in Korean and Chinese TV dramas speaking with non-North American accents.
As I watched the “Chinese” man chatting with his wife in Korean, I imagined a conversation between the Korean actors and the producer:
KA: But I can’t speak Chinese. I’m Korean.
Pr: Okay, speak Korean then. Nobody’ll know the difference.
Why would any non-Asian hear the difference if they haven’t been sufficiently exposed to either language? Locals in Yanbian asked my traveling companion and me if we were Russian or tried to speak Russian with us even though we were chatting in English.
which is why I thank God everyday for enlightened individuals like Sonagi …
Wow, H.Kim. I don’t think even my mom thanks God every day for my existence!
et al. who even know what “Chosunjok” are.
I suspect most “stupid foreigners” commenting on this blog know who Chosunjok are. I made a pilgrimage to the homeland of Chosunjok, Yeonbyeon/Yanbian a few years ago in the middle of winter, when Dongbei is at its best.
“i don’t really care how koreans are portrayed in movies per se, but i find some of their portrayals as simply racist and contradictory. for example, you got the movie ’stir of echoes’, in the scene where the wife has to go to the ‘bad’ part of town, you see a korean woman eating a bowl of noodles- in the pouring rain. just racist. then, you got this movie ‘crash’, here we have a movie that promotes racial healing by promoting racial stereotypes. nuts.”
Well, sure. Who the hell eats noodles in the rain, or anything for that matter…unless there was some symbolism there (sorry, didn’t see that movie). In any case, you must admit that’s pretty small potatoes when compared to how Native Americans (do I need to explain?), Frenchmen (seems like the most common villain before Hollywood discovered Muslims), Muslims (of course) and African Americans (once again, do I need to explain that one?).
I almost forgot about this one:
“Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle.”
Real funny-assed movie, a total stoner’s delight. and John Cho (playing Harold) gets a fully fleshed out and realized character playing…get this - a Korean American!
The Chosun Ibo needs to re-examine this comedic gem before whining about unfair representation.
Not to ruin the party, but a question for Hoju_saram (#46):
Is “Highting pawi!” really necessary? Argue with his points (and heaven knows he gives everyone else so much grist for the mill), but mocking him for an exaggerated, stereotypical accent that he probably doesn’t even speak with? That’s beyond the pale.
yeah, i’m not the one whinning about how this group is portrayed or that group is portrayed in korean or american movies. i’m just pointing out the average hypocrisy of your average expat who whines about ‘dongmakgol’ and then tells koreans to shut up when they do the same. one must live by the standards they would impose on others. you do understand that, don’t you, expat?
lastly, don’t worry about my spelling, just read the content.
Oh yeah, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle. That was funny, and not negative in its portrayals—well, except for Harold’s nerdy friends and acquaintances in that one scene….
I was uncomfortable with Crash, since in a movie that was presumably supposed to encourage viewers to confront their attitudes towards other races and ethnic groups, it did come across as if the Korean characters were in fact the only ones with possibility of redemption (although I fell asleep halfway through the movie, so it’s possible I missed a key scene); then again, as others have pointed out, many who watched the movie may not even have understood the characters to be Korean.
I’d say at least there’s Lost (as mentioned above), with its sympathetic portrayal of a Korean couple, beaming into millions of households week after week—over the course of time, that show probably gets more exposure than any single movie.
Correction: In Crash the Korean characters (or generalizing, the Asian characters) seemed to be the only ones to be portrayed with no possibility of redemption.
hoju_saram: “Or Black Hawk down where the Malaysian troops who saved the US soldiers were completely edited out?”
I think you might be mistaken. I clearly remember the scene were Pakistani and Malaysian troops move in in APC’s and rescue the American soldiers.
SomeguyinKorea: “Frenchmen (seems like the most common villain before Hollywood discovered Muslims)”
Really? 95% of the “bad guys” i saw in Hollywood movies, if they even were European, were of German or Eastern European origin. The dreaded “German neo-nazis” and “Serb terrorists” being the main targets.
