MovieChat Forums > Wu ji (2006) Discussion > Western Audiences?

Western Audiences?

posted 17 years ago by JohnBowling62
10 replies | jump to latest

Some people have posted on the Message Board saying that Chinese cinema is selling out to Western audiences. I personally don't see how this could be possible since the vast majority of Westerners would hate this type of movie. Please compare some contemporary Western movies with these movies and explain to me how they are "selling out" or have Western themes. Maybe I'm wrong.

I am a Westerner and while I don't hate this movie or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, or House of Flying Daggers, I didn't find anything Western or familiar about them.

All of my friends thought the movies were wacked and instead of saying "hey, that appeals to me as a Westerner" they were saying "those Chinese people have some crazy imagination" (no offense).

Just because the films are different than the Chinese films made 20 to 30 years ago does not mean that they are selling out. Western films today are different than they were 20 to 30 years ago also, do you think they are selling out to Easterners? Film styles change and new genres emerge.

Please explain how these movies appeal to me as a Westerner.

Thanks.

[–] dsolidsnake 17 years ago

I agree with you but the truth is that even alot of asian people did not like this film. I think when people went to see this film they had house of flying daggers and hero in there mind. This movie has is in no way any resemblence of those movies. I think Kaige tried to show americans a Sci-Fi/Martial Arts film but did not appeal to our people. There are many Asian movies that have not hit U.S theaters that should have. Take 2009 lost memories that was by far a great film and it never saw the light of day in our theaters. Public Enemy/Infernal Affairs 2 great Gangster films and they also never hit in our cinemas. I think that they put films like Hero cause they know that alot of our fellow americans are indeed closed minded of there films and would never give them a chance. There are greater asian films than Martial Arts you know.

[–] JohnBowling62 17 years ago

The reason why most Americans will not like 2009 (I saw it and thought it was okay, but not as good as most people say) or such movies is not because they are close minded but because there are cultural differences between our cinema. While Siu Lam Juk Kau may be a smashing hit in China it goes unnoticed for the most part in America, not because of close mindedness but simply due to cultural differences. I personally loved the movie but most of my friends simply didn't get the humor.

It is okay for Chinese to try to make a movie that appeals to Americans and it is okay for Americans to make a movie that appeals to Chinese (just using these two countries as example). They aren't "sell outs" simply for making a movie to be showcased overseas. And most people's tastes in movies are merely preferential and cannot be categorized as "close minded" verses "open minded".

[–] dsolidsnake 17 years ago

You may be right but inthe end I guess it does not matter if every american will like asian films. As long as we like those movies Nothing else matters.

[–] jarrah42 17 years ago

hey johnbowling...

can you PLEASE change the title of this thread? check your spelling dude....

my two bob's worth - i thought it was a visual feast - sumptuous and rich in all aspects. It's a Chinese fantasy of high order...nothing more and nothing less. I wish people would stop critising films because thy fail to meet some high-brow expectations. Its simply entertainment after all!!!!!

and as for comparing it to HOFD or CTHD...why bother? they're just different, each with it's own beauty and story....

the greenman

[–] JohnBowling62 17 years ago

I tried to fix the spelling of "Audiences" but sometimes it still reads "Audiances". I always see stupid mistakes people make in spelling and it drives me crazy... of course I would make one myself.

By the way, you have a typo in "because thy fail" ... but who cares. I have come to accept typos and spelling errors as a way of life in the world of Message Boards.

[–] ttandb 12 years ago

@ jarrah42: I agree with you, I thought this movie was excellent; the cinematics was glorious, the story was both moving and funny in equal measure and the character of Yang compelling - my daughter and I (46 and 14 respectively) were both drawn into the movie and were rooting for Yang to win. The ending, although not the usual western 'happy ever after', was still satisfying and has made us seek out more movies from the Asian film market - films like The Promise, Crouching Tiger.....etc. We are finding that we prefer them to the western movies.

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Hope is just doubt on Prozac.

[–] manony 17 years ago

I guess it's because the setting is not entirely Chinese, although I would sooner say it caters more to Japanese than Western tastes - considering the falling cherry blossoms, fanciful anime-style armor and even a bishonen bad guy.

[–] christomacin 16 years ago

I would say what has happened to American (and to a great extent European) cinema over the past 20 to 30 years could just as easily be seen as an even more dramatic sell-out. Maybe it's just the way world culture is heading. Still, keep in mind that this particular genre of Chinese film was always very commercial to begin with. You wouldn't want to judge all U.S. movies by slasher films or Arnold Schwazzeneger films, would you? There are many other types of Chinese films, I'm sure, but we just haven't seen them because they don't get released in theatres or video here (usually) unless they have some commercial hook (like kung fu) to sell them. I think however, the "kung fu" type films that are good will be "gotten" by people no matter where they come from. As for Hero, House of Flying Daggers, and Curse of the Golden Flower, I think that they are more "art house" movies with kung fu elements, rather than kung fu movies with art house elements. The narrative structures and style of those films seem to suggest deeper themes than the average movie, kung fu or otherwise. So I feel they are more universal, plus Zhang is cleary one of the world's premier directors, also.

HOWEVER...I offer no excuses The Promise, because it was bad by any standards, despite some nice costumes and scenery.

[–] ChazzJazz 14 years ago

well apart from the actors looking like they have had multiple nose jobs?? ;)

Crouching Tiger apart, chinese films including Flying Dagger approached this silly lovestory in terms of pouring on the syrup a bit too much.

[–] dalldorfw 13 years ago

Chinese directors aren't sellouts for allowing an western influence, they're sellouts for allowing hack distributors (Harvey Wienstien being the most popular example) shortening and dumbing down their films for the US. release after they have already been released in their native countries.