Reflections on Films: Comparison of East Asian and Asian American Films

1 Both East Asian and Asian American Films have a huge impact and influence on the globalizing culture of the world. The similarities between the two are plenty, but there is also a fundamental difference of these two fields of Cinema. The history of these cinemas are driven by political, cultural, and technological change in their respective societies. Although the American Cinema has a dominance in theater presence around the world, the emergence of the Asian counterparts were largely due to the interaction and convergence of the cultures of the East and the West. In the modernizing age, plenty of films paved the way for citizens of different countries to glimpse the culture and practices of people from other nations. In a way, East Asian, and Asian American Cinema was an avenue of apprehension of what they deem as “others”. This reveals common themes and emotions that are universal for all humans, which might be a way for peace and understanding. Another similarity of the emergence of these cinemas, was that they started as a way for propaganda and controlling their people, but it soon evolved into a movement of artistic and soulful expression of the moments in human life. 2. The two directors have their own style and genre, but what connects their films, is the featuring of Japanese themes and subjects. Ozu presents his craft in a very unique way, utilizing filmography that is quite simple and subtly expressive. His films almost always utilize a stationary angle to portray the elements and the characters. His films are usually minimalis...