Ju-On vs. The Grudge ~ Discrimination Hollywood Style
[ ☆: | here and now and with kami ]
[ ♥: |
working ]
[ ♬: | hakuei ~ lost in heaven ]
Ju-On vs. The Grudge ~ Discrimination Hollywood Style
Why were Japanese influences included in the American movie The Grudge?
Recently, Japanese horror movies found, as a result of remakes like The Ring or The Grudge, a fixed place in the popular culture of America and Europe. Along with all those remakes not only ghost stories are transported but also views of the other, the different Japanese culture. That those views can differ much from reality, although they pretend not to do so, becomes obvious under a closer investigation. Japanese culture is no more background but backdrop for the American actors. This is not only disturbing but it becomes dangerous if cultural facts suddenly are completely interpreted wrong and spread, like the Ring virus, from watcher to watcher, creating more and more wrong stereotypes of Japan and Japanese people. As example for the thesis of left-over influences which are taken over from the original movie I will have a closer look on the the American horror movie The Grudge, as 2004's remake of the Japanese film Ju-On, and show how, even in cooperation with a Japanese writer, one basic idea for a film can split in two completely different directions.
Basically the storylines of The Grudge and Ju-On seem to follow the same pattern. A curse lies on a house where a man killed his wife Kayako and child Toshio because of envy. Everyone who enters it is cursed, too. Different people got in contact with the curse and die or disappear. The American version takes this over but adds certain facts like details about Kayako and the love relationship of the American character, Karen, which shall be discussed more detailed later on.
Interestingly enough The Grudge took over the setting of the original movie. But although the whole story takes place in Japan and even the actors of the ghosts and the policeman are the same as in Ju-On, the main protagonists are, obviously for reasons of popularity of American actors in the target country America, changed to Americans living in Japan. Therefore the depiction of the characters differs extremely from one movie to the other. The American main character Karen, who is taken over from the role of Rika Mishina, shares certain similarities with her Japanese counterpart, like the same job as voluntary nurse for the elderly, but the characters' attitudes differ. While Rika is the shy and easily scared, Karen, who is depicted by Sarah Michelle Gellar, often reminds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for she is straight forward, very self confident and even challenging the curse to rescue the man he loves. It becomes clear that the American version kept most parts Rika's story but needed to change her role into a heroine to make the movie more suitable for the mainstream American audience. But not only the characters who are replaced by American actors got changed. Especially Kayako, the murdered wife and ghost, is the character with the most changes not only as a ghost but especially as a human. Where she was a normal housewife in the Ju-On, she becomes the evil stalker who is possessed by the American man she loves. Depicted as weired, childish, ill minded and crazy it seems to be clear for the audience that, as a ghost, she can not be anything else but evil. This becomes important regarding the fact that she, in any other case, is still a left over from the original movie. This depiction of the exotic woman, always hiding behind her black hair, who is madly in love with the well ordered, blond, western American man supports certain stereotypes discussed in the discourse of Orientalism.
This leads me directly to the depiction of Japan and Japanese people in The Grudge. For the movie is set in Japan, the background is of course Japanese. This is depicted in the known cliché mixture of temple versus skyscraper architecture, showing the mysterious background of, in other respects, modern Japan. Many scenes show the American characters lost in the foreign country. Depicted in cold, blueish colours, Japan becomes a hostile place where survival is hard for an American who, not even capable of the Japanese language, becomes not only the victim of strange ghosts and a typical Japanese curse but also of the dangerous Japanese people, as for example the broker, who brings the American people knowingly in contact with the curse and therefore damns them for money. But a deeper view of the Japanese characters in the movie becomes impossible. Telephone calls stay untranslated, keeping the Japanese roles flat, while the Americans take over the setting less successful. Displaced in their foreign, unfriendly and dark surrounding they seem to be lost even before the curse is even mentioned. But it is to no avail to search for a Japanese reality besides those stereotypical pictures. Japan, there, is shown as the land of mysteries, strangers and unknown horrors for those who try manage their life there, the far away and exotic place the Americans try to conquer. And therefore it becomes not part but just backdrop for another American settler's adventure story as it can be found thousandfold in American western movies. Japan, taken into The Grudge, is suddenly orientalized and claimed by the western culture to give the west a new platform to perform, as it was done in early oriental tales, too.
