Friday 23 December 2011

Strange Santas - Missionary Christmas


A missionary video fromm the early 50's with wonderful shots of Hong Kong as it was. Then it gets odd. Chi Kwong  is a small refugee boy who's fascinated by the bizarre customs of Xmas. "Who is that fat man?" asks the kid. Authentic in many ways. The film is made for American audiences, however, so the casual imperialism bugs me. You can see where the term "missionary position" comes from. Nonetheless, it's well meaning and at the end, the narrator admits Xmas isn't about toys but about goodwill. There have been Christian communities in China for hundreds of years.

No comments: