Customer Reviews

Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong (1905-1961) (The Scarecrow Filmmakers Series)

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3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Mr. Chan seems to have a rather noteworthy career in Chinese-American History, and he drew a lot from that to add into his book on Anna May Wong.
I don't know that 'Perpetually Cool' relates to Anna May by those that have researched her at length. He titles one chapter, "The Journey Ends Halfway" based on his believing that Anna May was in an episode of "Danger Man", known America as "Secret Agent", which was called, "The Journey Ends Halfway". I have viewed this episode, and the Anna May Wong that was in this was not the Anna May Wong of whom he writes. An Anna May Wong appeared in a few movies and TV shows, but was a much younger person, perhaps capitalizing on the name of the more famous one. To title a chapter based on an error, when there are so many other choices he could have used, shows poor research.
Omissions on a star are one thing. Erroneous info is another.
Having researched Anna May Wong for over thirty years I was disappointed at the direction he took. In a Wyatt Earp TV episode, he calls her part an 'Antiracist Activist'. What a euphemism!! Anna May played China Mary, who was the feared leader of the Chinese community in Tombstone. She tried to protect Chinese criminals from white justice. Activist is someone who is part of or leads campaigns. The Chinese Community in days of old did everything they could to prosper quietly in a white world.
In short, he seems to have slanted Anna May's life to his thinking and beliefs.
A caption under a publicity photo of her says "Daoist Mood", as if he knew what was on her mind or the photographer's. It's a publicity photo. Nothing more. Nothing less. This kind of thought pattern runs throughout. Anna was a follower of Christian Science.
$45.00 is a lot to pay for a book with 16 photos, none of which broke any new ground, though I enjoyed the shot of Anna in London's Limehouse district.
He did a lot of superficial research, which rang of "Round up the usual suspects." Some of the articles he based his bio on had erroneous facts in it, which upon digging deeper, he would have found.
Though I am critical of his work, it is welcome.

Perpetually Cool: The Many Lives of Anna May Wong, 1905-1961 (Filmmakers Series), by Anthony B. Chan is not a fun read.

The book is not a breezily written show biz bio to be read at a gallop, and enjoyed as a collection of well-known facts, juicy gossip, and scandalous speculation about its subject, nor is it intended to be so.

It is by far the most ambitious of the three books currently available on Anna May Wong, and one written with a degree of academic rigor. In it, Chan attempts to examine the life of his subject through her own words and extant examples of her art, and to place her in various historical, theoretical, artistic, philosophical and political contexts. It is a serious (perhaps overly serious) scholarly work featuring a filmography, notes on sources and many quotes from vintage reviews and writings, and while there may be a few inaccuracies, it is an overall welcome addition to the available literature on Wong.

Chan's 312-page tome is organized in three sections, and comprises eighteen chapters, each treating an aspect of Wong's biography, thought, milieu and her films and related work. It also weaves in exhaustive (and at times exhausting) discourses on subjects such as the representation of Asians in European and European American literature and entertainment, the theatrical tradition of "yellowface" (non-Asians playing the part of Asians), the rise of modern China, prostitution in colonial Shanghai, the basic principles of Taoism and Confucianism, and lots more.

The chapters can be read as independent essays, and there is a certain amount of repetition of facts and theories and interpretive conclusions between them.

Chan's approach and methodology is informed by the theories of a number of cited postmodern writers, particularly those of the late Edward Said, author of the influential text, Orientalism. To borrow a few ideas and phrases from Said, it would appear that Chan is attempting a recovery of a history hitherto either misrepresented or rendered invisible by a quasi-colonial hegemony, and an exposure of stereotypes of "the Other" and the actualities they've perpetuated and informed.

It can also be said that Chan has an axe to grind with "European American Hollywood," "European American actors," "European America" and all who done Wong wrong. He cites examples of the tendency by Hollywood--and society at large--to perpetuate racist notions of Asians as villainous, inscrutable, and generally unsavory, and how these tendencies inhibited the artistic career of Anna May Wong.

While insidious racism and the casting practices of her day undoubtedly limited Wong's choice of quality roles, Chan seemingly does not care to stress that there were many Europeans and European Americans--intellectual and cultural heavyweights on the order of Walter Benjamin, Carl Van Vechten and Evelyn Waugh--who actually admired, championed, celebrated and befriended Wong, and for all the right reasons. He does hit us over the head--relentlessly--with examples of how he feels she was belittled, slighted, and passed over by the European American Hollywood hegemony.

Chan's book is best when he allows his subject to speak for herself, and aficionados of Wong and her films will be grateful for the generous quotes from Wong's interviews and writings presented here. Chan himself is best when he writes objectively, and some of his descriptions of Wong's acting are quite vivid. Chan seems less convincing in his interpretive writing, and some of his observations seem overstated and thesis-bound.

