Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet: Asian Homosexuality on Film
This paper examines Ang Lee's 1993 film The Wedding Banquet through two analytical lenses. The first considers how homosexuality functions as a narrative device rather than the film's primary subject, arguing that the central conflicts reflect a universal tension between individual desire and familial obligation. The second engages directly with Ling-Yen Chua's article "The Cinematic Representation of Asian Homosexuality in The Wedding Banquet," evaluating Chua's claims about the film's depiction of Asian homosexuality, its degree of "Western" identity, and the argument that homosexuality is coded as a "white" phenomenon. The paper concludes that while the film succeeds in representing Asian culture and homosexuality, Chua's critiques regarding Western framing are not fully supported by sufficient evidence.
- Homosexuality as Narrative Device in The Wedding Banquet: Homosexuality drives plot conflict, not identity critique
- Chua's Framework: Asian Homosexuality in Cinema: Chua's claims on representation and film evidence examined
- Is The Wedding Banquet a Western Film?: Film is Eastern in culture despite New York setting
- Homosexuality as a 'White' Thing: Evaluating Chua's Claim: Whiteness coded as threat, not source of homosexuality
- Conclusion: The Film's Cultural and Representational Success: Film succeeds culturally; Chua's Western critique falls short
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper carefully distinguishes between what the film sets out to do and what critics claim it does, maintaining a clear evaluative stance throughout.
- It engages directly with a secondary scholarly source (Chua) while also offering independent textual analysis of the film, demonstrating two-level critical thinking.
- The paper notes specific factual errors in Chua's article (mislabeled film titles, an erroneous claim of a remake), which strengthens the author's credibility as a close reader.
- The conclusion ties both questions together by affirming the film's strengths while conceding the limits of Chua's argument — a balanced, evidence-grounded judgment.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates source interrogation — rather than accepting Chua's arguments at face value, the author tests each claim against specific textual evidence from the film and identifies logical gaps (e.g., Chua's list of films with Asian homosexual content actually undermines his underrepresentation claim). This technique models how to engage critically with secondary literature rather than merely summarizing it.
Structure breakdown
The paper is organized into two clearly marked responses. The first addresses the film's use of homosexuality as narrative device and traces how all characters ultimately achieve their goals. The second systematically works through Chua's three main arguments — underrepresentation, Western identity, and "whiteness" of homosexuality — evaluating each in turn before offering a summary judgment. This two-part structure mirrors a structured exam or short-answer format.
Homosexuality as Narrative Device in The Wedding Banquet
The Wedding Banquet does not deliberately set out to be a "queer film" but rather uses homosexuality as a narrative device. The conflicts that arise from Wei-Tung and Simon's homosexual relationship are mirrored in "Little Mao's" heterosexual relationship, as both Wei-Tung and "Little Mao" attempt to break from tradition while each is engaged in a relationship with a white man. It is important to note that the marriage arrangement within the film is also a matter of convenience — the marriage not only enables Wei to obtain a green card, but also helps Wei-Tung satisfy his parents' desire for him to marry and have children.
The Wedding Banquet does not set out to depict the issues that may arise because of an individual's homosexuality, but rather depicts the conflicts that arise when an individual tries to placate others while sacrificing a part of themselves. In this comedy of errors, the main characters all get what they want: Mr. Gao gets the grandchild he has always wanted, Mrs. Gao gets to see her son married, Wei is on her way to getting a green card, and Simon and Wei-Tung have the family they always wanted.
While it is stressed that Wei-Tung's homosexuality be kept from Mr. Gao, he in fact knows about his son's sexual preferences and secretly accepts Simon as his son. In the case of The Wedding Banquet, Mr. Gao is able to accept the farce of Wei-Tung's marriage because it is a means to an end — Mr. Gao simply wants to ensure that his bloodline, which was at risk of being terminated, is able to survive for at least one more generation.
Works Cited
Chua, Ling-Yen. "The Cinematic Representation of Asian Homosexuality in The Wedding Banquet." Multicultural Queer: Australian Narratives. Ed. Peter A. Jackson and Gerard Sullivan. New York: The Haworth Press, 1999. pp. 99–112. Print.
Lee, Ang, dir. The Wedding Banquet. Samuel Goldwyn Company, 1993. Film.
Leung, William. "So Queer Yet So Straight: Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet and Brokeback Mountain." Journal of Film and Video 60.1 (Spring 2008), pp. 23–42. Print.
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