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Telegraph
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The World of James VI and I: A fascinating tribute to the king of bling
You have to wonder whether history would have been kinder to James VI & I if he had ended up being beheaded. His mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, had been brought to the scaffold in 1587, her death warrant signed by Elizabeth I – an event that in centuries since has cemented her legacy as a national heroine. In 1649, his son and successor, Charles I, met the same end. By contrast, James is perhaps best remembered as 'the wisest fool in Christendom', an epithet handed down to us by one of his courtiers, Sir Anthony Weldon, who could also be considerably less kind, as when he recalled James continually fidgeting with his codpiece. Weldon's broadside appears at the outset of The World of James VI & I, an exhibition held at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh to mark the 400th anniversary of his death. It's a show of considerable nuance, in large part because it doesn't set out to rehabilitate James, as such – rather, it wants you to engage with James on something like his own level. Stuffier exhibitions tell the story of monarchy predominantly with portraiture, and leave you wondering whether you'd have been better getting it from an illustrated book. Not so here, where portraits, letters, clothes, jewellery, ornate glassware and more combine to conjure a rich sense of the charged times in which James ruled, in both his kingdoms – as well as of James's enormous love of bling. The show takes the story of his reign at a canter. In Scotland, he founded Edinburgh University and cultivated a proud Renaissance court; on the other hand, his deeply held superstitions spurred him to rekindle the persecution of witches. In England, he tried in vain to effect an improbable peace with Spain, pursued a policy of unbridled colonisation in Ireland, oversaw the establishment of the first colonial plantations in Virginia, commissioned the King James Bible and enjoyed the company of male favourites such as George Villiers in terms that have had historians speculating ever since. But the real achievement of this exhibition is in understanding that these historical debates are, ultimately, too big for it – it can only point to them. What it can and does achieve is a sense of the sheer splendour of the Stuart court under James – and how James mobilised that splendour to communicate the potency of his dynasty. After the Union of the Crowns in 1603, when he made the politically questionable decision of transplanting most of his court from Edinburgh to London, he compensated by commissioning portraits, medallions, coins and jewels, circulating images of the entire royal family to as wide an audience as possible – and making it abundantly clear that he had a stable marriage and secure bloodline, which must have been a breath of fresh air after the Tudors.
South China Morning Post
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
Suzie Wong star Nancy Kwan's book talks about overcoming stereotypes and racial barriers
Demure, submissive and erotic, Suzie Wong is a bigger-than-life stereotype, a caricature Asian women grew up with in the US. Advertisement We may have also secretly hoped to play that geisha-like image to win our way out of our oppression. But over the years, some of us grew to resent it, fight it and reject it, hoping to claim our true identity and dignity as a person. In The World of Nancy Kwan, a memoir by the pioneering Hollywood star, we hear from the real-life woman who played Suzie Wong. We learn that for an Asian actor, getting to play an Asian role was a victory back in those days, as the roles were often taken by white actors wearing make-up. The cover of Nancy Kwan's memoir. Photo: AP Kwan was born in Hong Kong in 1939. Her father Kwan Wing-hong was Chinese, an architect with a love for films. Her mother was English, a model and actor, although she left when Kwan was young, and she was raised by a stepmother. It was hard because being Eurasian was an anomaly, she recalls.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Book Review: Nancy Kwan tells the behind-the-scenes story of playing a Hollywood stereotype
