Thank you for the beautiful pictures!
As for the whole Chinese/Japanese controversy, I think it is lacking a bit of finesse saying that American/European people are 'too dense' (OK, no one said 'too dense', but that the feeling) to make the difference. I am French and, as through I am can't make an extremely fine difference between Asian people, they are not all the same to me.
So, after this introduction I come to the point: acting require a part of transformation. You cannot ask Denzel Washington to play Mozart but you can ask Sienna Miller to put on dark contact lenses, cut her hair, lose a bit of weight and play Eddie. Based on that, Zhang and Gong can pull playing Japanese women.
Zhang possess a unique face with a strong bone structure who is neither chinese nor Japanese (or at least she differs greatly from all the Chinese women I have ever seen, and they are a lot in Paris). Her face is naturally odd and beyond ethnic clichés, so why not?
Gong is much more chinese looking, but she is a pro and lost a lot of weigh for the role (anyone who've seen Raising the red lantern can remember her being much plumier and her face rounder). The results: a thinner frame and some killer cheekbones. Add make up to that and really, she look Japanese enough for the film.
The one who is a total miscast and a joke is Yeoh. She not going to convince anyone (even 'dense' Western people, LOL), that she has a drop of Japanese blood in her vein.
Save from her, what's the fuss all about?
Now, I have scans from the December 2005 Vogue US article on Memoirs. The pics are gorgeous, I can post if it has not been done and anyone is interested.
As for the whole Chinese/Japanese controversy, I think it is lacking a bit of finesse saying that American/European people are 'too dense' (OK, no one said 'too dense', but that the feeling) to make the difference. I am French and, as through I am can't make an extremely fine difference between Asian people, they are not all the same to me.
So, after this introduction I come to the point: acting require a part of transformation. You cannot ask Denzel Washington to play Mozart but you can ask Sienna Miller to put on dark contact lenses, cut her hair, lose a bit of weight and play Eddie. Based on that, Zhang and Gong can pull playing Japanese women.
Zhang possess a unique face with a strong bone structure who is neither chinese nor Japanese (or at least she differs greatly from all the Chinese women I have ever seen, and they are a lot in Paris). Her face is naturally odd and beyond ethnic clichés, so why not?
Gong is much more chinese looking, but she is a pro and lost a lot of weigh for the role (anyone who've seen Raising the red lantern can remember her being much plumier and her face rounder). The results: a thinner frame and some killer cheekbones. Add make up to that and really, she look Japanese enough for the film.
The one who is a total miscast and a joke is Yeoh. She not going to convince anyone (even 'dense' Western people, LOL), that she has a drop of Japanese blood in her vein.
Save from her, what's the fuss all about?
Now, I have scans from the December 2005 Vogue US article on Memoirs. The pics are gorgeous, I can post if it has not been done and anyone is interested.
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!!! omg... excellent work bobby lee..
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