Wednesday 19 September 2007

A redirection?

After reading around a bit, I've started to think about my initial title, and area of research. Currently, its "Influence of world cinema on UK and US media" but a lot of my research seems to indicate the opposite. Thanks to imperialism and colonialism, Asian cinema seems to draw many influences from Western Culture.

But that isn't to say that Asia hasn't had any influence on the West...
I'm not sure which one would be easier/more interesting to look at.

Maybe it would be good to look at Western culture's view of Asian culture through the media. Again, the idea of cultural relativism.

BUT anyway..

Some more quotes from 'Asian Cinema; A Reader & Guide' to justify my ideas.

"The repackaging in the West of contemporary popular Japanese films such as Ichi The Killer, Battle Royale, and Ring, as exotic and dangerous cinematic thrills, has a lot in common with the way in which the 'yellow peril' figure if the Japanese military sadist of Boys Own-style fantasies functioned as a dangerous Other of popular culture.

"In both cases, horror, sadism, and cruelty are passed off as an essentially integral part of 'the Japanese nature' and inform the way in which Japan is perceived to be a dangerous other."

"Another more recent and less offensive example here would be the two different versions of the film Kill Bill Vol.1 (Tarantino, 2003). This is, of course, a clear indication of the way in which Japanese and Hong Kong cinemas are appropriated to 'spice up' Hollywood while simultaneously maintaining the position of popular Asian cinema as one inferior to Hollywood.

"The japanese version of Kill Bill Vol.1 has numerous extended scenes of violence and gore not found in any other version. This is made common knowledge when Tarantino, discussing the film, suggests that this decision to have two different versions is justified because Japanese audiences demand more "blood and guts" suggesting, thus, a kind of innate desire for cruelty and extreme violence as a typical trait of Japanese film audiences."

I think all of the above quotes are absolutely vital.

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