Monday, March 06, 2006
Memoirs of a Geisha Honored
So, Memoirs of a Geisha won 3 Oscar awards. Of course the awards were not for writing or for acting, but for cinematography, costume design and art direction.
I couldn't help but notice, however, that each time someone won, that person thanked the studio and the producers for taking the "risk" to greenlight the film in the first place. We all know what the "risk" was about; an all Asian cast. In other words, what a risk it was to put a film onscreen that explored and took seriously the emotional lives of Asian people!
Soon after the casting was announced, various groups protested that the film should have hired Japanese actors. Rob Marshall, who directed the film, was surprised by the response; he thought that the Asian audience would be happy to see an all Asian cast. But identity politics is a tricky business, particularly when you throw in not only the feelings of Asian Americans, but also the complex relationships between East Asian countries.
I had mixed feelings about these protests, which remind me of the brouhaha that followed the casting of Jonathan Pryce in the role of a half-Asian in Miss Saigon (which I never went to see, and must admit am not sorry I missed). What made me saddest about the Memoirs of a Geisha casting debate was that the financial failure of the film -- and the public arguments -- will make it more difficult for films to be made in the US that feature Asian actors. Plain and simple. That was one big reason I didn't really add my voice to the chorus of complaint. Deep down, I admit that I wanted this film to succeed. I don't want Asian actors -- regardless of the continent on which they are born -- to be appreciated as "cult figures" on the fringe.
The film was based on a book written by an American -- and was to be made by an American company. This wasn't a documentary. Consider that Braveheart starred Mel Gibson -- who is not Scottish by birth, or that Elizabeth starred the incomparable Cate Blanchett (who is not English).
Now, I actually liked the book. I thought Arthur Golden showed a pretty virtuosic understanding of the aesthetics of Japan. I was very upset that (spoiler) Sayuri ended up with the Chairman, but books don't always unfold the way you want them. Also, the loss of her virginity (more on that some other time) made me wonder just what kind of research he had done to bring her book to life; it hasn't done much to dispel the idea that geisha (or more accurately geiko) are prostitutes. But I digress.
Yes, I know that there are very few roles out there for Asian actors. Yes I know that the average American can't tell the difference between a Chinese person and a Japanese one. Yes I know that the storyline appealed to the West's sense of Japan as exotic.
I guess I am idealistic and still think that the best way to battle all of this is to write stories that are human and that matter. That still seems like the smartest approach to battling ignorance -- rather than complaining about the casting of a film like Memoirs of a Geisha.
I couldn't help but notice, however, that each time someone won, that person thanked the studio and the producers for taking the "risk" to greenlight the film in the first place. We all know what the "risk" was about; an all Asian cast. In other words, what a risk it was to put a film onscreen that explored and took seriously the emotional lives of Asian people!
Soon after the casting was announced, various groups protested that the film should have hired Japanese actors. Rob Marshall, who directed the film, was surprised by the response; he thought that the Asian audience would be happy to see an all Asian cast. But identity politics is a tricky business, particularly when you throw in not only the feelings of Asian Americans, but also the complex relationships between East Asian countries.
I had mixed feelings about these protests, which remind me of the brouhaha that followed the casting of Jonathan Pryce in the role of a half-Asian in Miss Saigon (which I never went to see, and must admit am not sorry I missed). What made me saddest about the Memoirs of a Geisha casting debate was that the financial failure of the film -- and the public arguments -- will make it more difficult for films to be made in the US that feature Asian actors. Plain and simple. That was one big reason I didn't really add my voice to the chorus of complaint. Deep down, I admit that I wanted this film to succeed. I don't want Asian actors -- regardless of the continent on which they are born -- to be appreciated as "cult figures" on the fringe.
The film was based on a book written by an American -- and was to be made by an American company. This wasn't a documentary. Consider that Braveheart starred Mel Gibson -- who is not Scottish by birth, or that Elizabeth starred the incomparable Cate Blanchett (who is not English).
Now, I actually liked the book. I thought Arthur Golden showed a pretty virtuosic understanding of the aesthetics of Japan. I was very upset that (spoiler) Sayuri ended up with the Chairman, but books don't always unfold the way you want them. Also, the loss of her virginity (more on that some other time) made me wonder just what kind of research he had done to bring her book to life; it hasn't done much to dispel the idea that geisha (or more accurately geiko) are prostitutes. But I digress.
Yes, I know that there are very few roles out there for Asian actors. Yes I know that the average American can't tell the difference between a Chinese person and a Japanese one. Yes I know that the storyline appealed to the West's sense of Japan as exotic.
I guess I am idealistic and still think that the best way to battle all of this is to write stories that are human and that matter. That still seems like the smartest approach to battling ignorance -- rather than complaining about the casting of a film like Memoirs of a Geisha.
