My admiration for the marketing folks at TCM (Turner Classic Movies) continues to grow. Last year they planned a Charlie Chan film festival. As you might expect this was met with angry outrage on the part of various Asian anti-defamation organizations not only for the “yellow face” portrayal of the Chinese detective (actors of European descent playing Asians) but also for the detective’s deferential attitude and the broad comic portrayal of “#1 Son”, perceived as demeaning. The film festival was cancelled.
Well, the marketing folks have figured out how to make lemonade out of the lemon. Tonight they’re showing part of their Charlie Chan film festival as part of their series series this month on Asian images in American cinema.
The series is actually quite good. So far they’ve run profiles of Sessue Hayakawa and Anna May Wong, great early Japanese and Chinese, respectively, Hollywood movie stars. You may remember Sessue Hayakawa from his riveting portrayal of the camp commandant in the movie Bridge on the River Kwai. I’d known he’d had a great career in silents, playing both villains and romantic heroes. I’d even seen a couple of them.
They showed his notorious 1915 film, The Cheat. I’d heard about the picture repeatedly over the last 45 years but never seen it. Really an excellent film.
They also showed D. W. Griffith’s Broken Blossoms, IMO one of the most poetic and affecting films ever made. Richard Barthelmess and Lillian Gish are simply stunning in it.
The festival continues every Tuesday and Thursday throughout June. On June 24 they’re showing Crimson Kimono with James Shigeta, rarely seen on TV.