The last part of the analyse of The Grudge shall be the horror effects. The American version has taken over the Japanese ghosts as carrier of the movie's horror. The Yūrei, traditional Japanese ghosts which have their roots in Kabuki and ancient woodblock prints could be best translated as lost souls or spirits. Their depiction as white clothed, as in a traditional burial kimono, with long black hair, for hair is believed to continue growing after death, and blueish make-up, called aiguma, symbolizing negative traits like jealousy and fear, has been taken over completely into the American remake. But the similarity remains on the outwards visible effects (which lose their importance because they are hardly known to an American mainstream audience), even including certain camera positions and perspectives. Where the Japanese cultural background differs between the revenging ghost of Kayako (Oyuki) and the quite harmless ghost of her son Toshio (Zashiki-Warashi), both ghosts are aggressively attacking the other characters in The Grudge. Furthermore the American movie includes scenes with a far more detailed depiction of violence. Using even splatter effects, zombie like creatures, which cause horror by disgust, or psychopathic horror (as in the depiction of Kayako as a human), the ghosts become the curse to humanity and are not, as in the Japanese Ju-On, cursed to be evil. Complex issues, such as possession or change of personality, which explain most of the story in Ju-On, are left out. Again, the main focus shifts towards the American characters, especially Karen, who have to fight against those adverse conditions - where in the original version no Japanese character, not even the courageous policemen, have a chance to escape the ghost, she manages this twice. Kayako who was originally pushing the events forward because the story of Ju-On follows her way of revenge is therefore reduced from a main character to a pure effect in the remake, where her sadness and feelings are completely disregarded.
So the concluding question might by why certain Japanese elements are taken into the American movie and, beyond, why it did not take place in the US anyway? The Japanese backdrop, as mentioned above, in the American movie is very profitable for many different reasons. An unknown, foreign cultural setting to differ from "ordered" American life offers the possibility to include the factor of loneliness as an aspect of horror into the movie. The aim of the American movie is to show a new horror through alienation and even change of the alien and unknown. Truth is, as in old tales like Jungle Book or stories from the times of colonialism, not important. What counts are the effects and the outcome, resulting in the heroic depiction of the conquerers against any adverse conditions, making the film perfectly suitable for an American mainstream audience which is looking for an American hero. The unimportance of the Japanese becomes even obvious after the end of the movie: the ending credits first mention the American actors, then the Japanese.
This essay was written for a seminar about Japanese-American Relationships. It's based on a presentation and various cultural theories. I bet it includes some mistakes I'm too lazy to correct.
If you want to use this paper in any way, credit me and link back to this page!
It's written by me ~ and therefore mine. It was much to read and based on cultural theories I had to work out. Don't dare to try a copy and paste. This page can be easily found via google.
I'd be glad to know were you used it (especially because Asian American literature and culture isn't that much discussed yet) but it's not necessary ~ but a comment if you take it would be much appreciated. =D
Facts:
1418 words
3 pages in MLA style
graded 1.0
[ ♥: |
working ]
[ ♬: | hakuei ~ lost in heaven ]
Ju-On vs. The Grudge ~ Discrimination Hollywood Style
Why were Japanese influences included in the American movie The Grudge?
Recently, Japanese horror movies found, as a result of remakes like The Ring or The Grudge, a fixed place in the popular culture of America and Europe. Along with all those remakes not only ghost stories are transported but also views of the other, the different Japanese culture. That those views can differ much from reality, although they pretend not to do so, becomes obvious under a closer investigation. Japanese culture is no more background but backdrop for the American actors. This is not only disturbing but it becomes dangerous if cultural facts suddenly are completely interpreted wrong and spread, like the Ring virus, from watcher to watcher, creating more and more wrong stereotypes of Japan and Japanese people. As example for the thesis of left-over influences which are taken over from the original movie I will have a closer look on the the American horror movie The Grudge, as 2004's remake of the Japanese film Ju-On, and show how, even in cooperation with a Japanese writer, one basic idea for a film can split in two completely different directions.
Basically the storylines of The Grudge and Ju-On seem to follow the same pattern. A curse lies on a house where a man killed his wife Kayako and child Toshio because of envy. Everyone who enters it is cursed, too. Different people got in contact with the curse and die or disappear. The American version takes this over but adds certain facts like details about Kayako and the love relationship of the American character, Karen, which shall be discussed more detailed later on.
Interestingly enough The Grudge took over the setting of the original movie. But although the whole story takes place in Japan and even the actors of the ghosts and the policeman are the same as in Ju-On, the main protagonists are, obviously for reasons of popularity of American actors in the target country America, changed to Americans living in Japan. Therefore the depiction of the characters differs extremely from one movie to the other. The American main character Karen, who is taken over from the role of Rika Mishina, shares certain similarities with her Japanese counterpart, like the same job as voluntary nurse for the elderly, but the characters' attitudes differ. While Rika is the shy and easily scared, Karen, who is depicted by Sarah Michelle Gellar, often reminds of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, for she is straight forward, very self confident and even challenging the curse to rescue the man he loves. It becomes clear that the American version kept most parts Rika's story but needed to change her role into a heroine to make the movie more suitable for the mainstream American audience. But not only the characters who are replaced by American actors got changed. Especially Kayako, the murdered wife and ghost, is the character with the most changes not only as a ghost but especially as a human. Where she was a normal housewife in the Ju-On, she becomes the evil stalker who is possessed by the American man she loves. Depicted as weired, childish, ill minded and crazy it seems to be clear for the audience that, as a ghost, she can not be anything else but evil. This becomes important regarding the fact that she, in any other case, is still a left over from the original movie. This depiction of the exotic woman, always hiding behind her black hair, who is madly in love with the well ordered, blond, western American man supports certain stereotypes discussed in the discourse of Orientalism.
