Hmong Dubbed Movies
Georgeanna Abson
"I think we heard two words, 'Clint Eastwood' and 'a Hmong movie,'" Xiong said. "I was like, 'What? Clint Eastwood and a Hmong movie?' So you know, that's cool. Because you know Clint Eastwood isn't going to be low-budget, right?"
This spring, he joined hundreds of hopefuls who lined up for auditions at a Hmong-American community center in St. Paul. The producers held casting calls in places such as St. Paul and Fresno, Calif. -- two cities with huge Hmong populations.
"They could have walked down Hollywood and looked for some Korean, Chinese, whatever, Asian-American actors, and say, 'Hey, can we teach you a few Hmong (words),' like they do in other movies, just mimic the words," he said. "But no, they said, 'We want real Hmong-speaking actors.' Asian Americans, we can tell, "That guy's not Chinese! That guy's not Korean!' So, stop trying to fool us."
Schenk shared a story credit with friend Dave Johannson of Roseville. For a span of 10 months about five years ago, Johannson said he headed over to Schenk's basement in Northeast Minneapolis a few times a week, and to the nearby Grumpy's Bar and Grill, to hash out a framework for the movie.
The Hmong cast includes at least five Minnesotans -- almost all of them first-time actors. Bee Vang of Robbinsdale plays the role of Thao, the bookish neighbor boy who strikes an unlikely friendship with Walt Kowalski after trying to steal his '72 Gran Torino.
"I can tell you when I was reviewing the script, I had read already about the rumors about this being a 'Dirty Harry' movie," Garvey said. "I got pretty scared. I really did. I thought, 'Oh my gosh, did I make the right decision?'"
On online Hmong chat boards, people have already criticized the movie for perpetuating stereotypes. But Garvey said the film shines a positive light on the close-knit nature of the Hmong community in Detroit.
Doua Moua, who plays one of the lead gang members, graduated from the International School of Minnesota in Eden Prairie and moved to New York to follow his acting dreams. He still works in an Italian restaurant to finance his career.
"A lot of the first-generation Hmong people went through this, too," he said. "You know, like the hardship of these young men trying to assimilate to the American culture, but because they don't have a fatherly figure there with them ... they come together, form gangs, support each other, and kind of become each other's lookout."
Gran Torino is a 2008 American drama film directed and produced by Clint Eastwood, who also starred in the film. This was Eastwood's first starring role since 2004's Million Dollar Baby. The film features a large Hmong-American cast (the first time for an American mainstream film),[4] as well as one of Eastwood's younger sons, Scott. Eastwood's oldest son of record, Kyle, composed the film's score with Michael Stevens, while Jamie Cullum and Clint Eastwood (in-character as Kowalski) provide the theme song.
Set in Highland Park, Michigan, the story follows Walt Kowalski, a recently widowed Korean War veteran alienated from his family and angry at the world, whose young neighbor, Thao Vang Lor, is pressured by his cousin into stealing Walt's prized Ford Torino for his initiation into a gang. Walt thwarts the theft and subsequently develops a relationship with the boy and his family.
Gran Torino opened with a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 12, 2008, before expanding wide on January 9, 2009.[5] It grossed $270 million worldwide, making it Eastwood's second highest-grossing film to date.[6] The film received generally positive reviews from critics for Eastwood's direction and performance; within the Hmong community in the United States, the film was generally praised but also received criticism for its cultural inaccuracies.
Recently widowed Walt Kowalski is a cantankerous and prejudiced Korean War combat veteran and retired Ford factory worker. His Rust Belt neighborhood in Metro Detroit has become ridden with gang violence and poor Hmong immigrants, including Walt's next-door neighbors, the Vang Lor family. Walt is estranged from his family, angrily rejecting his son's suggestion that he move to a retirement community in favor of living alone with his elderly labrador Daisy. A chronic tobacco user, Walt suffers from coughing fits, occasionally spitting up blood. As requested by Walt's late wife, her priest, Father Janovich, tries to comfort Walt and persuade him to go to confession. Despite being harshly rejected by Walt, Father Janovich repeatedly tries to get through to him.
Fifteen-year-old Thao Vang Lor is coerced by a Hmong gang led by his cousin, "Spider", to steal Walt's 1972 Ford Torino as an initiation. Walt catches Thao and thwarts the theft; Thao escapes after Walt nearly shoots him. When the gang tries to forcefully abduct Thao, Walt scares them off with his M1 Garand rifle, earning the local Hmong community's respect. Thao's mother makes him work for Walt as penance, who has him do different tasks to improve the local neighborhood. The two soon form a grudging mutual respect; Walt mentors Thao, helping him obtain a construction job. Walt also rescues Thao's sister, Sue, from the unwanted advances of three African-American gangsters. Despite his initial prejudices, Walt bonds with the Vang Lor family. With his cough worsening, Walt consults a doctor who gives him a gloomy prognosis that he conceals.
