Broken Blossoms: Race and Love - Movie Review Example

of the Gender and Sexual Studies of the Concerned 14 August Broken Blossoms- Race and Love The DW Griffith silent movie Broken Blossoms released in 1919 is about a love affair between a Chinese man and a white girl. This movie presents this interracial love affair in a very delicate, detailed and moving manner. Primarily speaking, this movie shows as to how the racial biases of the society influence an interracial love affair (Lee 181). The two lovers depicted in the movie belong to different races. The girl belongs to the majority and dominant race. Her lover, the Chinese man Cheng Huan belongs to a racial minority. It is this racial difference between the two lovers that greatly influences the level of intimacy between them. The minority status of the lover Cheng Huan scares him away from expressing his true feelings for the girl. Though the Chinese man Cheng Huan loves the white girl Lucy Burrows, he shies away from getting intimate with her, because of the possible social consequences of him having a relationship with a white girl. This movie shows as to how social expectations in the Western society do not accept a man of color or a man from other ethnicity, having a relationship with a white girl. These social biases give way to inhibitions, which continue to influence the behavior of Cheng Huan towards Lucy, till the very end of the movie. Though Cheng Huan loves Lucy a lot, he is never able to muster the courage to deepen his relationship with her, because of the pressing social expectations of race and ethnicity. The thing that needs to be noticed is that director DW Griffith presents the character of the Chinese man in a very cautious and restrained manner. This is perhaps because the social norms in those days were not open to accepting a full blown love affair between a man of color and a white girl. Hence, Griffith had to go about the character of Cheng Huan in a very tactful and subtle manner (Barry 28). However, the noticeable thing is that Broken Blossoms was the first movie by Griffith that dared to present a colored man in a positive light. In contrast, the 1915 movie, Birth of a Nation by Griffith happened to be racially biased against the African-American people. Hence, Griffith took the step to restrain racism in Broken Blossoms, because many people protested against his movie, Birth of a Nation. Still, one cannot deny the fact that Griffith to some extent gives in to the racial biases of his times in Broken Blossoms. He presents the Chinese man in the movie as being meek and hesitant. He was well aware that the audience of his days will not accept a confident and aggressive man of color, having an affair with a white girl. Thereby, in Broken Blossoms, Griffith keeps the character of Cheng Huan, quiet mild and evasive. The good thing is that the presentation of the Chinese man in the movie as being hesitant and self denying makes the movie seem more real and truthful. The mild character of the Asian lover in the movie happens to be in accordance with the social stereotypes prevalent in those days. The other important thing is that in Broken Blossoms, Griffith resorts to bringing out the goodness in Cheng Huan; by setting him against Lucy’s brutal father Battling Burrows. It would have been difficult for audience to accept that a person from a different ethnicity could be good. So Cheng Huan is never presented in the movie as being forthcoming with his positive character traits. It is largely owing to the rough, violent and rude character of Battling Burrows and the way he mistreats Lucy that one is able to appreciate the kindness shown by Cheng Huan towards her (Kuoshu 256). Hence, Griffith uses the vices and negative character traits of a white character, to indirectly highlight the goodness and sensitivity of a man of color. It is the cruelty inflicted by Battling Burrows on his daughter Lucy, which somehow allows the audience to bring down their racial guards, to allow for a love affair between a white girl and a Chinese man. The audience is able to accept a Chinese man having feelings for a white girl, because he is shown to be rescuing the white girl from the brutality of her merciless father. Hence, Cheng Huan is not good because he is actually a good person. Instead, Cheng Huan comes out as being good, because he is rescuing Lucy from a beast like white character. The audience allow for the falling of racial barriers between Lucy and a colored man, because in the given circumstances, Lucy has no better alternative. Yet, throughout the movie, Cheng Huan is made to restrict himself to his limits. He is not shown to be taking his love affair with a white girl to higher level, with a possibility for physical intimacy and closeness. By keeping Cheng Huan a prisoner to the limits imposed by racial norms, Griffith in a way plays to the racial prejudices and biases of his times. In other words, in Broken Blossoms, the character of a man of color and his affair with a white girl are made to fit to the popular racial expectations. The movie Broken Blossoms as a work of art allows a very minimal space and scope for growth to a colored character. Thereby, despite the fact that in Broken Blossoms, Griffith has toned down racial prejudices, still the movie is not totally devoid of racism. The character of Cheng Huan in the movie Broken Blossoms sticks to the racial stereotypes associated with the Chinese people in those days. If one takes into consideration the wardrobe, makeup, and props allocated to the character of Cheng Huan, they indeed stick to the stereotypical notions associated with the Chinese people in those days. The aesthetics of the store in which Cheng Huan works are presented as being exotic and typically foreign and strange. The background in which Cheng Huan moves is made to fit to the typical aesthetics associated with the Chinese culture. Hence, one cannot deny the fact that in the movie Broken Blossoms, the race and nationality of Cheng Huan is typically highlighted through the medium of costumes, makeup, sets and props. Hence, these attributes of the movie Broken Blossoms do indeed succeed in creating an ambience which is marked by racial biases and stereotyping. Going by these constraints one simply cannot help admiring the versatility of Richard Barthelmess, who played the role of Cheng Huan. Irrespective of the fact that his character is limited by obvious racial stereotyping, the actor is indeed able to bring in a marked intensity to the character of Cheng Huan. Cheng Huan indeed comes out as a character who irrespective of being in love with a white girl, could not manage to tide over the racial barriers to express his feelings for her. Cheng could have taken advantage of Lucy at any time. For instance, the scene in which he takes her to bed, he has that emotional intensity on his face, but he stops himself from getting intimate with Lucy. Though being on opium and unable to control his emotions and actions, Cheng always makes it a point to being kind and sensitive towards Lucy. His race always acts as an invisible barrier that stops him from being intimate with a white girl. The depth of his emotions for Lucy is depicted by the way he avenges the death of Lucy. Hence, irrespective of the stereotypical presentation of a Chinese man in Broken Blossoms, the character of Cheng Huan indeed comes out as being complex and well rounded. Despite the limited space allocated to this character by the plot, Cheng Huan indeed comes out as being a likeable and admirable character. Hence, Broken Blossoms is a movie that played an important role in extending interracial understanding and tolerance. If one considers the time in which this movie was released, presenting an interracial love affair would have been really challenging for a director. Considering this fact, one simply cannot help admiring the tact and craftsmanship of Griffith in presenting the tensions and inhibitions marking a love affair between an Asian and a white girl. Griffith is indeed able to bring out the sense of tragedy inherent in the plot, where a man of color is unable to have a relationship with a white girl he loves. Works Cited Barry, Iris. D.W. Griffith, American Film Master. New York: The Museum of Modern Art, 1940. Print. Kuoshu, Harry H. Celluloid China. Carbondale, IL: Southern Illinois University Press, 2002. Print. Lee, Julia H. Interracial Encounters. New York: New York University Press, 2011. Print. Read More