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19 Apr 2016 01:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
firecat"Scarlett Johansson’s Ghost in the Shell casting is even worse than it seems," by Kwame Opam
My take on this article: I agree with its argument that the story of Ghost in the Shell is inherently Japanese and it's racist to whitewash the live action remake.
But I think by the argument that the story is inherently Japanese, there should be no white European remake of the story at all. (The director is British, the writers are white, except that the writer for the original Ghost in the Shell is also credited.) Casting Japanese actors wouldn't solve the problem that white European movie-makers are pretty unlikely to do justice to an inherently Japanese story line.
I'm therefore inclined to assume that this is going to be a movie that doesn't have anything in common with the original anime, except the title and the names of some of the characters.
I would normally be interested in seeing an action movie with Scarlett Johannson in it, if it got good reviews, because there aren't enough action movies with female leads. And I'm undecided whether I should boycott this movie because it's named after a Japanese anime movie. I probably won't decide until I see reviews.
What do you think?
My take on this article: I agree with its argument that the story of Ghost in the Shell is inherently Japanese and it's racist to whitewash the live action remake.
But I think by the argument that the story is inherently Japanese, there should be no white European remake of the story at all. (The director is British, the writers are white, except that the writer for the original Ghost in the Shell is also credited.) Casting Japanese actors wouldn't solve the problem that white European movie-makers are pretty unlikely to do justice to an inherently Japanese story line.
I'm therefore inclined to assume that this is going to be a movie that doesn't have anything in common with the original anime, except the title and the names of some of the characters.
I would normally be interested in seeing an action movie with Scarlett Johannson in it, if it got good reviews, because there aren't enough action movies with female leads. And I'm undecided whether I should boycott this movie because it's named after a Japanese anime movie. I probably won't decide until I see reviews.
What do you think?
no subject
Date: 27 Apr 2016 03:03 am (UTC)True. I'm more than satisfied with the GitS manga and anime series and the anime movies. I have no need or desire to watch a Hollywood version.
But what really infuriated me was their "justification" for casting Scarlett. I'll explain this with an analogy.
(A little background info, I'm a non-American POC and I've been an anime fan since I was five.)
During the 80s and 90s, American women got two female heroes that empowered ordinary women and changed things for actresses too. (Well, it had a very global effect too 'cause these two characters are my heroes as well.) If you are a white American woman, imagine what your world would look like if you didn't have Ellen Ripley and Buffy Summers as positive female role-models because studios decided that movies with strong female leads just wouldn't be successful. And we all know the success of Alien franchise and Buffy the Vampire Slayer and how audiences can surprise you.
That's how I feel when I'm informed that a Japanese actress playing a hugely popular Japanese character apparently wouldn't draw audiences to cinemas. Well if they already feel that people won't pay to see this movie, before the making of the movie is even begun, why invest in this project in the first place?
no subject
Date: 27 Apr 2016 05:12 am (UTC)