Found at Majikthise, Lawyers Guns and Money, and Lance Mannion, and apparently originating here: choose ten movies that you would show to someone to explain America to them. Here’s my list, off the top of my head, making some effort not to duplicate the others.
- The Player (1992)
- Cool Hand Luke (1967)
- Training Day (2001)
- Metropolitan (1990)
- Easy Rider (1969)
- A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
- Hoop Dreams (1994)
- The Sting (1973)
- Glory (1989)
- Dr. Strangelove (1964)
I thought at first it would be hard to think of ten good ones, but I ended up having to leave out Fargo, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Thelma and Louise, The Conversation, The Untouchables, Blue Velvet, and a bunch more. I’m not providing any explanations for my choices — figuring it out should be half the fun.
It would be so much easier with TV i think.
spyder–
there are so many fewer great TV shows, and the format allows a much greater spectrum of information to be transmitted. It terrifies me that Europeans see rebroacasts of “Friends”, however.
bittergradstudent: Ever seen an Italian-dubbed Dallas?
Sean, just so you know, that joke was appreciated.
Amara–oh god, I can only imagine the bizarreness of this. Though I guess that could be what happened to the descendents of the Italian cowboys in the spaghetti westerns…
I HAVE seen the Spanish dubbed Star Trek II. Dubbed over Spanish Kirk is clearly a better actor than Shatner. And the dubbed Kirstie alley didn’t make me cry.
bittergradstudent :
How was the Spanish version of “KHAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNN”?
One thing that amazes and bewilders me when I have to deal with People…is that they have seen and remember so many movies. A large amount of their conversation is about movies. They seem to have a huge repertoire of “films seen.”
I have only seen a handful of films in my life. It just hasn’t been part of my experience. This means that I can’t talk with anyone in the “language” they understand, nor understand their rich background of movie “shared culture.” I am wondering whether I should, at my advanced age, go rent scads of “well-known” films from my local video store and get knowledgeable enough to have a conversation, let alone choose any films which would represent America.
Yours from the cinematically challenged,
Pyracantha
Actually, The GodFather is also very American. Apart from the nice portrayal of the challenges faced by the new immigrants, it unmasks the naive view of people towards politicians(of both parties) that is a lot truer than many realize.
Kate asks Michael,” Why can’t your family be in politics, like a senator, instead of being in crime?”
Michael, “Kate, you are so naive.”
Pyracantha, my advice is don’t waste your time. Your local book library contains more manna for your mind than all the video stores in the world.
Ah but Kieslowski films are mind manna for a lifetime… (Try to rent those!)
Sorry, era, but your misquotation actually made me feel pain. The real quotation is more along the lines of:
Kay: Do you know how naive you sound, Michael? Presidents and senators don’t have men killed.
Michael: Now who’s being naive, Kay?
Ten million movies couldn’t explain America.
Some wonderful choices but a few I expected are not suggested by anyone. I am Canadian and in my early 50’s, both of which affect my view of our perplexing, fascinating,strong and sometimes scary neighbour to the south. I would have expected to see more Westerns and at least one like Platoon or Full Metal Jacket. From my northern viewpoint these are big parts of the American zeitgeist (and why not Inherit the Wind while I think of it, I expect a remake soon, perhaps Intelligently Design the Wind)
Shortly, however, I think that this might tell you more about America, and yourself, than all those other movies combined.
how I wish I was in the pitch meeting.
Amara: I have seen the orginal Star Trek dubbed in Italian. I have to confess that the ever-logical Spock speaking in emotional Italian made me laugh!
Dear Joanne, When I moved to Europe, seeing/hearing my beloved Star Trek dubbed in German, French, Italian, or other languages was very strange for me. _None_ of my colleagues had heard their real voices!
So in my seminars of wavelets, I thought to educate them with this facet. I found a recording of Captain Kirk’s voice, played it so they could hear the real thing, and then made a wavelet transform to show them how the frequencies could be separated. And since Paramount or Universal, or whoever owns Star Trek cannot copyright a wavelet transform of Kirk’s voice, I felt safe putting these transforms at my web site. (scroll down to the bottom of the page)
The Godfather–for me, hands down, the great American movie. Underneath, it’s not about the Mafia or crime or even family honor (whatever the hell that means) . . . it’s about the immigrant experience in America . . . and far more importantly, the consumptive nature of capitalism.
I’d also include Once Upon a Time in the West. (Though made by an Italian, it’s THE great movie about both the historical west and the mythical west . . . and their mutual influence on the American character.)
Toss in Chinatown, To Kill a Mockingbird, Shane, It’s a Wonderful Life, On the Waterfront, the Best Years of Our Lives, Midnight Cowboy and Dr. Strangelove . . . you’re getting there . . . .