Hollywood’s Chinese Villains: Back in Action Post-Trade War?

by

The potential ban on Hollywood films by Mainland China is quite intriguing, given that for the last two decades, Hollywood has shown a tendency to appease the Chinese Communist Party. Despite their frequent claims of creative bravery, they seemed to have no qualms about altering John Boyega’s visibility in the Star Wars sequel posters, reworking the plot of the remake of Red Dawn, and of course, Disney was compelled to tone down LGBT representation.

Instead of appearing as a devastating blow to the industry’s profitability, I believe the opposite is more accurate: by shedding the ties that bind it to China’s Communist Party (CCP), Hollywood could potentially shift its focus towards the domestic film market and produce quality movies for a change.

A Mini-Chinese Film Festival

Just recently, I found myself appreciating how far ahead of its time “Tomorrow Never Dies” seemed to be, as it portrayed China as a significant adversary for the Western world. This could have paved the way for numerous spy vs spy narratives set in the Eastern region. Regrettably, Hollywood appeared more than eager to curry favor with the Chinese Communist Party, choosing to self-censor willingly.

It’s unfortunate that China isn’t more prominently featured in American films, particularly when writing works like “Walls of Men”, a military history about China. During my research, I frequently sought out movies related to China to rekindle my interest. One exceptional film is “The Last Emperor”, which draws heavily on the memoirs of Asin-Gioro Pu Yi, the boy emperor who was dethroned in 1911. This movie provides a solid historical account and marked the first significant Chinese-American film production under the Communist regime.

“The Movie ‘Curse of the Golden Flower’ is commendable in its own right, but when viewed through the lens of Chinese culture and history, it carries a more profound – and ominous – message. It can be said that this curse affects everyone associated with it. As for ‘Tai Pan’, it’s a relatively unknown production from the 1970s that was inspired by James Clavell’s book on the establishment of Hong Kong. Despite being a box office failure, it has a distinct direct-to-video feel but is still worth your attention.

As a film enthusiast, I find myself captivated by a movie that feels almost unimaginable in today’s context – “55 Days in Peking“. This film offers a distinctly western perspective on the ‘Boxer Uprising’ of 1900, focusing primarily on the Chinese siege of the embassies in Peking and starring Charleton Heston. This historical event holds immense significance in contemporary Chinese thought, as it witnessed an unprecedented alliance among every foreign legation against China.

This incident has had profound implications for China’s relationship with the international community. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) may harbor a deep-rooted apprehension and resentment towards external forces due to this event, as it underscores the potential unity of the global community against China. However, it’s worth considering that attempting to eliminate every diplomat, their families, and children might not have been the most effective strategy in achieving a desired outcome.

The Chinese managed to convince the Germans to align with the French – a task considered near impossible under normal circumstances. This highlights both the complexity of international relations and China’s remarkable diplomatic prowess during that period.

Titled “The Sand Pebbles,” this less-known film delves into the past when the U.S. Asiatic Fleet operated patrol boats along Chinese rivers prior to World War II. Steve McQueen earned his sole Oscar nomination for this lengthy but engaging production. I opted to bypass Korean War films as they tend to focus more on the American perspective than other aspects.

Following in the timeline is “Love is a Many Splendored Thing,” offering an intriguing portrayal of mainland China’s fall to the Communists in 1949. Although it falls under the category of a miniseries rather than a movie, I’d like to include “Noble House” as well. This production offers valuable insights into how Communist China has been gradually adopting capitalism. Additionally, it showcases some exceptional work by Pierce Brosnan.

In case there’s anything I overlooked, feel free to share it in the comments section below. Regarding martial arts movies, I intentionally excluded “Enter the Dragon” and others as they form a vast world of entertainment on their own.

Characters Rather Then Check-boxes

The movie “Big Trouble in Little China” is incredibly entertaining, but would it be possible to create it today? Would the character portrayed by James Hong, David Lo Pan, be acceptable for modern representation? Is it permissible to watch Kurt Russell fighting a group of Chinese stuntmen in this day and age?

The concept of Wokeism fails because it is inherently inhumane. It’s built upon elevating wrongdoing and oversimplifying intricate people to their gender identity, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. We’ve reached a stage where an individual playing a woman can be nominated for a female award, despite being undeniably male. Does this imply that Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis were pioneering transgender actors in 1959 for their roles in Some Like It Hot? Dustin Hoffman, you might want to get in touch with your agency.

Wokeism doesn’t make sense because it treats people unfairly by focusing too much on their gender, race, or sexuality. For example, an actor playing a woman can win a female award, but he is still a man. This raises the question: were Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis transgender actors in 1959 for their roles in Some Like It Hot? Dustin Hoffman should check his phone.

Is it appropriate to revise the category of Linda Hunt’s Oscar win for her role as Billy Kwan in “The Year of Living Dangerously” from Best Supporting Actress to Best Supporting Actor?

examine the outcomes.

Which version of the classic tale Snow White, do you think is superior: the one produced during the Hayes Code era or the recent one? The Hayes Code wasn’t about censoring content directly; instead, it offered suggestions on how to present it in a more appropriate manner. It served as a safeguard against explicit and graphic material, ensuring that films were of higher quality.

It’s striking that the main disagreement between Hollywood and China seems to revolve around portraying sexual topics, while they appear to tolerate moral issues such as Communism and the employment of forced labor. Essentially, it seems that Hollywood seeks greater artistic liberty when it comes to incorporating female characters and presenting stories with unconventional themes or relationships.

Another Runaway Religious Success

It’s worth noting another significant issue at hand – the extraordinary profit generated by “The Greatest Story Ever Told” for Angel Studios. It’s unlikely this film would have been distributed in China due to ongoing Christian persecutions there. However, financial success is what drives box office achievements.

Top Gun: Maverick also raised hackles in Beijing and it was a massive financial success.

It’s possible that the closure of the Chinese market may lead studio executives to reassess their primarily America-centric marketing approach and instead concentrate on the substantial funds held by patriotic and religious Americans. Given the anticipation surrounding the upcoming Narnia film, it seems the breaking point for this shift hasn’t been hit yet, and losing China could expedite this transition.

For quite some time, Hollywood has been able to rely on the consistent revenue generated by CGI-filled films to attract audiences in China. If this source of income were to disappear, it could potentially lead to their demise.

We can only hope.

Read More

2025-04-22 16:46