Message from Clay Dube

[clay dube]

I'm looking forward to teacher evaluations of this new film, which is already out in Los Angeles. Please do share your thoughts about the story, the performances, and settings. Can any portion of it be effectively used to teach about Japan?

Certainly the various controversies surrounding the film provide many teachable moments. These include:

-- debates about the best-selling book, including whether or not the male American author unethically "used" his principal source

-- Steven Spielberg's original plans to make the film, including his frustration with not finding actual geisha for the roles

-- the decision by director Rob Marshal and others to cast Chinese actresses in the lead roles rather than draw upon American actresses of Asian descent or Japanese actresses

Who can "rightfully" write about a culture or a society? Must one be an insider to offer an assessment or a narrative? Is it inappropriate for actors of other ethnicities portray Japanese? Should a Texan such as Renée Zellweger be permitted to play a Britan such as Bridget Jones?

The image below is from the Hello Ziyi fansite and shows a billboard for the movie in Japan.