Vienna, Austria. Birthplace of Mozart, weiner schnitzel, neo-Nazis, and one of only two German-language one-hit wonders that at least I can think of (“Rock Me Amadeus,” by Falco).
Now they’re opening a picturesque park and naming it after…
TORA-SAN from the Japanese movie series Otoko wa Tsuraiyo (Tora-san, That Lovable Tramp).
Japan’s Forrest Gump, now an Austrian Hero.
Eine kleine Tora Park, anyone?
There’s a great documentary running on PBS right now, called “Hollywood Chinese,” about what it means to be in Hollywood as a Chinese/Chinese-American.
There will be few revelations for many of us, but they’ve interviewed a lot of awesome ABCs, and offer a surprising diversity of opinions. Some of them are incredibly thoughtful about issues of race–B.D. Wong does a brilliant job explaining the conundrum of playing Chink roles on the one hand and not being allowed to be too Chinese on the other–and some of them are Luise Rainer.
The choicest bits:
Luise Rainer, who played O-Lan in The Good Earth, justifying her being cast as the lead Chinese woman in one of America’s most enduring stories about the Asian home, by waxing “we are the world” in drug-addled pantomime that gives Gloria Swanson from Sunset Blvd. a serious run for her drug money.
Christopher Lee explaining how excruciating it was to “build” epicanthal folds for his non-Asiatic eyes.
This line: “Do I get frustrated with the de-sexualization of Asian men, as a gay Asian man? No. I’m frustrated that I have to answer questions like that.”(B.D. Wong)