Re my comment #50: Upon rereading hoju_saram’s comment, I see that he was responding to something Pawikirogi wrote that is pretty off the wall. “Blacks in Hollywood”? What the heck?
‘Re my comment #50: Upon rereading hoju_saram’s comment, I see that he was responding to something Pawikirogi wrote that is pretty off the wall. “Blacks in Hollywood”? What the heck?’
the black man who appeared in the movie ‘crash’ was also one of the movies producers. i suppose blacks would NEVER portray koreans and asians in a negative light, would they? when there’s a white liberal and a blck man with an agenda, you get racist films about asians. nothing off the wall about that.
oh, and you might look into the growing power of blacks in hollywood. learn before you speak.
“when there’s a white liberal and a blck man with an agenda, you get racist films about asians.”
Is it really that simple a formula? Does it translate into racism just like that?
Pawi wrote:
“the black man who appeared in the movie ‘crash’ was also one of the movies producers”
THE black man? I recall at least five major African-American male characters. Did you mean Don Cheadle, who played the detective with the Latina girlfriend?
i suppose blacks would NEVER portray koreans and asians in a negative light, would they?
Well, the Dave Chapelles and Chris Rocks can only do so many cracker jokes. The blacks have been conditioned to know by now that you can only push the white guilt button so many times before whites retaliate. Now, what group of people can both whites and blacks enjoy bashing without causing a racial conflict? BTW, in America, racial conflict, racial dialogue, racial anything mostly means white vs black. What group of people are relatively few in numbers, easy to pick on, not likely to push back (due to few numbers and lack of strong political voice), etc?
Hmmmmmmm.
BTW, the Jews dont mind either because when everyone else is busy minding everyone else, it helps keep the attention off of them.
My singular thought while watching the Falling Down scene in the Korean grocers: Where’s Philly six-shooter Jason Lee when we need him?
“My singular thought while watching the Falling Down scene in the Korean grocers: Where’s Philly six-shooter Jason Lee when we need him?”
I sure as hell wouldn’t argue over the price of a Coke with that guy!
Koreans get screwed in indie movies as well.
My biggest worry about the opening of The Host was that I recall there was an Uri Party MP or two who cited that film as evidence that Seoul needs to be vigilant about Washington’s intentions.
How many Uri Party members belong to the “reality-based community” and will it even matter after the next elections?
“Really? 95% of the “bad guys” i saw in Hollywood movies, if they even were European, were of German or Eastern European origin. The dreaded “German neo-nazis” and “Serb terrorists” being the main targets.”
Sure, if you limit yourself to the 90’s (take a look at those old ‘Mounties’ movies, for example).
Have you seen many Frenchmen portrayed in a positive light in a Hollywood movie?
The French were portrayed in a positive light in “The Patriot”, which of course the English bitched about.
Also, Gerard Depardieu in “Green Card”.
as i read about oprah condemning don imus for his racism, i recalled her show when she had a chinese lady tell us what it was like to be a korean lady.
blacks hate koreans and demonstrate their hatred through the door of hollywood. is it that simple? yes, it’s that simple since this is about blacks and their white liberal friends promoting stereotypes and distortions about koreans. that’s wrong.
‘is there any korean movies out there that portray americans in a positive light?’ expat
well, yes, here are two:
‘welcome to dogmakgol’: in this movie, there is a contrast with the evil americans in the form of a good american who spend spends some time with the villagers. boring movie though.
‘the host’: after showing evil american doctor, the movie shows a good american of caucasian ancestry trying to save others. however, another boring movie.
lastly, sonagi, it’s interesting you knew who i was talking about even though i referred to him as ‘the black man’. was your real objection that i called him a black man? if that’s the case, is it ok to say white man? korean man? japanese man?
“Have you seen many Frenchmen portrayed in a positive light in a Hollywood movie?”
