Last week, we presented the first part of our list of the 25 most infamous “yellow face” film performances. This week, a look at the top 10 film performances featuring non-Asians (and one part-Asian) portraying Asian characters that have arguably had the most impact on pop culture.
Part 1 Intro | 25 - 21 | 20 - 16 | 15 - 11 | 10 - 6 | 5 - 2 | 1 Most Infamous |
Great show, Philip W. Chung.
Enlightening as well as entertaining.
Let the Greek chorus begin.
And, more please.
Frank Eng
P.S.: You neglected Blake Edwardses equally mindless Chinese cook with the cleaver, but, then, he WAS Asian, no? I would have preferred a yellow-face in the part. But
the intent was the same. Edwards seemed to offhandedly diss Japanese/Chinese the way earlier filmmakers ditto’d with Step’n Fetchit and Butterfly McQueen. Air THAT closet out along with ALL stereotypes. At least in films.
Thanks Philip for this great article. Now all these actors can live in infamy.
It’s great to see such a great article highlight the past and current racism of Hollywood. And it will still continue
Great article. I agree with some of these. (John Wayne as Gengis Khan?!) But some of the selections are silly. Christopher Walken? Part of the joke is he clearly ISN’T asian. He’s Christopher Walken!
All movies shot in and around WW2 I can understand being anti-Japanese. (Note: Understand does not mean agree with.) I think to condemn a lot of these movies is simplistic. Do you have any proof that asian actors WEREN’T offered the part and turned it down? Or there were no suitable Asian actors available?
I really don’t see the problem with some of these. I mean really, in the non-racist roles (the ones where they haven’t been “yellowed up”), how is it any different than an Australian playing William Wallace? An American playing an English folk hero? (Robin Hood)
While I agree the portrayal in SOME of these is racist (and no, that idiot Schneider should NOT be let off the hook), a lot of it, it’s an actor playing a character, and I really don’t see that as any different than James Marsters playing an English vampire, a Brit playing a US cop (McNulty in “The Wire”), or an irishman playing the mayor of Baltimore (Carcetti, once again in “The Wire”). Okay, so I have an obsession with “The Wire”. Stringer Bell was played by a Brit too.
This reminds me of when Fox aired “Banzai”. I read their message boards with message after message saying how racist the show was and the fake accent used in the announcing was gravely offensive… Not one of them knew that said announcer, Bert Kwouk, is Asian.
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