简介：AhighlycriticaldocumentaryaboutthehistoryofAsian-AmericanactressesinHollywood.FeaturesinterviewswithpioneeringAsian-Americanactressesandclipsfromclassicfilmssuchas"TheThiefofBagdad","TheGoodEarth",and"TheWorldofSuzieWong",interspersedwithAsian/feministsociologicalcommentary. ============================================ Eveninourpoliticallycorrectage,thestereotypeofAsianwomenasexotic,sexy,submissive,andsubservientisstillprevalentinAmericanpopularculture.Thefilmindustryhas,sinceitsverybeginnings,playedanactiveroleinthecreationandperpetuationofthisstereotype.EvensuchrecentfilmsasTheLastSamurai(2003)andMemoirsofaGeisha(2005)continuetoreinforcestereotypesofAsianwomenasexoticandbeautiful,acceptingandcoy.WhileportrayalsofAsianwomeninmainstreamcinemahaveimprovedsomewhatovertime,theystillremainlargelyessentializedcaricaturesbasedonAmericanstereotypes. DeborahGee’sthought-provoking1988documentarySlayingtheDragonexaminesthedifferentwaysAsianwomenwereportrayedinpopularcinemafromthe1920stothe1980s.ThedocumentaryexplorestheevolutionofthestereotypeoftheAsianwomanandtheinstrumentalrolethefilmindustryhasplayedinproducingthesestereotypes.Italsoexplorestherelationshipbetweenculturalproductionandpoliticalcontextbyhighlightingthewaysinwhichthefilmindustry’schangingrepresentationofAsianwomenhasbeeninfluencedbychangingparadigmsininternationalrelations.Geemasterfullyinterweavescriticalanalysis,interviews,historicalcontext,andfilmexcerptstocreateacompellingnarrativethatbothinformsandchallenges.SlayingtheDragon,byidentifyingwhereandwhyparticularnotionsofAsianwomenwerefirstimagined,servestodebunkcontemporaryAmericanstereotypesofAsianwomen. http://www.exeas.org/films/slaying-dragon.html…