Loved reading this! "Finally, we can embrace the Asian American dirtbags, slackers, and scammers we’ve been waiting for" 😂 I've been SAYING. my own experience is knowing such characters exist in our own extended family (generations of poverty, survival, whaddya expect), which always made the model minority trope ironic.
I loved learning about this historical film - adding to my watchlist. The fact that the closing dialogue of this film takes place in Cantonese strikes me as seismic, even for today, and I suspect I will be equally misty eyed as the credits roll.
Yes! Well said. I think about one of my great-grandfathers who came to this country as a paper son. You had to be willing to bend some rules back then in order to survive because the system was made to punish immigrants and poc (and in many ways, still is). Btw, I love that word "seismic" -- it's such an apt way to describe the leaps and bounds that Daughter of Shanghai achieved.
A fascinating history lesson, Katie. thank you. Daughter of Shanghai sounds like a must-watch. The on-set photography and publicity stills are already beckoning me into that world.
I am London based so unfortunately won't be able to make that screening but I'll find the film.
As a reluctant film fan, I appreciate tour handling of this topic. You have invited me in .. proof of your excellent writing… and I will be watching the films,you cite, including Netflix’s Beef. As an African-American and a writer, I’m inspired to take a deeper look into the social transition of black actors and their opportunities to play rules, not specifically written for black characters. Thank you.
Saw Daughter of Shanghai on TCM as part of Asian Americans in Hollywood a couple of years ago. I particularly liked that Ahn played an FBI agent nearly 30 years before the FBI actually had an agent of Asian descent. I also liked the villain reveal, and Wong’s costumes are gorgeous. Enjoyable film.
That's a great point! And again, shows how radical this film was for its time in its ability to imagine an Asian FBI agent before it actually happened.
I cannot attend the screening, but I have always been a hue AMW fan. and would love to see this! Is there any other date that this movie is being screened?
As an Asian who has seen several of the films mentioned above, where AMW (and all the other Asian characters meet a bad end, including those in yellowface), I’m thrilled to learn about both Daughter of Shanghai and King of Chinatown. Thank you for this!!
Loved reading this! "Finally, we can embrace the Asian American dirtbags, slackers, and scammers we’ve been waiting for" 😂 I've been SAYING. my own experience is knowing such characters exist in our own extended family (generations of poverty, survival, whaddya expect), which always made the model minority trope ironic.
I loved learning about this historical film - adding to my watchlist. The fact that the closing dialogue of this film takes place in Cantonese strikes me as seismic, even for today, and I suspect I will be equally misty eyed as the credits roll.
Yes! Well said. I think about one of my great-grandfathers who came to this country as a paper son. You had to be willing to bend some rules back then in order to survive because the system was made to punish immigrants and poc (and in many ways, still is). Btw, I love that word "seismic" -- it's such an apt way to describe the leaps and bounds that Daughter of Shanghai achieved.
A fascinating history lesson, Katie. thank you. Daughter of Shanghai sounds like a must-watch. The on-set photography and publicity stills are already beckoning me into that world.
I am London based so unfortunately won't be able to make that screening but I'll find the film.
By the way, I wrote something about Beef a while back, considering the idea of rage and release. You might enjoy it. https://amarofpatel.substack.com/p/rage-ruin-rebirth
As a reluctant film fan, I appreciate tour handling of this topic. You have invited me in .. proof of your excellent writing… and I will be watching the films,you cite, including Netflix’s Beef. As an African-American and a writer, I’m inspired to take a deeper look into the social transition of black actors and their opportunities to play rules, not specifically written for black characters. Thank you.
Saw Daughter of Shanghai on TCM as part of Asian Americans in Hollywood a couple of years ago. I particularly liked that Ahn played an FBI agent nearly 30 years before the FBI actually had an agent of Asian descent. I also liked the villain reveal, and Wong’s costumes are gorgeous. Enjoyable film.
That's a great point! And again, shows how radical this film was for its time in its ability to imagine an Asian FBI agent before it actually happened.
Very informative and uplifting.
I cannot attend the screening, but I have always been a hue AMW fan. and would love to see this! Is there any other date that this movie is being screened?
I include a link to watch Daughter of Shanghai online in this post: https://halfcastewoman.substack.com/p/anna-may-wongs-top-10-films
Also, in case you'd like to attend another event, my book tour stops are updated here: https://www.notyourchinadoll.com/events
Thank you so much!! I'll keep an eye out!
As an Asian who has seen several of the films mentioned above, where AMW (and all the other Asian characters meet a bad end, including those in yellowface), I’m thrilled to learn about both Daughter of Shanghai and King of Chinatown. Thank you for this!!