So about that SyFy/Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy screening of Breakfast at Tiffany's that community members are threatening to boycott... it looks like there will be some changes to the screening to address concerns over Mickey Rooney's controversial yellow face Mr. Yunioshi character.The movie will play as planned, but prior to the film, they'll be screening a brief documentary by the Media Action Network for Asian Americans examining Mickey Rooney's character and the general piss-poor portrayal of Asian Americans in Hollywood (not in those words, obviously):
Watching Breakfast at Tiffany's with New EyesIf my information is correct, they'll be screening an excerpt from "Mr. Yunioshi: An Asian Perspective," of the bonus features on the 2009 Centennial Collection DVD release of Breakfast at Tiffany's. That's appropriate, and while I find the feature a bit sterile, it's certainly better than screening the film without any context at all.
Prior to the film, we will be screening a brief documentary by Media Action Network for Asian Americans, which looks at Mickey Rooney's character, Mr. Yunioshi, and the portrayal of Asian Americans in popular films.
In addition to its well-loved and acclaimed performances by Patricia Neal, George Peppard, and Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly, Breakfast at Tiffany's contains one performance that none of us can love. Mickey Rooney's grossly stereotypical portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi, while a product of an era in Hollywood that is for the most part behind us, nonetheless remains indefensible and offensive. We hope you will join us to watch Breakfast at Tiffany's with new eyes - it is a classic New York story that contains some of the best moments of American movie-making and some of the worst.
But if you do happen to attend this screening, I personally request that you lead a loud chorus of "boos" whenever Mr. Yunioshi appears on screen.
And if you'd rather hang out somewhere else on Thursday night, I highly recommend checking out Filmwax's special screening and discussion of Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story at The Fifth Estate in Park Slope.
