Moviecut—China Doll

source: China Doll

China Doll

Obviously, Frank Borzage's "China Doll" is bound to be a little dated in terms of gender relations and race relations. Nonetheless, its depiction of the romance between a US pilot and a Chinese woman must've been bold for the era (remember that the Hays Code banned the portrayal of interracial relationships). It apparently wasn't the only movie depicting such a relationship, but you have to understand the era in which it got released. The obvious unpleasant side is that the Chinese woman gets depicted as a lotus flower (a common stereotype). The recent murder of several Asian women in Atlanta has drawn attention to the fetishization of Asian women. As long as we understand the questionable portrayal, we can appreciate the movie. The entire cast puts on fine performances. I recommend the movie.

I agree that it was touching in spots, downright sad in others, but what really spoiled it for me was the fact that the leading man and lady weren't able to kiss because of the race issue. That made it seem very stilted and unbelievable. Just when did they throw out the ban on interracial kissing, anyway?

This appears to be a pretty low-budget movie. As such, it is very poignant -- right up there with Borzage's best. The location and matter-of-fact story of miscegenation, which must have been quite shocking for its time, remind one of Samuel Fuller (generally a far more rough and gritty director than Borzage).