European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 12, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Jackie Chan takes action by Vernon Scott United press International he chinese japanese. Koreans and Southeast asians in general though they May be avid move tans Aro getting bored with Hollywood. Alter All How would americans like in if every movie starred chinese actors in chinese stories shot on chinese locations by chinese directors the International motion picture capital of the world were Manila or Hong Kong or Beijing All dialogues were in cantonese or japanese with English subtitles asians Are traditionally fanatical moviegoers. They Admire Hollywood s Slick violent action Lilma the stars and nil the rest but they also hunger to see asian faces in starring roles. They Are tired of the rare asian in american films depicted As a of Houseboy Hatchet Man or laundry Man. And they love to see locations in their own lands their cities villages and culture represented elements hey can relate to As personally As westerners identity with say. The characters and settings of the Coloro Money. This desire has made a superstar of Jackie Chan a Hong Kong chinese martial arts Star and Veteran of some 100 pictures almost All of them made in Hong Kong. He is far and away the most popular actor in Asia. No. 1 at the Box Ollice in Japan the Philippines. Taiwan and Points East. Chan came to the United states recently to publicize his new movie police Story an action Allm in which he stars and in which he Speaks English. Only four times previously has Chan spoken English on screen in both Cannonball films. The protector and the big Brawl. Chan is affable and relaxed and seemingly unimpressed with his superstar status. He knows he won t be a True International Star until he makes an Impact on Western audiences. Part of my trouble is English he said haltingly. I have to memorize my Linos by Rote phonetically. Thai takes concentration in front of the camera which distracts me from acting. It s like Jack Nicholson being asked to make a movie speaking  Chan is a writer director and editor As Welt As Star. To makes pictures Tor his own Golden Way production company under he Aegis of Raymond Chow s Golden Harvest he largest film producer in Hong Kong. Curiously Chan must be Content Wilh being a Black Market Star to Mainland China s 1 billion people. Films shown in Taiwan Aro not exhibited in China and vice versa. For the moment at least Chan s pictures go to Taiwan. But i am getting fan mail from the Mainland Iron people who see my films on to and on smuggled video cassettes he said grinning. The important thing about my Ivory is Hal to is enjoyed by All asians no Maller that there Are big differences among asian cultures too i have managed to break Down those  according to Chan few japanese movies play in Hong Kong because of racial and cultural dil Serences just As few chinese films play in Japan or the Philippines. An example of Chan s popularity in Hong Kong is a comparison Between his armourer cod that grossed $5 million end Sylvester Stallone s of Tanto. First blood ii that brought in about $35 million. In Japan his films Gross As much As $23 million. His last to pictures have earned $150 million in Japan Hong Kong Taiwan Singapore and Malaysia. His phenomenal popularity has made him a multimillionaire. But wealth is secondary to Chan s desire to become As popular in the rest of the world As he is in the East. Action is what i do Best said Chan. But i mix in a lot of comedy Wilt it too people Call me the second Bruce Lee. T Don t like thai. There is not As much emphasis on martial arts in my new pictures. They Are More action and adventure than hand to hand combat. Kungtu has had 113  Chan says there Are virtually no romances in his films because asian audiences stridently object to the inclusion of women in his films. Up phom Chan of Cannonball faint it the most popular Oriental actor. The japanese really Don t like to have their heroes involved romantically with women he said so my roles have very Little to do with Romance. Until my pictures become As popular in North America As they Are in Asia i will continue id play men who Are indifferent to women Chan grinned sardonically. Clearly he would enjoy playing love scenes for the cameras. Restating the War in Southeast Asia by Denis d. Gray associated press Southeast asian countries Are cashing in on the wave of american filmmaking about the Vietnam War. Even the vietnamese communists who won the War but have proved losers in running the Economy Are trying to get a piece of the multimillion Dollar action so far unsuccessfully. Luring Hollywood to such places As Thailand Malaysia and the Philippines Are the physical surroundings local extras and a general atmosphere similar to Vietnam. Another attraction is unbeatable bargains in Vietnam Era weaponry that is readily Rentable in the Philippines and Thailand. For a Rock Bottom $50 an hour the philippine armed forces Wilt rent a Huey helicopter the Aerial Workhorse of the Vietnam War White an armoured personnel Carrier goes Lor 1250 a week. A thai Soldier will play a Viet Cong Lor $11.50 a Day and hell bring along his Rifle for Ashi he As 75 cents in it s part of a big volume package. Delighting the 1969 Battle of hamburger Hill As was done recently in the Philippines Lor the John a Vic movie of the same name would have Cost roughly three times As much in California. Asian based producers say. The latest movies to be made in Thailand actually required Little military ordnance. Good morning Vietnam described As the first Vietnam War comedy has Only one Short action sequence a jeep blowing up. The movie tells the bittersweet Story of an air Force disc jockey Robin Williams who Falls in love wih a vietnamese woman. The woman is played by a rising. 