2. The Western and the Eastern

The first chapter examines the genesis of the “Eastern” in relation to the “Western.” Looking at the progress of the “Western,” the chapter identifies elements that might have been co-opted into the “Eastern.” The relation of historical event to film narratives, an emerging paradigm consisting of the “Western” hero, the American landscape, the development of background soundtracks to indicate the nature of the foe, the impersonation of “natives” by mainstream actors, the shifting role of the Wild West, all have their counterpart in the Eastern, which this chapter outlines. Postcolonial theory is brought to bear in examining the new “orientalism” whereby the new East is constructed by filmmakers building on earlier centuries’ travel tales and colonizing narratives and discourses discussed by Said. A related question emerging from theory is how film as a medium deflects and problematizes the hegemonic gaze by suggesting alternative modes of viewing. How does the film medium manifest the “forked” tongue in Home Bhabha’s terms of colonial cinema? The agency of the other, the Eastern subject is explored through concepts such as mimicry. At the same time, subaltern theory enables us to recognize the silences of the eastern subaltern.