The Singapore Grip branded ‘deeply upsetting and a kick in the teeth’ to Asian community with WWII scenes
THE SINGAPORE Grip has been branded “deeply upsetting” and a “kick in the teeth” to the Asian community with his graphic WWII scenes.
An advocacy group for British East and South East Asians called the new ITV drama set based on the novel The Singapore Grip “harmful”.
David Morrissey, Luke Treadaway and Charles Dance star in the drama, which is based on JG Farrell’s 1978 novel.
The six-part series contains explosive images of Singapore under attack from the Japanese in 1942 which prompted widespread criticism on social media and in the press.
Actor Daniel York Loh said the Singapore’s Asian population had been “almost completely erased” in the two episodes he had seen.
He said: “Every time we see the sole East Asian female character and every time we go into what feels like an Asian setting, we get these kind of keening erhus and guqins and flutes.”
Discussing the character Vera Chiang, Beats [British East and South East Asians working in the Theatre and Screen industries] said her “main dramatic function” is to “cast a ‘spell’ over the story’s white male conscience”.
The organisation continued: “The other Asian characters are merely heavily accented ciphers, silent chauffeurs, exotic dancers, giggly prostitutes, monosyllabic grunts and half-naked Yogis.
“Asian womanhood is represented as lurid temptation and subservient availability.
“That a public service broadcaster should so casually engage in this type of harmful (non)representation, with no care for its real world consequences is deeply upsetting.”
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Beats went on to call the The Singapore Grip another example of UK broadcasters’ “generic stereotyping and aggressive tokenism”.
Screenwriter Sir Christopher Hampton, who described Vera as a “mysterious Chinese refugee”, was a friend of JG Farrell.
Sir Christopher, who is best known for his 1985 play Les Liaisons Dangereuses and its 1988 film version Dangerous Liaisons, adapted his pal’s novel into the six-part series for ITV.