After the gang assaults Thao on his way home from work, Walt physically assaults a member as a warning. In retaliation, the gang beats and rapes Sue and then injures Thao in a drive-by shooting. The family refuses to report the crimes out of fear. The following day, an enraged Thao seeks Walt's help to exact revenge; Walt convinces him to return later that day. Walt buys a suit, gets a haircut, and finally makes his confession to Father Janovich.
When Thao arrives, Walt takes him to his basement and gives him his Silver Star, telling him that he is haunted by the memory of killing an enemy child soldier that was trying to surrender to him and he wants to spare Thao from shedding blood. He locks Thao in the basement and departs to the gang's residence.
When Walt arrives, the gang draws their guns on him as he berates them for their crimes, drawing the attention of the neighbors. Walt puts a cigarette in his mouth, slowly reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls his hand out quickly. Thinking Walt is brandishing a pistol, the gang members shoot and kill him. Walt's hand opens to reveal his Zippo lighter with the 1st Cavalry insignia. Sue, following Walt's directions, frees Thao and they arrive at the scene. A police officer tells Thao and Sue that Walt was unarmed and that the gang members have been arrested for murder. The officer goes on to tell them that the gang members will be going to prison for a very long time thanks to the fact that witnesses have come forward.
Father Janovich conducts Walt's funeral, which is attended by his family and the Hmong community. Afterward, Walt's last will and testament is read. Much to the dismay of Walt's family, Walt leaves his house to the church and his cherished Gran Torino to Thao, on the condition that Thao does not modify the car. Sometime later, Thao drives the Torino along Detroit's Jefferson Avenue with Daisy at his side.
After holding casting calls in Fresno, California; Detroit, Michigan; and Saint Paul, Minnesota, Eastwood selected ten Hmong lead actors and supporting actors. Of them, only one was not a first-time actor.[7] Of the Hmong cast, five, including Bee Vang,[4] one of the principal actors,[8] were from the state of Minnesota.[4] Ahney Her comes from Lansing, Michigan. The casting agency Pound & Mooney recruited thirty actors and over five hundred extras. The firm recruited many Hmong actors from a Hmong soccer tournament in Macomb County, Michigan.[8] Sandy Ci Moua, a Hmong actress based in the Twin Cities, assisted with the film's casting of Hmong actors.[9]
Gran Torino was written by Nick Schenk and directed by Clint Eastwood.[7] It was produced by Village Roadshow Pictures, Media Magik Entertainment and Malpaso Productions for film distributor Warner Bros. Eastwood co-produced with his Malpaso partners Robert Lorenz and Bill Gerber.[10] Eastwood has stated he enjoyed the idea "that it dealt with prejudice, that it was about never being too old to learn".[11]
Shooting began in July 2008.[12] Hmong crew, production assistants, consultants, and extras were used.[7][13] The film was shot over five weeks. Editors Joel Cox and Gary D. Roach cut the film so it was under two hours long.[14] The crew spent over $10 million while shooting the film in Detroit.[8]
In the early 1990s, Schenk had become acquainted with the history and culture of the Hmong while working in a factory in Minnesota.[15] He had learned how they had sided with the South Vietnamese forces and its US allies during the Vietnam War, only to wind up in refugee camps, at the mercy of North Vietnamese Communist forces, when US troops pulled out and the government forces were defeated.[15] Years later, he was deciding how to develop a story involving a widowed Korean War veteran trying to handle the changes in his neighborhood when he decided to place a Hmong family next door and create a culture clash.[15] He and Dave Johannson, Schenk's brother's roommate, created an outline for the story.[15] According to Schenk, each night he used a pen and paper to write the script while in Grumpy's, a bar in Northeast Minneapolis, while not working at his day jobs. He recalled writing twenty-five pages within a single night in the bar. He recalled asking the bartender, who was his friend, questions about the story's progress.[16] Some industry insiders told Schenk that a film starring an elderly main character could not be produced, as the story could not be sold,[15] especially with an elderly main character who used language suggesting that he held racist views.[16] Through a friend, Schenk sent the screenplay to Warner Bros. producer Bill Gerber.[15] Eastwood was able to direct and star on the project as filming for Invictus was delayed to early 2009, leaving sufficient time for filming Gran Torino during the previous summer.[15] Eastwood said that he had a "fun and challenging role, and it's an oddball story."[15]
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