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ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN MEDIA WATCH OPPOSES
RACISM AND SEXISM IN "YEAR OF THE DRAGON"
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" The Year Of The Dragon' is even worse than talky, racist and
slow. It's sloppy."
Richard Manly. Star News
"But the movie isn't only about a racist. The movie itself is racist."
Peter Rainer, Los Angeles Herald Examiner
"It just exploits a chain of associations many Americans feel about
Vietnam and in a nasty, Yellow Peril twist, hangs them on the
Chinese."
John Powers, L.A. Weekly
"Ultimately her role (Ariane) was that of the subservient Asian
woman who kisses the white conqueror's feet."
Margo Skinner, Asian Week
"Cimino didn't direct a movie, he's choreographed a racist's temper tantrum."
Carrie Rickey, Boston Herald
AUTHOR SPEAKS OUT:
"I sold the rights to the book in good faith. I tried to show that the
Chinese were as good as any other human beings, who suffer and
care, and bleed like anyone else. This portrayal is horrible. There
is no savi$ point to this film," said Robert Daley. (Quoted from
Star News)
ASIAN PACIFIC AMfffCANS OUTRAGED* \
National protestaleadjoy Asian Pacific Americans and supported
by many others haWcriticized the degrading features of this film
and have also expressed alarm at the trend of graving anti-Asian
sentiment in the U.S. ©
ASIAN AMERICAN COMMUNITY
PROTEST LEAD TO MQM/UA DISCLAIMERS
Asian Pacific American Media Watch commends the speedy
response of MGM/UA chairman of the board and chief executive
officer, Frank Rothman, who said, "The filmmakers did not intend
to offend. All of us are sorry." The distributor placed a disclaimer
at the top of the pix in New York and Los Angeles theatres Labor
Day weekend.
MEDIA WffH CHALLENGES INDUSTRY:
Asian Pacific American Media Watch has issued a challenge to
industry to create more realistic films about Asian Pacific
Americans, and will seek agreements with studio executives and
producers to encourage hiring of Asian Pacific Americans in
decision-making and creative positions as well as creation of community advisory boards and support of community projects.
LOS ANGELES ASIAN PACIFIC AMERICAN MEDIA WATCH
AND PARTIAL LIST OF SUPPORTERS OF STATEMENT:
American Citizens for Justice, Detroit, Michigan
Asian ^'f^^m§ric;-gn. LocjaLCenter of Southern California
Aisociafion of Asfan^acmc American Artists
Chinese American Citizens Alliance
Eastwind Magazine
Japanese American Citizens League
,    Joint Chinese Universities Alumni Assn. of Southern California
Korean American Coalition
National Coalition for Redress and Reparations
New York Coalition agais^it "Year Of The Dragon"
Organization of Chinese Americans
San Francisco Bay Area Coalition Against
rj^ "Year Of The Dragon"
UCLA Association of Chinese Americans
UCLA Chinese Student Association
wSouth Bay Chinese American Association