I won’t get into the argument about China’s “liberation” of Tibet here — I’ve been there before, and it always gets ugly, even worse than trying to talk about Taiwan. But the issue may get a little more awareness soon from a new documentary, Tibet: The Cry of the Snow Lion, that sounds quite intriguing. The voiceovers are done by two of Hollywood’s leading bleeding hearts, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, so you can be sure it tells the story from the Dalai Lama’s perspective, not Mao’s.
September 17, 2004
The Discussion: 16 Comments
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1
By ACB
In the same way that I wouldn’t trust a movie about Tibet coming from China, I wouldn’t trust one coming from America either.
We all remember Rambo, the Patriot, Peral Harbor, and about a million made for television movies about the gulf, Bosnia and Vietnam. Not to mention Robin hood and Joan of Arc.
How can an industry that can’t even get it’s own and European history into perspective expect to understand somebody elses history when that country is as alien to the Us as Tibet is.
Can we expect to see dashing white Tibetan heroines and manly white Tibetan heros facing off against Chinese soldiers played by Japanese American actors (Yes, I’ve seen this one done before, if you want to play a Chinese person, get a Japanese actor, that’ll really annoy the Chinese)
Unless the studio employs screen writters and directors who are hisorians or Tibetan cultural scholars, expect to see a Tibetan version of Empire of the Sun at best and King Auther at worst.
Shudder
September 17, 2004 @ 11:32 pm | Comment
2
By mameha
ACB:
right…and making Chinese play Japanese, like Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh, Elva Hsiao and Gong LI, all in Spielberg’s upcoming Memoirs of a Geisha… shudder, shudder…
read the link to Miami Herald, and find out first-hand what a crappy piece of disinformation this is, by do-gooder, over-paid, under-educated movie stars
September 18, 2004 @ 2:54 am | Comment
3
By Ex-HKer
I always wondered why China felt it necessary to “liberate” Tibet. What, they did not have enough land, not enough people? WTF? And yes, I do know history and understand why the CCP wanted it. My main concern is a possible alliance between Putin and China now (land grab).
Wow, I am posting on your blog now, Richard. Maybe I can turn your leftist leanings around…
September 18, 2004 @ 10:20 am | Comment
4
By richard
Keety, thanks for posting, but don’t count on turning me into a rightist. Actually, I tend to be a moderate, fiscally conservative, socially liberal, anti-bleeding heart BS. I am no “San Francisco Democrat,” as the right loves to call them. I just have a thing about a government that lies and spits on its people, whether it’s the CCP or bush & co.
September 18, 2004 @ 10:31 am | Comment
5
By Ex-HKer
“Actually, I tend to be a moderate, fiscally conservative, socially liberal, anti-bleeding heart BS.” Perhaps you should become a fellow Libertarian. kekeke
September 18, 2004 @ 12:52 pm | Comment
6
By richard
Sorry, I couldn’t be a libertarian — that rugged individualist Ayn Rand myth is a bit too heartless for me, and I believe government does have more responsibility to its citizens that just providing drinking water and paved roads. In every society I admire, government plays a large role in promoting the arts and education, and in providing a safety net.
Meanwhile, if you’re a true libertarian you could never vote for shrub, the man who has redefined the very concept of large, obtrusive, intrusive government, borrowing from future generations to pay for the frivolous and failed pet projects of today. Have you registered to vote? If so, be sure to vote for John F. Kerry, our last great hope. Do it for me, okay?
September 18, 2004 @ 1:07 pm | Comment
7
By richard
And about liberating Tibet…. If you ever want to bring this up with your friends in China do so at your own risk. It is one of the most interesting examples of how differernt societies can look at the same issue and see something totally different. I have to admit, I learned a lot about the situation and about how the Chinese perceive it, and I no longer see the Dalai Lama as a saint. But I don’t see the “liberators” as saints, either. Any effort to strip it down to good vs. evil will be simplistic and meaningless.
September 18, 2004 @ 1:11 pm | Comment
8
By Ex-HK'er
Yeah, I ICQ’d a good friend who is mainland born, American citizen, living in HK. He constantally dodged my Tibet question, even when I asked him point blank.
September 18, 2004 @ 2:10 pm | Comment
9
By ACB
“right…and making Chinese play Japanese, like Zhang Ziyi, Michelle Yeoh, Elva Hsiao and Gong LI, all in Spielberg’s upcoming Memoirs of a Geisha… shudder, shudder…
read the link to Miami Herald, and find out first-hand what a crappy piece of disinformation this is, by do-gooder, over-paid, under-educated movie stars”
I’m not sure if this is sarcasm or genuine.
I have actually seen movies (I think that Temple of doom was one of them), where most of the Chinese badguys were played by Japanese actors.
I wouldn’t trust anything ‘historical’ that came out of America, they have a habit to twisting the truth to make an action movie out of an ordinary plot, and of distorting history to meet modern day American ethics.
I understand why a lot of Americans can’t tell the difference between Chinese and Japanese people, but most Chinese and Japanese can. It’s rather offensive.
I’d like to see how the US would react if Abraham Lincoln or George Washington was played by an Iraqi or Martin Luthor King was played by an Indian.
Ex-HKer
China liberated Tibet just like Deng liberated Hong Kong and America wants to liberate Iraq.
September 18, 2004 @ 6:56 pm | Comment
10
By mw
the CCP liberated tibet when they liberated the rest of china.
tibet is also considered chinese territory by the ROC on taiwan. check the taiwanese maps, they even include the people’s republic of mongolia.
September 19, 2004 @ 1:05 am | Comment
11
By vaara
Interesting. A couple of commies (to use one of the the right-wing élite’s favorite slurs against people like Robbins and Sarandon) have made an anti-Commie movie; so which is more important, the medium or the message? Is absolutely everything that emerges from Tim and Susan’s imaginations automatically suspect (which would be the pro-Chinese position in this case), or could it be that maybe this time they’re actually right?
September 19, 2004 @ 3:27 am | Comment
12
By mameha
Vaara:
Of course to you, anything against China would be right…after all, look at the tenous link you tried to make between a Gobi sandstorm that blew to your side of the lake and America’s own environmental degradation.
But I take back what I said about Tim and Susan. They ain’t Commies, honey-chile. Just liberal democrats. What they need is a re-education. I’ll apply to the CCP central committee about it.
September 19, 2004 @ 9:29 pm | Comment
13
By kevin
I love the use of the word “liberated.” It has to be one of the most mis-used words of the last few centuries, and especially the past century.
September 21, 2004 @ 9:15 pm | Comment
14
By richard
The question is, Liberated from who, and liberated from what. One man’s liberation is another’s occupation. Or even enslavement.
September 21, 2004 @ 9:17 pm | Comment
15
By mameha
richard, chile!
now yo don’t go messing mameha’s head bout all this enslavement, liberation, occupation, thing. It’ s hard… ah like Jerry Springer.
Now: after reading this, ah got meself down to Borders, my first time ever, honey. And ah got this little book of quotations, featuring some lady called Jean-Paul Sartre…that right, sweetpea?
well, she said in this little book: We are all condemned to be free! Lord, me!! Hadda pray a minute!
Freedom is being condemned!! What’s gon happen to us here in US of A, I ask u?
Dem Chinese got it right: Tibetans ain’t condemned, cos they ain’t got too much freedom!! MMM…wahh!
September 21, 2004 @ 9:44 pm | Comment
16
By kole
concerning the said film, I am yet to see it.mainwhile I have a movie idea that will intrest any action screenwriter. If intrested mail me as fast as you can.Thyanks for your time.
October 28, 2004 @ 11:32 am | Comment