Overview

In this book, Andrew Russell explores Western media’s fascination with images of the East by focusing primarily on Thailand as a case study. Russell argues that Hollywood’s representation of Thailand still relies heavily on an Orientalist gaze filled with stereotypes that exoticise and eroticise both the country and its people. Furthermore, he also addresses the impact this has had on Thai filmmakers, who have at times utilised a process of erasure by reducing national specificity in their films to prime them for global export, building on previously successful waves from other areas of Asia, like the J-Horror cycle, that made way for their inclusion in the Western marketplace. Despite these trends, however, this book finds that Thai filmmakers are reclaiming the imagery of their country and people in the arthouse sector, utilising critically divisive slow cinema aesthetics to address pertinent allegorical content. Ultimately, this book argues that through an understanding of the context and culture of production, we can gain new understanding of important political, factual, and artistic history that reveals a unique version of Thailand not previously seen on Western screens. Scholars of film studies, Asian studies, cultural studies, and history will find this book of particular interest.

Full Product Details

9781666952223

Table of Contents

Reviews

This is an essential read for anyone interested in Thailand on screen. Russell presents an expert analysis of how Thailand has been envisioned by Western filmmakers, and contrasts this with images by Thai directors as he maps a new wave of Thai filmmaking. * Deborah Shaw, Professor of Film and Screen Studies, University of Portsmouth, UK * Essential reading for those who wish to understand the complex international image of this complex nation. This book interrogates wider contemporary understanding of Thai film, and in doing so offers a welcome examination of changing global attitudes and relationships. * Dr. Mary J. Ainslie, Associate Professor of Film and Media, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, China China *

Author Information

Andrew Russell is lecturer in the School of Film, Media, and Creative Technologies at the University of Portsmouth.

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