Demure, submissive and erotic, Suzie Wong is that bigger-than-life stereotype, that caricature Asian women grew up with in the U.S. We may have also secretly hoped to play that geisha-like image to win our way out of our oppression. But over the years, some of us grew to resent it, fight it and reject it, hoping to claim our true identity and dignity as a person. In 'The World of Nancy Kwan,' a memoir by the pioneering Hollywood star, we hear from the real-life woman who played Suzie Wong. We learn an Asian actor getting to play an Asian role was a victory back in those days, as the roles were taken by white actors wearing strange slant-eyed makeup. Kwan was born in Hong Kong in 1939. Her father was Chinese, an architect with a love for movies. Her mother was English, a model and actor, although she left when Kwan was young, and she was raised by a stepmother. It was hard because being Eurasian was an anomaly, she recalls. 'I've broken barriers, celebrated achievements, overcome disappointments and survived tragedies, all part of my remarkable journey from Hong Kong to Hollywood and beyond. This is my story,' she writes in the prologue. Her book is speckled with the big names of that era, Pat Boone, Katharine Hepburn, Dick Van Dyke. Some passages read like a gossip column, such as her accounts of her friendship with Bruce Lee. But she also depicts the racial barriers of that period. All women, especially in Hollywood, were trying to be beautiful and desirable. In fact, being dubbed 'the Asian Bardot,' referring to Brigitte Bardot, was a genuine compliment. She talks about how Jack Soo, a Japanese American who portrays a nightclub owner in 'Flower Drum Song,' was incarcerated with other Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II. Kwan believes her story is about hard work and advancement despite racism, not succumbing to it. After all, Asian actors' roles used to be limited to 'Fu Manchu villains, hypersexualized Dragon Ladies and comic buffoons' and 'shopkeepers, maids and houseboys,' according to Kwan. And so getting featured on the cover of Life magazine, wearing a body-hugging cheongsam, counted as a victory. Another big win is when Ross Hunter, a hot producer, rushes over to her at a Hollywood party and casts her in 'Flower Drum Song.' The musical film shattered stereotypes, she says, by focusing on fashionably dressed, wealthy Asians. Regardless of race, people cherish family, suffer heartbreak, laugh, sing, dance and dream of happiness, she writes. Kwan calls the work 'joyous entertainment with the universal message that whatever our race, we're all alike.' Even those who may find that message lacking in addressing the meaning of diversity and Asian American pride will acknowledge there is a lot to learn from Kwan's history. She is simply trying to land roles, hopefully good ones that showcase her talent in works by respected directors. Miyoshi Umeki, her friend and another prominent Asian actor of that period, did not like having to speak pidgin in her roles, but did it because that was her job as a professional. That kind of pain is the legacy being explored in Kwan's life. Being an Asian in America is what she calls 'our shared humanity,' in which 'East can meet West and possibly make the world a little better.' ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: ___ AP book reviews: ___ This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Katharine Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot's first names. Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press
San Francisco Chronicle
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Book Review: Nancy Kwan tells the behind-the-scenes story of playing a Hollywood stereotype
Demure, submissive and erotic, Suzie Wong is that bigger-than-life stereotype, that caricature Asian women grew up with in the U.S. We may have also secretly hoped to play that geisha-like image to win our way out of our oppression. But over the years, some of us grew to resent it, fight it and reject it, hoping to claim our true identity and dignity as a person. In 'The World of Nancy Kwan,' a memoir by the pioneer Hollywood star, we hear from the real-life woman who played Suzie Wong. We learn an Asian actor getting to play an Asian role was a victory back in those days, as the roles were taken by white actors wearing strange slant-eyed makeup. Kwan was born in Hong Kong in 1939. Her father was Chinese, an architect with a love for movies. Her mother was English, a model and actor, although she left when Kwan was young, and she was raised by a stepmother. It was hard because being Eurasian was an anomaly, she recalls. 'I've broken barriers, celebrated achievements, overcome disappointments and survived tragedies, all part of my remarkable journey from Hong Kong to Hollywood and beyond. This is my story,' she writes in the prologue. Her book is speckled with the big names of that era, Pat Boone, Katherine Hepburn, Dick Van Dyke. Some passages read like a gossip column, such as her accounts of her friendship with Bruce Lee. But she also depicts the racial barriers of that period. All women, especially in Hollywood, were trying to be beautiful and desirable. In fact, being dubbed 'the Asian Bardot,' referring to Brigette Bardot, was a genuine compliment. She talks about how Jack Soo, a Japanese American who portrays a nightclub owner in 'Flower Drum Song,' was incarcerated with other Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II. Kwan believes her story is about hard work and advancement despite racism, not succumbing to it. After