22-year-old thai actress Zintara Suk Hapat. Who represents another Benefit gained by Southeast asians valuable experience for local performers and producers irom working Wilh big. International movie makers. Quarters of Bangkok were retouched to resemble the former South vietnamese capital for the filim of Saigon a murder thriller set during the 1968 communist Tel offensive. Ii stars Willem Dafoe. Who co starred in the Academy award winning platoon. The film was shot in the philippine Jungles where director Francis Ford Coppola orchestrated the most elaborate and expensive Vietnam Battle sequences to Date in 1979 with apocalypse now. Favored Lor the excellent cooperation of authorities the Philippines also has been used As a location Lor purple hearts and a string of Macho action a movies. However the Philippines reportedly has lost some of its attractiveness for Hollywood because of a mounting communist insurgency and political unrest. Alan Dawson who has worked As a Liaison on six Vietnam War productions says movie makers Are having problems getting Good insurance coverage Lor work in the Island nation. Malaysia which has been waiting in the wings to far is bidding Lor future films and has offered free trips aboard its National airline for location scouts. It recently bagged Bat 21. A True life Story of a u .3. Air Force Pilot s grueling escape from behind enemy lines. The $ 10 million film starring gone half can and Danny Glover was shot in the Jungles o Malaysia s Sabah stale. Malaysia s drawbacks include the Lack of a Vietnam Vintage Arsenal and potential problems Wilh censors in a country tending toward moslem conservatism. Authorities gave the red Light to Derta Force ii a non Vietnam movie starring Chuck Morris because in allegedly made it look like arabs were  locals stumbling across scantily Clad females during the filming of Mountain of cannibals starring Ursula novess created a minor uproar. Thailand has emerged As the current front runner in the Hollywood sweepstakes having built up a solid reputation while serving As backdrop Lor half a dozen Indochina War movies including Academy award winners the Deer Hunter and killing Fields. Dawson who is based in Bangkok says these earlier productions blazed the Trail for what is now a generally smooth process of obtaining military gear local technical and artistic support and script approval from monday. October 12, 1987 the government. The thais in turn have become accustomed to temperamental american directors and an almost obsessive striving for authenticity in the two most recent films. Technicians created dozens of vietnamese "33 Beer labels. U s. Military identification cards described As near perfect forgeries and a mini Fleet of old Renault taxis from fibreglass. A thai air Force dc-8 the so called Freedom Bird that flew american gis Back Home was repainted and remarked while Bangkok Back alleys and bar strips were remodeler to stand in for Saigon s seedy byways and notorious to do Street. A Catholic school in downtown Bangkok has starred in two movies recreating the dramatic 1975 evacuation of the . Embassy in Saigon. As Long As people Are interested in Vietnam. Producers will continue to come to Thailand Vachana Polshi Suwano the National communications policy Board said noting that Saigon and Good morning spent about $17 million in the country. Dawson said several More filmmakers probably will be heading for Thailand in the near future. Already in pre production is laughing War. A Canadian funded Black comedy about an entertainer who cheers up the troops in Vietnam. Air America about a Cia operation and the Tirol movie about the War in Laos is being fought Over by Thailand and Malaysia Sean Connery and Mel Gibson Are being considered for the leads. Dawson predicted thai sooner or later an american producer would make a Vietnam War dim in Vietnam but so Jar All have hesitated for either political reasons or tear of the country s monumental bureaucracy neither Vietnam nor non communist Southeast Asia Are indispensable As location Sites. The first Ever Vietnam War movie the Green Betels was shot in the United states with John Wayne defending his special forces Camps in the Hills of Georgia. Stanley Kubrick s recent full Metal jacket was filmed in the backlogs of London with Palm Trees imported Horn Spain to add tropical atmosphere. The stars and stripes Pago 17