That thief guy in “Oceans 12,” even though George Clooney scammed him. N’est-ce pas?
“BTW, the Jews dont mind either because when everyone else is busy minding everyone else, it helps keep the attention off of them.”
Some scholars actually maintain that all conspiracy theories stem from anti-Semitism. I don’t believe that personally, but this post (NK # 59) indicates that that view is not limited to philo-Semites.
…though the French seem to have a healthy dose of “who cares” when it comes to french stereotypes. ah, c’est la guerre…
Pawi asked,
“lastly, sonagi, it’s interesting you knew who i was talking about even though i referred to him as ‘the black man’. was your real objection that i called him a black man? “
Didn’t you notice that I capitalized “THE”? I was questioning the use of the word “the” not “black man.” If you say “the black man who appeared in the movie,” that means there was only one. There were, as I pointed out in post #58, five major African-American male characters. I was able to identify which character you were referring to because of the reference to his role in producing the film.
For me, blueballs’ comment #13 remains the final word on this shitty piece of chosun “journalism”.
Yeah, Mr. Blueball’s comments (nos. 13 and 33) sum it up well–especially about the inordinate amount of exposure Koreans have vis a vis the demographic. There’s more Native Americans than Koreans, but how many get exposure in Hollywood movies or U.S. TV shows?
Also a lot of what the Chosun whines about is just familiar behavior to people in L.A., so no surprise it has seeped into movie and TV scripts.
#72:
Actually, most Korean Americans would prefer that there be NO exposure of Koreans or Korean-themes, as Hollywood’s depictions of Asians in general, tend to be based on either racist caricatures or tiresome stereotypes.
Especially after the “All-American Girl” fiasco back in 1994 when many — including yours truly — cringed at the sight of the most bizarre pan-Asian cast ever assembled in Tinsel Town’s history perpetuating all the same old Hollywood stereotypes yet again, many Asian Americans realized that “no exposure is good exposure”, so michael is dead wrong when he suggests that Koreans somehow ever wanted exposure by Hollywood in the first place.
However, if a Korean character is going to be portrayed in a film, it should be done right, since if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing correctly afterall. (FWIW, I cringe whenever I see Americans or Caucasians in Korean movies. Such portrayals are sooooo insultingly bad and Korean directors tend to perpetuate the worst stereotypes of foreigners and GIs.)
This all reminds me of those old western movies where the indians were clearly being played by caucasians with heaps of makeup on. It takes time for Hollywood to great cultures right and western understanding/perception of Korea has lagged behind that of other asian countries in general; it’s been the same in the academic world where east asian studies or history is generally understood to mean Japan or China, with a few noteable exceptions.
So far there simply hasn’t been motivation to get it right on screen when it comes to Korea. Whatcha gonna do? Complain? Best thing would be to make a Korean movie that appeals to western audiences, hence not Korean, and advertise your culture that way. If Hollywood doesn’t know, then show them! Might even help to make the movie about something that includes Japan and/or China in order to show distinguishing features. Course I could see that backfiring too as soon as the Chinese/Japanese stereotype gets included.
Nowhere in my comment did I suggest that “Koreans somehow ever wanted exposure by Hollywood in the first place.”
Also, there is no such thing as a “correct” interpretation in a work of fiction.
The best thing is for everybody to stick to what they do best: Koreans making movies about Koreans; Hollywood making movies about Americans; Germans making movies about Germans, French about French, Brits about Brits, etc.
It is unseemly and arrogant to think that an American movie producer/director/screenwriter could ever portray a another country’s contemporary culture or modern history authentically, especially in a vacuum. That being said, there are only a handful of Asian-themed Hollywood productions/co-productions that I really liked and admired:
1) The Good Earth (1937);
2) Tora! Tora! Tora! (1970);
3) Marco Polo, NBC miniseries (1982);
4) Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story (1993).
