Fri, 13 Mar 1998 09:06:14 -0500
I think that there's definitely something to be said for the
gentlemanliness of the
actions of the protagonists. But at the same time, looking at
the film as
a whole,
it's really obvious that it was edited to give a "wholesome"
view of
American society.
For example, in the French version the men left the baby alone.
Similarly
they gave
the drugs back, evading the cops, but in the American version
they worked
with the
police to catch the "bad guys".
It's an interesting aspect of our culture, I think. While so
many of our films
include gratuitous sex and/or violence and there's a real strong
"boys will
be boys"
attitude within the culture, there are lines that Hollywood won't
cross.
Just like
they give the "happy" ending of Sylvia moving in with
the three, they like
to plant
flags in people's yards (in the movies). So while from one side
Hollywood
and big
films represent all the depravation and excess in our culture,
they portray
some of
the most patriotic notions of America.
What I find intersting, on that note, is that I know this January
a new
version of
"Lolita" with Jeremy Irons came out in France and much
of Europe. I'm
pretty sure
the movie was made in the U.S. by an American studio, yet as far
as I've
been able
to tell it never came out here. It was a kind of disturbing film,
yet at
the same
time I think it addresses a real part of our society from a humanistic
point of view.
I think that maybe the main reason it didn't come out, or similarly
why
Hollywood
espouses "traditional values" is to cover up something
that strikes too
close to
the heart of our nation: that these are problems that we have
or are so
afraid of
that if we cover them up than people and the rest of the world
won't know.
Much the
same way Hollywood has held in such high regard the image of the
macho
cowboy.
So what do you think? Are there aspects of French culture that
film/tv/media avoid
touching because they touch too close to home? Or are people more
open
with such
"problems" so that they actually are discussed on one
level or another?
Nat