all, Asian actors' roles used to be limited to 'Fu Manchu villains, hypersexualized Dragon Ladies and comic buffoons' and 'shopkeepers, maids and houseboys,' according to Kwan. And so getting featured on the cover of Life magazine, wearing a body-hugging cheongsam, counted as a victory. Another big win is when Ross Hunter, a hot producer, rushes over to her at a Hollywood party and casts her in 'Flower Drum Song.' The musical film shattered stereotypes, she says, by focusing on fashionably dressed, wealthy Asians. Regardless of race, people cherish family, suffer heartbreak, laugh, sing, dance and dream of happiness, she writes. Kwan calls the work 'joyous entertainment with the universal message that whatever our race, we're all alike.' Even those who may find that message lacking in addressing the meaning of diversity and Asian American pride will acknowledge there is a lot to learn from Kwan's history. She is simply trying to land roles, hopefully good ones that showcase her talent in works by respected directors. Miyoshi Umeki, her friend and another prominent Asian actor of that period, did not like having to speak pidgin in her roles, but did it because that was her job as a professional. That kind of pain is the legacy being explored in Kwan's life. Being an Asian in America is what she calls 'our shared humanity,' in which 'East can meet West and possibly make the world a little better.' ___
Associated Press
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Book Review: Nancy Kwan tells the behind-the-scenes story of playing a Hollywood stereotype
Demure, submissive and erotic, Suzie Wong is that bigger-than-life stereotype, that caricature Asian women grew up with in the U.S. We may have also secretly hoped to play that geisha-like image to win our way out of our oppression. But over the years, some of us grew to resent it, fight it and reject it, hoping to claim our true identity and dignity as a person. In 'The World of Nancy Kwan,' a memoir by the pioneer Hollywood star, we hear from the real-life woman who played Suzie Wong. We learn an Asian actor getting to play an Asian role was a victory back in those days, as the roles were taken by white actors wearing strange slant-eyed makeup. Kwan was born in Hong Kong in 1939. Her father was Chinese, an architect with a love for movies. Her mother was English, a model and actor, although she left when Kwan was young, and she was raised by a stepmother. It was hard because being Eurasian was an anomaly, she recalls. 'I've broken barriers, celebrated achievements, overcome disappointments and survived tragedies, all part of my remarkable journey from Hong Kong to Hollywood and beyond. This is my story,' she writes in the prologue. Her book is speckled with the big names of that era, Pat Boone, Katherine Hepburn, Dick Van Dyke. Some passages read like a gossip column, such as her accounts of her friendship with Bruce Lee. But she also depicts the racial barriers of that period. All women, especially in Hollywood, were trying to be beautiful and desirable. In fact, being dubbed 'the Asian Bardot,' referring to Brigette Bardot, was a genuine compliment. She talks about how Jack Soo, a Japanese American who portrays a nightclub owner in 'Flower Drum Song,' was incarcerated with other Japanese Americans in internment camps during World War II. Kwan believes her story is about hard work and advancement despite racism, not succumbing to it. After all, Asian actors' roles used to be limited to 'Fu Manchu villains, hypersexualized Dragon Ladies and comic buffoons' and 'shopkeepers, maids and houseboys,' according to Kwan. And so getting featured on the cover of Life magazine, wearing a body-hugging cheongsam, counted as a victory. Another big win is when Ross Hunter, a hot producer, rushes over to her at a Hollywood party and casts her in 'Flower Drum Song.' The musical film shattered stereotypes, she says, by focusing on fashionably dressed, wealthy Asians. Regardless of race, people cherish family, suffer heartbreak, laugh, sing, dance and dream of happiness, she writes. Kwan calls the work 'joyous entertainment with the universal message that whatever our race, we're all alike.' Even those who may find that message lacking in addressing the meaning of diversity and Asian American pride will acknowledge there is a lot to learn from Kwan's history. She is simply trying to land roles, hopefully good ones that showcase her talent in works by respected directors. Miyoshi Umeki, her friend and another prominent Asian actor of that period, did not like having to speak pidgin in her roles, but did it because that was her job as a professional. That kind of pain is the legacy being explored in Kwan's life. Being an Asian in America is what she calls 'our shared humanity,' in which 'East can meet West and possibly make the world a little better.' ___ Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: ___ AP book reviews:
