Donald the Hollywood Hero: East-West Tensions in The Host

In Localized Globalization and a Monster National: The Host and the South Korean Film Industry, Lee suggests that the 2006 Korean film The Host is an example of the South Korean film industry’s efforts to both project Hollywood as an Other and promote itself as a “nationalist film industry essential for sustaining Korean national cinema” (60). Thinking within this framework, the portrayal of Americans is of particular note in the film--specifically, that of Donald, an American soldier living in Korea. Donald first appears in the initial action scene involving the monster. While Koreans, including protagonist Park Gang-du, are running away from the monster, Donald makes a show of running towards it in an attempt to save a group of people trapped in a trailer. Gang-du and Donald are immediately portrayed as counterparts: they work together to attack the monster, but Donald is attacked and injured.

Here we see a classic American heroic archetype: the white protagonist who leads the Asian supporting characters to defeat the enemy. For example, the 1956 American film Godzilla, King of the Monsters! edits the original 1954 Japanese film to include an American white protagonist who leads the Japanese in defeating Godzilla. This character can also be seen in films such as The Last Samurai and Lawrence of Arabia.

This archetype is subverted, however, when Donald unceremoniously dies in a hospital while Gang-du goes on to hunt and kill the monster. This mirrors Lee’s notion of South Korean cinema as fundamentally nationalist--Gang-du, the Korean protagonist, displaces Donald as the hero of the film. However, the film is more complex in its discussions of national heroes and heroism, as evidenced by the Korean and American media’s treatment of Donald and Gang-du. Donald is hailed as a hero by the media, while Gang-du is portrayed as a sick fugitive. Perhaps, in light of this, Gang-du is not simply representative of the South Korean film industry’s answer to the American hero. Perhaps he also signifies both the Othering of Hollywood by the South Korean industry, and the Othering of South Korean film by Hollywood.