Part 1 Living Globally Part 2 Life's Fundamentals Part 3 Life is Cinema Part 4 Afterword; Milestones; Filmography; Index
Anthony B. Chan is Associate Professor of Communication at the University of Washington, Seattle, and the author of Arming The Chinese (1982), Gold Mountain (1983), Li Ka-shing: Hong Kong's Elusive Billionaire (1996), and co-editor of People to People (1997). He was a Senior Producer and Anchor of Focus at TVB, Hong Kong, and a television journalist at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Currently an independent filmmaker, his four part series on Asian Americans in Vietnam includes American Nurse (1993), Sweat Heat (1998), and The Insanity of It All (2002).
A welcome edition to any library's Asian American and film
collections and would be appropriate for both undergraduate and
graduate students.
*Asian Affairs*
Anthony B. Chan helps a new generation discover the phenomenon of
Anna May Wong. With a historian's flair for social context,
Professor Chan not only conveys the complexity of this singular
Asian American actress, but he also shows how she was both
constrained and emboldened by the times into which she was born.
This book is a fitting tribute to a woman whose perpetually cool
style was at least matched, if not exceeded, by her shrewd ability
to beat the odds.
*Kevin Kawamoto, Media Scholar*
Chan's book details the life and career of an important
Chinese-American actress whose work has been neglected. Like Lena
Horne and Dorothy Dandridge, Anna May Wong was a talented,
beautiful woman of color limited by the restrictions of the
Hollywood film industry. Her personal and professional story is an
engrossing read for anyone interested in our social and cultural
history
*Al Sampson, SIMA Institute of Media Arts*
Chan's take on Anna May Wong is a breath of fresh air! Perpetually
Cool shines the spotlight on the woman behind the myth. Chan's
portrayal of Anna May Wong as an ancestral forerunner of overseas
Chinese feminism is a real tour de force. This book is spicy,
intoxicating and journalistically sound, a welcome addition to our
growing canon of East-West stories.
*Christina M. Wong, regular contributor to CBC Radio*
Perpetually Cool is more analytical and more concerned with placing
Wong in the context of Chinese and Chinese American history. As the
title suggests (Chan) sees her as an innate hipster and compares
her performance in Piccadilly to Marlon Brando's turn in The Wild
One.
*Village Voice*
Perpetually Cool celebrates the determination and style of Anna May
Wong, whose strength of character has inspired me in my passion as
a designer. Through Ms. Wong's universally understood story, this
book provides an astounding portrayal of the Chinese American
experience. With clarity, passion, and integrity, Professor Chan
helps us to understand the enigma that is Ms. Wong
*Maggie Norris, Designer*
...tantalizingly intriguing...
*Seattle Weekly*
[A] detailed analyses of some of Wong's most famous films. Each
chapter could stand alone as a scholarly discussion of film and
cultural theory as well as a biographical account of the actress's
life....sheds new light on this remarkable woman.
*Foreword Reviews*
It [is] most interesting when instructing us on how early
Chinese-American immigrants made their way and on the legal and
social restraints under which they lived.
*The New York Review Of Books*
...passionately explores...themes from a distinctively Asian
American perspective...sets [Wong's] story in the context of the
history of Chinese-Americans.
*Cineaste*
...suitable in collections extending to the culture of film.
*CHOICE*
Winsome and willowy, Wong made an unforgettable impact on Hollywood
with her portrayals of dragon ladies and lotus blossoms during a
time when racism raged and Asians were rarely seen in American
movies. Criticized by Chinese for her scanty outfits and for
perpetuating stereotypes, Wong was also revered for daring to
demand parity with her white counterparts. During her illustrious
career, she appeared in more than 60 features, making the
transition from silent films to talkies to, later, television. She
also performed in stage plays and vaudeville, and acted in three
languages. No other Asian American actor before or since has
matched her accomplishments.
*Northwest Asian Weekly*
Anthony B. Chan...[divides] his book into three sections. One is a
bio spanning childhood in L.A.'s Chinese community to her stardom
in silent and sound films in Hollywood and Europe. Another
addresses everything from Wong's attitudes toward Asian cultures to
her Taoist religious beliefs. The third dissects Wong's work in her
most celebrated roles, including Toll of the Sea and Shanghai
Express.
*Variety*
Born Wong Liu Tsong in Los Angeles in 1905, Anna May Wong became
Hollywood's first Chinese-American movie star. In this biography,
independent filmmaker Chan (communication, U. of Washington) tells
the story of Wong's life and examines the effects of racist
ideologies on her career. The volume concludes with textual
analyses of Wong's signature films, including The Thief of
Bagdad(1924) and Shanghai Express(1932). This is the first
paperback edition of a volume first published in 2003.
*Reference and Research Book News, May 2007*
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