AMERICAN MASTERS: Hollywood Chinese

Tinseltown Tales Told by Asian Silver Screen Icons

Aired Wednesday, May 27 at 9:30 p.m. on CPTV

From the sexed-up Suzie Wong to the kung fu fighting Bruce Lee, AMERICAN MASTERS tackles issues of race and representation in “Hollywood Chinese.” The film illuminates a century of Chinese-American cinematic history, from rare silent classics such as Marion Wong’s The Curse of Quon Gwon (1916) to the contemporary critical and commercial success of Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain (2005). The film features a treasure trove of clips, punctuated with personal accounts from the movie industry’s most accomplished Chinese and Chinese-American talent.

American feature films often portray the Chinese as exotic and devious characters — or simply the “other” — reflecting the entertainment industry’s inherent racial prejudices, as well as its fascination with the Far East. “Hollywood Chinese” features candid interviews and back-lot stories from artists in front of and behind the camera, including Joan Chen, James Hong, David Henry Hwang, Nancy Kwan, Ang Lee, Christopher Lee, Justin Lin, Luise Rainer, Amy Tan, Wayne Wang and BD Wong.

The documentary chronicles the full gamut of Chinese representation in Hollywood. It brings to light the controversial casting of Luise Rainer in The Good Earth (1937) and the stereotyped caricatures played by Chinese-American actors such as James Hong in Bloodsport 2 and 3 (both 1996). It also addresses the eventual trend of Asian empowerment in films such as Flower Drum Song (1961), starring Nancy Kwan, and the film adaptation of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club (1993), directed by Wayne Wang. Learn more...