Anna May Wong was, by all accounts, an amazing person; cultured, witty, extravagantly talented, and someone who exhibited an amazing drive to succeed. (How many little girls dream of stardom, and how few achieve it?) Though her talents were in many ways squandered, she worked in practically every entertainment medium extant in her lifetime (Wong starred in Hollywood's very first Technicolor feature at age 17 in 1922, and had her own network television detective series in 1951!), and found work in her chosen profession from her teen years to her death in late middle age. Wong was indeed "perpetually cool;" one wishes that Chan's book was perhaps more balanced, more lively, and more successful in conveying those very characteristics it purports to celebrate in its subject.

This book is a little bit dry. big theories shadow the inadequate narratives about the subject. Especially, the Daoist analaysis does not make sense for me. Follow Chan's logic, everyone could be a Daoist, at least at certain moment of your life. Wish the author got deeper in his research.

It seems that Chan befriended Wong's surviving brother, why have not any oral materials through interviews been included?

I loved Anthony Chan's book "Perpetually Cool!" It's the best book on Anna May Wong currently on the market. Unlike some other books and articles, Prof. Chan does not present Anna May Wong as a "victim" or "exotic" creature to be ogled but rather as a woman who triumphed over adversity, overcame much prejudice, took care of her family, created her own sense of style which remains iconic even today, and led a courageous and exciting life. As a Chinese American, I especially appreciated the Asian American perspective of his book. I too remember seeing Anna May Wong in "Shanghai Express" for the first time on a late-night TV showing, when I was about eight or nine years old. In those days in the late-1970s in America, there were NO glamorous images of Asians, just that awful Calgon commercial. And here was a stunningly beautiful, self-confident Asian woman holding her own against Dietrich. In fact, I think Anna May stole the movie from Dietrich with her multi-layered performance. Prof. Chan's book was fascinating to me because I had not realized all the amazing things Anna May had done in her life, including her stage work in Europe and Vaudeville, her talent with languages, and her work on behalf of charities. What a heroine! Prof. Chan is right! Anna May Wong is indeed perpetually cool.

I am a student of history and film in Hong Kong and am very interested in Anna May Wong, wanted to know more about the books on Anna May Wong. I was surprised to read this review about Anthony B. Chan¡¯s book.
I was always taught that a biographer of a famous person, regardless of whether it¡¯s an old-time Emperor, modern billionaire, or a once popular actress, should ¡°Bing bi zhi shu, Bu Ying e, Bu yang shan.¡± (Hold your pen tight and write with integrity, neither covering evils, nor making up good deeds.) This was examples set by the great historian and biographer Shima Qian in Han dynasty, as the basic moral requirement for a biographer. Some even sacrifice their lives to stick to this principle, such as Dong Hu of Confucian time, who was killed by the king after refusing to sing praising song for him. It has always been a taboo for biographers to take it as a goal to please the subject or its relatives for whatever purpose. Those who did this for power, money, or fame were usually regarded the lowest category without backbones.
It seems that this review takes Chan¡¯s shaking hands with Anna May Wong¡¯s brother as the evidence for a good biography. For this reviewer, it must be a pity that Chan could not shake the passed actress¡¯ hand, and her brother¡¯s has to be used as substitute. When I learned that a biographer is hired by a billionaire, or favored by an emperor, I would not bother to look into the biography. Certainly, I would not look into this one. I am sure Chan would not be flattered by this review.

I thorough enjoyed reading Chan's biography of Anna May Wong. Although I saw only one of her movies when I was a graduate student in America, I was deeply impressed by her art and sensitivity. Chan's book filled in a lot of the blanks. I never knew that her career covered such wide territories, not only geographically but in the various kinds performing arts - the silent movies, the talkies, stage and TV. Chan examines her work and her character. The sense I got is her humanity. It's insightful of Chan to bring out her daoist approach to life. If I remember my Lao Zi correctly from my Hong Kong days, daoist philosophy emphasizes not to seek fame or riches, but do your utmost and retreat from the limelight. The Anna May Wong that comes through is a woman of strength.
The fact that Chan's book is dedicated to the Chinese girls adopted by non-Chinese families shows the author's understanding of not only the person of Anna May Wong but also the significance of Chinese heritage. My cousin and her husband (a Scot) adopted a Chinese girl last year. I am sending them the book to keep so that their daughter will read it one day.
(Anyone who knows anything about Chinese culture and Chinese history would know the vast differences between daoist philosophy and daoist religion).
Helen (London, UK)

I heard Anthony Chan's lecture on Anna May Wong at the UCLA retrospective of Anna May Wong on January 10. As a film student, I was so inspired by his keen knowledge of Anna May's career that I bought his book and spoke with him about his own filmmaking career.

There was such a large crowd at his lecture that it was difficult to speak to him for more than 5 minutes. One of my friends pointed out that Anna May's brother, Richard was there too. He seemed to enjoy Chan's lecture and spoke to him like they were friends. I noticed that Richard and his family happily took pictures with Prof. Chan.

I liked his book mainly because he was able to weave a convincing story about Anna May. He let her speak for herself. I found out that she was a very humorous woman who was family centered and was thoughtful about war and peace, living life, friends, and China. As a Chinese American, I liked how Chan described Anna May's time in China and her discovery of her roots. Maybe that is why her films after 1936 were more positive.