The American movie “Black Rain” from 1989 with actor Michel Douglas who plays Nick Conclin as the main character deliverers some of the most commonly exposed stereotypes of the Japanese society. When speaking about different ethnicities and certain images come to ones mind, and this movie is all about to expose the imagined cultural differences between America and Japan. Representations of all the most commonly known stereotypes of both Japanese and Americans are to be found in this movie. This is done mainly as a way to attract an audience in the west, very much in the same tradition as the famous authors Hearn and Kipling did in their books and letters when describing the Japanese.
The opening scene is to set positions between America and Japan when in the beginning of the Movie Jack Conclin races with his American made Harley Davidson motorbike against Japanese made Suzuki motorbike and wins. It is difficult to say if it is pure coincidence that Michel rides an American made bike or if it’s a deliberate act to emphasise the superiority of America. This stereotyping and somewhat racist view of the non Americans in this Hollywood production is nothing new under the sun. Hollywood has a long tradition in portraying different ethnicities with mere perceptions then of actual facts. Just reflect of the classic movie “Anna and the King” or the more recent success series “The Sopranos”. In defence or maybe as way to balance the stereotyping of the Japanese in the movie the two American police characters are in turn equally as stereotyped as the Japanese when being two typical hard boiled New York City police officers with ruff attitude, slick comments, and bad language.

The base of the movie is to reveal the huge differences between the American culture and society in opposition to the Japan, and the movie contains a large portion of US meet Japan and the cultural tensions that follow and in particular the American fear of being overtaken by Japan. As a way to create cultural clashes the character Jack comes to represent America and what America stands for in terms of individualism and initiative. In addition to this he is suspicious towards his superiors and other authorities, authorities he refers to as the “suits”. In contrast to Jack is the Japanese police officer Masamoto whose role is to work as Jacks opposite, or more precisely Americas opposite. He is portrayed as a typical Japanese male, being somewhat tedious, wearing an ill fitted suit, very group conscious, and doing everything by the book. He is also being limited by his organisations bureaucracy and moral codes much in contrast to the American liberal way of doing things. Masamoto and Nick roles are to be the representatives for their countries, customs, and ethnicities in this film. However, these two character opposites are to be thought a little of each others way of life’s and philosophies and are to become very understanding of each others in the end, but on the way there they are encountered with old rivalry between the two nations.

The most striking lines in the movie are the argument between the Japanese police officer Masamoto and Nick Conclin when Masamoto argues that America is only good for is movies and music, but the Japanese build the machines and the future. In response to Masamotos attack Douglas replies is that even if a Japanese person had an original idea, "He'd be so uptight he couldn't pull it out of his ass”. One more memorable line is when Jack says “I just hope they got a nip in this building that speaks fucking English." With this comments referring to the Japanese as people with no skills of inventing or being able to speak English, (with the latter comment being a demand that is strikingly ridiculous considering them being in a non English speaking country) degrades the Japanese in comparisons with the American characters along with adding fuel to the old rivalry between America and Japan. Masamoto instantly end up in a lower position where he needs to defend the Japanese way of doing things. Moreover the Americans are almost always two against the single Masamoto, who needs to struggle with them both and run their errands. This puts Masamoto in less favourable light and clearly shows that he belongs to the less powerful and important team.

There are a number of things in the movie that is made to make Japan seem like a hostile place for the Americans. When the camera shoots over Osaka there is a skyline of factory chimneys blowing out smoke creating a layer of smog over the city. This scene is most likely added to demonstrate the might of the Japanese industry to further display how post war Japan has raised economically and now is an economic superpower challenging the US economic world dominance. The streets are full of neon signs of different colours blinking with text that is impossible for the Americans to read, sidewalks are packet with peoples whom many wear business like suit and carry briefcase to further emphasise the Japanese group mentality and strength. Japanese are spoken from all direction which is impossible for the Americans to understand. This entire scenery making Osaka look like a daunting and a very much different place, a place which for an American is not possible to understand.