This leads me directly to the depiction of Japan and Japanese people in The Grudge. For the movie is set in Japan, the background is of course Japanese. This is depicted in the known cliché mixture of temple versus skyscraper architecture, showing the mysterious background of, in other respects, modern Japan. Many scenes show the American characters lost in the foreign country. Depicted in cold, blueish colours, Japan becomes a hostile place where survival is hard for an American who, not even capable of the Japanese language, becomes not only the victim of strange ghosts and a typical Japanese curse but also of the dangerous Japanese people, as for example the broker, who brings the American people knowingly in contact with the curse and therefore damns them for money. But a deeper view of the Japanese characters in the movie becomes impossible. Telephone calls stay untranslated, keeping the Japanese roles flat, while the Americans take over the setting less successful. Displaced in their foreign, unfriendly and dark surrounding they seem to be lost even before the curse is even mentioned. But it is to no avail to search for a Japanese reality besides those stereotypical pictures. Japan, there, is shown as the land of mysteries, strangers and unknown horrors for those who try manage their life there, the far away and exotic place the Americans try to conquer. And therefore it becomes not part but just backdrop for another American settler's adventure story as it can be found thousandfold in American western movies. Japan, taken into The Grudge, is suddenly orientalized and claimed by the western culture to give the west a new platform to perform, as it was done in early oriental tales, too.
The last part of the analyse of The Grudge shall be the horror effects. The American version has taken over the Japanese ghosts as carrier of the movie's horror. The Yūrei, traditional Japanese ghosts which have their roots in Kabuki and ancient woodblock prints could be best translated as lost souls or spirits. Their depiction as white clothed, as in a traditional burial kimono, with long black hair, for hair is believed to continue growing after death, and blueish make-up, called aiguma, symbolizing negative traits like jealousy and fear, has been taken over completely into the American remake. But the similarity remains on the outwards visible effects (which lose their importance because they are hardly known to an American mainstream audience), even including certain camera positions and perspectives. Where the Japanese cultural background differs between the revenging ghost of Kayako (Oyuki) and the quite harmless ghost of her son Toshio (Zashiki-Warashi), both ghosts are aggressively attacking the other characters in The Grudge. Furthermore the American movie includes scenes with a far more detailed depiction of violence. Using even splatter effects, zombie like creatures, which cause horror by disgust, or psychopathic horror (as in the depiction of Kayako as a human), the ghosts become the curse to humanity and are not, as in the Japanese Ju-On, cursed to be evil. Complex issues, such as possession or change of personality, which explain most of the story in Ju-On, are left out. Again, the main focus shifts towards the American characters, especially Karen, who have to fight against those adverse conditions - where in the original version no Japanese character, not even the courageous policemen, have a chance to escape the ghost, she manages this twice. Kayako who was originally pushing the events forward because the story of Ju-On follows her way of revenge is therefore reduced from a main character to a pure effect in the remake, where her sadness and feelings are completely disregarded.
So the concluding question might by why certain Japanese elements are taken into the American movie and, beyond, why it did not take place in the US anyway? The Japanese backdrop, as mentioned above, in the American movie is very profitable for many different reasons. An unknown, foreign cultural setting to differ from "ordered" American life offers the possibility to include the factor of loneliness as an aspect of horror into the movie. The aim of the American movie is to show a new horror through alienation and even change of the alien and unknown. Truth is, as in old tales like Jungle Book or stories from the times of colonialism, not important. What counts are the effects and the outcome, resulting in the heroic depiction of the conquerers against any adverse conditions, making the film perfectly suitable for an American mainstream audience which is looking for an American hero. The unimportance of the Japanese becomes even obvious after the end of the movie: the ending credits first mention the American actors, then the Japanese.
This essay was written for a seminar about Japanese-American Relationships. It's based on a presentation and various cultural theories. I bet it includes some mistakes I'm too lazy to correct.
If you want to use this paper in any way, credit me and link back to this page!
It's written by me ~ and therefore mine. It was much to read and based on cultural theories I had to work out. Don't dare to try a copy and paste. This page can be easily found via google.
I'd be glad to know were you used it (especially because Asian American literature and culture isn't that much discussed yet) but it's not necessary ~ but a comment if you take it would be much appreciated. =D
Facts:
1418 words
3 pages in MLA style
graded 1.0