why are american movies more successful than --
-- any other movies made in any other country?
I am just asking myself and - for the moment i have no answer up my sleeves.
Do american filmmakers have -->
Better storys? Better story telling? Better scripts? Straight storys? Universal storys, that understand even the dumbest? Or universal storys, that touch everybodys heart instantly? Better education? More competition? More money? Bigger Market? Less intelligent audience?
Do they have -->
More powerful producers? more creative invisioned producers? More creative staff?
Just an observation: Any american c (or d) movie looks more stylish - and (more important) more compelling (in its particular genre) than any high-concept movie from any other country. Why?
Don't get me wrong. I love american movies, i love them so much. I am addicted
I just want to know, - for christ sake - what is the (little or huge) difference, that counts?
best
I am just asking myself and - for the moment i have no answer up my sleeves.
Do american filmmakers have -->
Better storys? Better story telling? Better scripts? Straight storys? Universal storys, that understand even the dumbest? Or universal storys, that touch everybodys heart instantly? Better education? More competition? More money? Bigger Market? Less intelligent audience?
Do they have -->
More powerful producers? more creative invisioned producers? More creative staff?
Just an observation: Any american c (or d) movie looks more stylish - and (more important) more compelling (in its particular genre) than any high-concept movie from any other country. Why?
Don't get me wrong. I love american movies, i love them so much. I am addicted
I just want to know, - for christ sake - what is the (little or huge) difference, that counts? best
Comments
I would say Bollywood does really well - considering the circumstances of the nation of India.
just to name a few foreign directors of note off the top of my head.
Some of their work easily beats the pants off "C or D grade" American films.
Amelie probably wins similar comparisons to many schlock sequels.
To be fair, there are probably cinema gems from most countries if you look for them,
but foreign films do seem to get submerged under the marketing money of mediocrity at Hollywood budgets.
Originally posted by alcimedes
better marketing. and a large, stupid audience to work with.
Oh my god. I literally was ready to type basically this exact reply.
GMTA.
Originally posted by curiousuburb
Akira Kurosawa, Frederico Fellini, and Zhang Yimou have each produced films worthy of Oscar nods,
just to name a few foreign directors of note off the top of my head.
highly agreed
Originally posted by the same
Amelie probably wins similar comparisons to many schlock sequels.
yes, there are some mavericks (or such) each decade. But these are rare moments, aren't they? Not comparable to the entire output hollywood generates - on a weekly basis, i would say.
Basically, as far as I can tell, the simple answer to your question is that American movies have been able to dominate cinema through control of the publicity and distribution networks - something Hollywood excelled at. (Now what other industry does that remind me of.....)
I believe it's commonly known as cultural imperialism. But I suspect you already know that Vox Barbara.
Originally posted by shetline
I sure as hell hope the reason has nothing to do with Adam Sandler.
Hehe actually Punch Drunk Love is a really good movie...
I wonder, are movies more a part of American culture than in other countries? I mean seems like all my friends are critics. Even people who's tastes run pretty weak in what good cinema is tend to talk with authority on movies (even though their opinions may be shit :P )
Having tons of money and resources of hollywood, ability to get the big stars etc helps a lot too.
Originally posted by Vox Barbara
Just an observation: Any american c (or d) movie looks more stylish - and (more important) more compelling (in its particular genre) than any high-concept movie from any other country. Why?
That's a hell of a strong statement. Stylish = Explosions? or CGI?
One factor you miss out is that Americans generally have lots of money to spend but don't speak many foreign languages or like films with dubbing or subtitles. Other countries may not spend as much but they'll all happily watch English language films with dubbing/subtitles and put together that's a lot of cash.
This explains (partly) why A) American movies do well overseas but not vice versa and
I'm also wondering if you're counting films by Luc Besson, John Woo etc. as "American". It seems a bit cheeky to soak up talent from around the globe and then turn round and claim that the foreigners don't know how to make films.
Or do the Brits get to claim everything shot in Pinewood studios? Is Star Wars the best British film ever?
Originally posted by alcimedes
better marketing. and a large, stupid audience to work with.
It's funny cause it's true!
That, and America rules.
Originally posted by alcimedes
better marketing. and a large, stupid audience to work with.
I don't think American's are any dumber than any other population. Just a different culture, which can be argued to be better or worse.
I'd say that it's mostly an issue of marketing. American moviemakers market American movies to Americans, first and foremost. Americans aren't the only ones who make action flicks, but if I can see a cool action flick in English or a different one in German, I'll probably see the American one first. . . (Though knowing me I'll watch the German one later, since I love action flicks.) I will probably have also been slightly exposed to the content of the American flick, which subliminaly makes it less of a risk.
As for comedies, the other kind of movie I tend to watch, a lot is lost in translation, or for that matter in subtitles. The one reason I wish I knew French was so that I could get something out of ridiculous French comedy flicks. . . . (I'm not into French chicks, so there's only one reason) Can you imagine The Big Lebowski in translation? It would make less sense than it already does.
Originally posted by Splinemodel
I don't think American's are any dumber than any other population.
Originally posted by jwri004
I don't want to turn this into a silly banter, but I think you'll find that most results of any sort of inteligence testing tend to fall across the same distribution in all developed countries.
There are plenty of idiots in Europe too, even though many liberal columnists like to paint EU leaders as sagacious elders, and european culture as somehow superior just because it tends to align more closely with their ideals.
As James Bond might say. . .
"Not better, just different."
5 points to anyone who can nail what foreign flick that line came from, and 5 more if you can quote the question that received it as an answer.
Originally posted by Splinemodel
As James Bond might say. . .
"Not better, just different."
5 points to anyone who can nail what foreign flick that line came from, and 5 more if you can quote the question that received it as an answer.
" You Only Live Twice" (1967)
The line: "You think Chinese girls bet-tuh, huh?"
But I'm ashamed to say I cheated and used Google. Just can't resist a challenge like that.
Originally posted by Splinemodel
As for comedies, the other kind of movie I tend to watch, a lot is lost in translation, or for that matter in subtitles. The one reason I wish I knew French was so that I could get something out of ridiculous French comedy flicks. . . . (I'm not into French chicks, so there's only one reason) Can you imagine The Big Lebowski in translation? It would make less sense than it already does.
While hardly fluent in French (somewhat unCanadian of me), I can recommend a simple comparison test...
Cyrano de Bergerac - Gerard Depardieu (French version)
versus any english version, including Roxanne - Steve Martin if you want to stretch things
There is a scene where the 'villain' insults Cyrano and they get into a fight... first verbal, then physical.
While the Steve Martin version departs from the original text (likely written by Steve if not ad libbed)
english version is just a series of Cyrano's self-deprecating comments followed by counter insults towards villain.
Depardieu's version, by contrast, carries the same verbal jabs and sly insults
but the entire speech rhymes and is delivered as poetry.
Adds a whole other layer of appreciation for the scriptwriters.
Originally posted by crazychester
" You Only Live Twice" (1967)
The line: "You think Chinese girls bet-tuh, huh?"
But I'm ashamed to say I cheated and used Google. Just can't resist a challenge like that.
The funny thing being mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang actually offended the whole asian continent during the marketing tour saying he didn´t like china (or was it japan?) and especially didn´t find chinese (japanese) women attractive.
About the subject. The audience isn´t stupid but lazy. Most movies follow the exact same plot, have the same highs and lows. We have grown to expect it. If we are presented with another formula then we have to think to follow the plot and we don´t like that.
Again I have to pimp Lars von Trier as someone who make films that are considered arty-farty, but actually makes easy to follow movies and talks to the emotions much more than the intellect. But since they are enough different from the normal plot they are considered "strange"