The whole movie goes in line with Edward Saids’s teachings about orientalism. According to Said the he Orient is "the other" for the West, which means the existence of the Orient is to be the "contrasting image, idea, personality, experience". Said further explain that the orientalism is a way for reconstructing and having the right over what is considered being oriental, and the movie makers have indeed used an orientalist approach. To further understand why the Japan is portrayed in the way it is in the movie answer could be drawn from Miner when he explains that Japan has always been in the shadow historically and not much as been known about her. This has certainly helped in the making of the mythical picture of Japan that is used in the exposure of the Japanese in Black rain.
The way the movie presents the Japanese ethnicity is to focus on things different compared to a traditional western point of view, but in contrast to Dowell I do not agree with his statement that Hollywood has intentionally used this particular movie to expose the dangers of the Japanese and their economy. It is more likely to have been set in Japan because of the notion of the huge cultural gap between the two sides in order to create and interesting environment. Nerveless, all efforts have been made to point out the ethnical differences. As seen and as described by Brian D. Johnson there are sets of the movie in the most traditional views of Japan including, a nightclub with giggling bar hostesses, a kendo practice, a steel mill, and a fish market.

There are not much emphasises on women in the movie and the only female actress with a speaking role is the American bar hostess Kate Capshaw. She has her own theory of the cultural differences when Jack say’s to her “sometimes you gotta choose side” which to she replies “I did, I’m on my side”. This line given gives her an independent nature which is in total contrast to how the Japanese actresses are shown. The Japanese actresses and women are seen as either as coffee servants or as giggling immature bars hostesses whose job is to care and entertain the men, adding to the picture of the Japanese women being inferior to men.

The American influence over the Japanese culture after the World War II by the American occupation forces is mention in negative terms by the Yakuza leader. He talks about how it has shaped a new breed of Japanese youngsters that no longer are fully Japanese, and he seeks revenge for what America has done to his country and culture by spreading false notes of American dollars. These comments makes the Japanese appear like a revenge seeking people whose main goal is to destroy the American influence by demolish their economy. So in other terms the American culture here is seen as threat to the old traditional Japanese ethnicity, as well as the Americans sees the threat coming from the opposite direction.

To further emphasise and strengthen the picture of the Japanese gangsters “Japansesness” a numerous of approaches have been made. When the Yakuza gangster slit the throat of his victims he uses a Samurai sword looking object, as well as seeming much sophisticated in using these kinds of objects. In the very end of the movie same gangster using what looks like an Asian style of martial whilst fighting with Nick, Nick on the other hand looks more like a slugger from Brooklyn in his style emphasising his Americaness. This scene is especially well made and obvious as a way to show the differences in culture and upbringing of the two characters.

It is clearly no underestimation to say that the way race and ethnicity is presented in the movie is on very unequal terms when favouring the American representation for the most part. The Japanese are time and again overrun by the Americans in terms of innovations, charm, and police skills leaving the viewer with a sense of American superiority in comparison. The whole movie adds to the already twisted and generalising view of the Japanese culture and ethnicity when building on old perceptions of what is Japanese instead of seeking facts.

Bibliography

Black Rain [videorecording] / directed by Ridley Scott Published Australia: Paramount Home Entertainment Pty Ltd [distributor], 2001

Brian D. Johnson, ‘Black Rain’, Maclean´s, vol. 102, No. 40, 2 October 1989, p.65

Edward Said, ‘Introduction’, in Orientalism, London: Penguin Books, 1991, p.2

Jeffrey A. Brown, `Bullets, buddies, and bad guys: the "action-cop" genre` , at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0412/is_n2_v21/ai_14982795/pg_7, accessed 25 August 2007.

Pat Dowell, ‘Black Rain: Hollywood Goes Japan Bashing’, Cineaste, Vol. 17, No. 3, 1990, p. 4

Richard A. Minear ‘Orientalism and the study of Japan’, Journal of Asian Studies, Vo. 33 no. 3, May 1980, p. 514

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