Films/DVD Asylum

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Victor Khomenko

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In Reply to: Re: Taking you to task posted by blah on December 9, 2005 at 17:23:42:

But I strongly disagree with that notion... when Omar Sharif played Dr. Zhivago the failure (or lack thereof) of the film had NOTHING to do with the fact the actor was obviously not a Russian type.

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I just watched the trailer... - blah 21:35:50 12/09/05 (2)
...and it is clear that these are Chinese actors speaking English; pronunciation, intonation, mannerisms.....none of it Japanese.....most american audiences won't notice this, but it is rather disconcerting if you know Japan and Japanese...they are just out of place in this context.
- Does is bother you to see an Italian singer painted black play Otello? - Victor Khomenko 07:14:21 12/10/05 (1)
  You can say opera is more symbolic than movies, but in reality this is not so - all performing art has this, and we expect the actor's talent to shine through the layer of superficial details.
  I intentionally mentioned the Rose. In the case of Geisha you are familiar with the details, and you are stuck on them. We all are far less aware of the subtleties of the 14th century life, so pretty much everything goes - including actor's impecably groomed beard.
  Much has been written on whether a black actor could convincingly play Hamlet. I don't see why not.
  - I guess there is variation... - blah 09:55:25 12/10/05 (0)
    ...in what we are willing to accept. And, you're right--familiarity has a lot to do with it. A black actor playing Hamlet woudn't bother me, but part of that might be that Hamlet tends to transcend the time for which it was written. It doesn't really matter that Hamlet was a Dane in the grand scheme of things.
    Americans are notriously naive about other cultures and ethnic groups, and "Memoirs of a Geisha" is just another in a long line of examples regarding Asia.
ok... - blah 18:19:35 12/09/05 (1)
I would venture to guess that this movie will not do well in Japan (because of the Chinese actresses--not their fault, mind you), nor will it do well in China--the problems between these two countries run deep and to this day. It's only real chance is in the US....
- You might be right on that count - Victor Khomenko 19:48:10 12/09/05 (0)
  But that may be based in the dislikes the two peoples still to large degree have towards each other more than the actress' nationality.
  Shame... really...

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