5) Eat Drink, Man, Woman (1994)
This has actually been done before with the joint U.S./Italian/Chinese co-production of the Marco Polo NBC miniseries featured back in 1982 — IMO, the best Asian history movie I’ve ever seen, with a star-studded, ensemble cast of American, British, Italian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean actors — the sight of which has never been seen since.
Your statement suggests that Koreans should be thankful for the Hollywood exposure that they’ve had — regardless of whether it’s been good or bad — since larger minority groups have received less. While not necessarily suggestive of Koreans having wanted such attention, you are implying that Koreans should either ’shutup or put up’ with the exposure they’ve had, which of course, is highly objectionable. And like I said, for an obscure minority group like Koreans in the U.S., “no exposure is good exposure”.
H. Kim wrote:
“The best thing is for everybody to stick to what they do best: Koreans making movies about Koreans; Hollywood making movies about Americans; Germans making movies about Germans, French about French, Brits about Brits, etc. “
There’s just one problem: America is a nation of immigrants. A movie set in any major US city would require a multiethnic cast of characters. Ditto for Germany, France, and Britain. Korea is 99% Korean, and most TV drama casts reflect that.
Oh, I forgot to mention, H.Kim, that I loved watching Tora, Tora, Tora as a kid. The title itself was fun to say.
#78:
Ahh! Therein lies the rub.
What a coincidence! I loved watching Debbie Does Dallas as a pre-teen b/c the title itself not only was fun to say, but also had cool alliteration!
“The French were portrayed in a positive light in “The Patriot”, which of course the English bitched about.
Also, Gerard Depardieu in “Green Card”.”
In the Patriot? The guy who played the Frenchman is actually a Turk. Besides, the fact the French helped the Americans is an historical fact, so really, it would have been odd if that had been left out of the movie.
Gerard Depardieu? Nearly everyone in France thinks he’s an ogre.
Still, only two movies? Doesn’t seem like much.
“Following the recent release of two U.S. soldiers who sexually assaulted a female Korean police officer, another Hollywood movie is stoking criticism of U.S. attitudes toward Koreans”
Recent release? Wad?
H.Kim, first of all, Mr. Blueballs so thoroughly eviscerated the whiny Chosun article’s examples of “U.S. attitudes toward Koreans” as the article put it, that there is no substantial argument that Koreans are ill-represented in U.S. cinema/TV. As you give no specific examples either, you are just propping up the same strawman he already demolished.
And again, I was pointing to media representation of an American demographic as an observation and not making a value judgment about it, as you keep attempting to pin on me.
You don’t have to reply to this because I think you have an agenda that I’ve already given too much attention to.
We will take the ni**ers, the Ch!nks, but not the Irish! Where is the out-cry for the Paddys?
Never ceases to amaze me. Korea’s been walked all over through it’s history. BIG FREAKING DEAL. Get over it. There are so many things wrong with Korea these days, but they refuse to believe it. Newsflash: the world doesn’t center around Korea, and never will. Hate to go on a near-mindless tirade here, but I had one of those days where I can’t stand this country. This article didn’t help.
Fat Korean high school student on the train made a comment to his friend that “the black guy probably just raped someone”. Well, my black friend speaks Korean, as do I. He probably crapped his pants when we called him out. I told him not to eat so much McDonalds, but somewhere in the part of his brain that stores things like fan death, he probably thinks Korea invented McDonalds or something and didn’t get my point…
Who evidently grew up in Paris. And Mel Gibson’s an American-Australian-American. Do you have a point, or are you just blathering?
“Who evidently grew up in Paris.”
Made you look it up, didn’t I? The point is bashing the French has been part of the American culture for quite a long time.
PS. Jean Reno is Italian-French.
‘Also a lot of what the Chosun whines about is just familiar behavior to people in L.A., so no surprise it has seeped into movie and TV scripts.’ michael
really? then is it ok for koreans to portray you expats as whore loving drunks with no moral compass? yeah, that’s what i thought. think before you write, ok?
think.
ok?
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