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| (OutNow-CH 2003) |
The
fight scene. An integral part of the vast majority of contemporary Hollywood
action films, and synonymous with the genre. Yet, the quintessential fight
scene is the product of globalisation, and more specifically, the amalgamation
of American and Asian cinematic cultures. The Asianisation of Hollywood, and in
particular the action genre, can be observed since the 1980’s as directors,
actors and choreographers relocated from the Hong Kong film industry to
Hollywood (Klein 2004, p. 365). Incidentally and unsurprisingly, the rise in
the popularity of Asian cinema in America and the Asianisation of Hollywood
mirrored the increase in Asian migration into America. In the 1990’s, the peak
of the Asianisation of Hollywood, approximately 25% of the American immigrant
population were Asian born, compared to 5% in the 1960’s (Migration Policy
Institute). Thus, the Asianisation of Hollywood can be seen as being part of a
greater cultural trend of Asian integration and acceptance in the American
culture. This supports Healey’s
definition of globalisation, which describes the phenomenon as the ‘rapid
increase in cross-border economic, social, technological [and political]
exchange’ (Healey 2008, p. 1)), and is evidence of the multidimensional
structure of globalisation.
One film that comes to mind when discussing
the Asianisation of Hollywood is Tarantino’s Kill Bill (2003) (2012). In that film, the
director incorporates distinctly Asian themes into both the plot and choreography,
to produce a film that is a fusion of the elements of the US Western and Asian
martial arts films (Hunt 2008, p. 220). A similar hybridization of the archetypal East and West is
evident in many Hollywood films, perhaps most clearly displayed in Dey’s Shanghai Noon (2000), which depicted the
unlikely alliance that formed between a Chinese imperial guard (Jackie Chan) and
an American cowboy outlaw (Owen Wilson). Yet, although these films and many
others draw attention to the fact that they are hybrids, the incorporation of Asian
themes into other Hollywood films has been less pronounced and is often
subliminal. This can be seen in the naturalization of Asian martial arts choreography
as a part of action sequences and fight scenes. An example of this is the Spider-Man film (2002), in which the hero defeats his opponents without
the use of weapons (2013). In the end, the Asianisation of Hollywood is
reflective of the broader processes of globalisation.
Reference List:
Healey, J 2008, The globalisation issue, Spinney Press, Thirroul NSW.
Hunt, L 2008, 'Asophilia, Asianisation and the Gatekeeper Auteur: Quentin Tarantino and Luc Besson' in L Hunt & L Wing-Fai (eds), East Asian cinemas: exploring international connections in film, I.B. Tauris, New York, pp. 220-236.
Kill Bill 2003, motion picture, A Band Apart
Productions, US.
Kill Bill Volume
1 – Official Trailer HD (2003)
2012, YouTube, 1 December, retrieved 23 September 2012, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot6C1ZKyiME>.
Klein, C 2004, ‘Martial arts and the
globalization of US and Asian film industries’, Comparative American Studies, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 360-384.
Migration Policy Institute, ‘Region of Birth
as a Percentage of the Total Immigrant Population, 1960 to 2011’, retrieved 20
September 2013, <http://www.migrationinformation.org/datahub/charts/fb.2.shtml>.
OutNow-CH 2003, 'Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003)', retrieved 23 September 2013, http://outnow.ch/Movies/2003/KillBill.Vol1/Bilder/vol1.fs/50>.
Shanghai
Noon 2000, motion picture, Touchstone
Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment, US.
Spider-Man 2002, motion picture, Marvel Entertainment
and Laura Ziskin Productions, US.
Spiderman 1
School Scene 2013, YouTube, 2 March, retrieved
23 September 2013, <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYFFVxcRDbQ>.
