Films fine, enjoyed it. Really reviewing the seller. I received a lovely e-mail just after ordering letting me know approximate delivery date etc. Was nice to have someone seem so appreciative of my business.
5つ星のうち5.0A Great story, and an invaluable lesson on Chinese American experience (1940-1960)
2014年7月11日にアメリカ合衆国でレビュー済み
Amazonで購入
I use this film in a class that I teach on Asian Americans. It is first rate because first of all its a good story that entertains, but it also informs the audience about the realities of Chinese American life in America (1940's-1950's). The script follows the original novel by Louis Chu. Second, the plot is engaging, with both comedy and dramatic highs. The actors succeed in bringing alive both the plot of the story (the ups and downs of a father-son and newly wed husband & wife relationships) and the broader epic of Chinese American life in the period 1940's through early 1960"s. Third, the film also does a very good job of laying out the changing landscape of American (White society) and Asian (Cantonese-Chinese) American relations when resident Chinese in America were no longer viewed as the "Yellow horde" or the "Chinaman", but were evolving into what became known as "The model minority". In the same time period the "N" word became the "negro"....and "Chinaman" became "Chinese-American" Both evolutions were critical, where an overt hostile racist mindset evolved to a more subtle, but no less racist one of benign and nuanced prejudice and discrimination. The one negative aspect of this film is that it projects a "happy ever after" ending, where cultural assimilation is both natural and a panacea for racism. This of course, is unfortunate because it undermines the critical reality and importance of ethnic identity for Chinese Americans- and more generally all people of color.
I don't see many Asian movies unless I'm looking at a cable or PBS station. This movie is a quite entertaining and will keep you watching to the end, regardless of the extent of your exposure to Asian culture. I would recommend it to anyone that enjoys comedy.
Eat a Bowl of Tea gives us the history of Chinese immigrants in a way that is not portrayed in history books. It's the story of familial pride and the unintended side effects and consequences of real life. Yet, it's sentimental and a love story too.
I am very disappointed. I purchased this DVD assuming that it is the same version as the one I saw many years ago on TV, and that original movie highly reflect what my grandfather told me what life was like for him back then. Some of scenes were changed. The biggest change is the scenes when Russell Wong was arrested by the police. The original version I saw didn't have the Russell's father cutting off the ear of the adulterer and the police come to arrest Russell for the crime. In the original movie, the problem is handled by the Wang Family Association, where a couple of tough looking guys spoke quietly to the adulterer and ask him to leave town and never come back. The Chinese Americans back then normally don't report their problems to the police, because the police don't care. That goes with the rest of the American society. Another example is the banks. Back then, Chinese Americans don't go to the bank to borrow money. They go to their Family Association or the Chinese American Association instead.
There are other scenes that have been changed, all to down play the injustice and inequality that the white Americans assert to the non-white minority, and in this movie the Chinese Americans. After watching this DVD, I throwed it away.