Java Head
In my pursuit of Anna May Wong, I recently watched the video of her movie Java Head. The movie, released in 1934, was enjoyable to watch and listening to her voice was interesting. She had a relatively deep but soft voice which added to her allure. She played a Chinese princess who marries the son of a wealthy ship owner and returns to live with her husband in England. She is greeted with scorn and malicious gossip. In a great scene with her husband, she (unusually) is allowed an on-screen kiss and expresses her forgiveness of his family's intolerance. He acknowledges her balance and grace and notes the difference in their cultures. She notes that what seemed wise one day may seem foolish in another. She commits suicide to save a rival, her husband's first love, and to facilitate her husband's re-marriage. She recognizes that she will never be the best wife of a wealthy Englishman, given the small-minded and ignorant attitude of his family and the rest of the English people she meets. There are many parallels to her own life, especially the racism and discrimination she faced in Hollywood and her failed love affairs with Caucasians.
I continue to be engaged by Ms. Wong's life and work and to be inspired by her life-long struggle to do good work. She reportedly believed strongly that by thinking good thoughts, by refusing to fall victim to resentments and hatreds, one could change the world. She lived a life of entertaining others, of helping others, of inspiring others without looking for earthly rewards, without resenting those who denied her these rewards. In a strange way I love her without ever having met her. Everything I see, everything I read, everything I hear of Anna May Wong tells me that here was a genuinely good person who did what she could to make other peoples' lives good. Without exaggeration I can say that she has become one of my heroes.
As we approach the 100th anniversary of her birth, I'm going to continue to pursue her, to learn from her, to try to emulate her. Live the lessons of Anna May Wong: Do your best to help others, avoid bad thoughts, avoid jealousy and resentment. You'll be happier and more productive and you too can be a hero to those who know you.
[This is the Fifth Anniversary of the Internet Grandfather. I began these columns to pass on lessons I've learned, sometimes painfully, over many years. I hoped that some young person would benefit from these lessons and avoid the mistakes I've made. I've had a few positive responses but I'm past the need for positive responses; I enjoy this enough that I can truly say I'm doing it for myself. Writing these columns helps me in my continuing search to be a better person. I continue to hope that I'm helping other people but I know I'm helping myself.]
8-9-04
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