The Perspective of the Chinese in Hollywood, 1914-2014

Film, as a fairly recent invention, provides historians with a unique opportunity to see into the past. Both documentary and fiction films can be pulled apart to discover the feeling of the time in which the film was produced. To this point, however, the study of feature films by historians is far from having reached its potential for shedding light on the truth of the past. In this talk, I will show how the representation of the Chinese has changed across the last century. I will link these changes to shifts in U.S.-China relations and social changes across American culture. My study is based on the examination of some forty Hollywood films, with at least four from each decade starting in 1914. I will focus on the portrayal of the Chinese (and more generally Asian) characters in the films and stereotypes they depict. I will also track the view (positive and negative) of China or Chinatown as they are portrayed in film. Finally, I will analyze how American viewers would be expected to feel after watching the film at the time it was released. Throughout this study, I hope to show film to be not only a valid primary source for the study of history, but also to illuminate the way film is used to affect one's feelings towards a nation and a people.