linked in the Western imagination with a passive, carnal, occult, and duplicitous Asia. Cheng Huan is feminized in the film not only by his close association with the world of women but also by his elaborate, exotic dress, his languid posture and gestures, and the use of soft focus and diffuse lighting to render his features less angular, more ‘womanly.’ (Marchetti, 36).
By no means coincidental and given the deliberate use of camera and lighting techniques, the intent is explicitly defining the “antagonist” by Western social constructs of the day. The homosexual context of the image is threatening enough to also make Huan a perverted menace. While Huan is not sleeping with men, his woman-like features are enough to make him a threat to society. In the end, the nascent vilification of Huan is complete when he is accused of premeditated rape.
The impact