Chan casting

Thanks to Howard Rosenberg for his thoughtful article on the Charlie Chan issue with Fox TV (“The Case of the Concerned but Ignorant Movie Channel,” July 7). It has brought up a lot of sad memories from my past with uncles who were Asian Americans and lived through several wars.

Addressing his point “How does rejecting the Chan movies, because of casting choices made seven decades ago, benefit Asian actors in 2003?”: My feeling is that there aren’t many Asian male actors on TV today. We, as an Asian American community, would rather not have any representation than one in which a white man plays an Asian man who tapes up his eyelids. It’s just too painful, especially when TV companies such as Fox profess to be considerate to multicultural sensitivities and then push shows like “Banzai.”

Tommy Kwok

Sherman Oaks

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I am shocked and must say offended by Howard Rosenberg’s article about Fox Movie Channel’s cancellation of its Charlie Chan festival.

Rosenberg seems to assert that Charlie Chan movies weren’t that bad because Chan was portrayed as a competent cop, but the most damaging aspect of those movies lies far beneath Chan’s cool demeanor.

The most damaging (and thus offensive) aspect of Charlie Chan movies is the implicit message conveyed when viewers see a white actor with his eyes pulled back attempting to portray an Asian American person. The message is this: Asian Americans are not worthy of realistic portrayal; they are only worthy of caricature and impersonation.

Although Rosenberg’s purpose in writing the article may have been to support colorblind casting decisions (he talks about a black or Asian Hamlet, which I agree is a fantastic idea), his implied assertion that Charlie Chan movies are insignificant in the long history of the American cinema’s racist portrayal of people of color is without merit.

If the stereotypical portrayal of Charlie Chan carries no social valence today, why is it that Asian American youths, so thirsty for a movie truly about them, rushed in droves to see “Better Luck Tomorrow”?

Stephanie Baldovi

Santa Monica