1COM 320, History of the Moving Image Contemporary International Cinema An argument count be made that essentially all of today’s cinema is international, perhaps more so than at any time since the silent era. Some points to ponder: 1. America entertains the world. Top box-office draws in most nations around the world are American products (e.g., The Flintstones, Jurassic Park, Avatar). Some scholars call it “Hollyworld.” Cultural imperialism? A very important issue in a world of cultural tensions. 2. America also steals from the world. Witness the plethora of bad U.S. remakes of interesting and/or classic non-U.S. films, e.g. (and there are SO many more): * The Vanishing, George Sluizer, The Netherlands, 1988 –> The Vanishing, George Sluizer, U.S., 1993 * Diabolique, Henri-Georges Clouzot, France, 1955 –> Diabolique, Jeremiah Chechik, U.S., 1996 * The Return of Martin Guerre, Daniel Vigne, France, 1982 –> Sommersby, Jon Amiel, U.S., 1993 * Wings of Desire, Wim Wenders, West Germany, 1988 –> City of Angels, Brad Silberling, U.S., 1998 * Swept Away, Lina Wertmuller, West Germany, 1972 –> Swept Away, Guy Ritchie, U.S./U.K./Italy, 2002 * Solaris, Andrei Tarkovsky, Soviet Union, 1974 –> Solaris, Steven Soderberg, U.S., 2002 * Shall We Dance?, Masayuki Suo, Japan, 1996 –> Shall We Dance?, Peter Chelsom, U.S., 2004 And some not-so-bad remakes: * Boudu Saved From Drowning, Jean Renoir, France, 1932 –> Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Paul Mazursky, U.S., 1986 * Seven Samurai, Akira Kurosawa, Japan, 1954 –> The Magnificent Seven, John Sturges, U.S., 1960 * La Cage Aux Folles, Edouard Molinaro, France/Italy, 1978 –> The Birdcage, Mike Nichols, U.S., 1996 * Open Your Eyes, Alejandro Amenabar, Spain, 1997 –> Vanilla Sky, Cameron Crowe, U.S., 2001 * Infernal Affairs, Andrew Lau & Alan Mak, Hong Kong, 2002 –> The Departed, Martin Scorsese, U.S., 2006 And there are numerous examples of transference of successful British television shows to the U.S., e.g.: * Steptoe and Son –> Sanford and Son * Till Death Us Do Part –> All in the Family * Man About the House –> Three’s Company * Whose Line is it Anyway? –> Whose Line is it Anyway? * Strictly Come Dancing –> Dancing with the Stars 3. Digital technologies tend to bring parts of the world closer together (the Internet as the “new2Lumiere”?). The textbook has a chapter (Ch. 21) on the “digital domain” that focuses on computer animation and other special effects that allow the recreation of practically any location, object, etc., with great photorealism. Other ways in which technology has increased the reach of film: * web movies (e.g., YouTube) * websites in support of films (e.g., Hukkle, 2002) * “universal” standards (e.g., DVD) * “trickle down” of inexpensive filmmaking technologies to the “unenfranchised” of the world—e.g., the entire Nollywood industry (Nigerian film) is based on an inexpensive video model 4. Local/regional cinema--at the same time that film distribution may be more global in reach than ever before, films may also be quite local/regional in focus, and be marketed that way–e.g., actor Jeff Daniels’ deer hunting ensemble piece (which he wrote and directed) Escanaba in da Moonlight (2001) as a Michigan-only phenomenon; Bruce Pattison and Rich Lasky’s Dawg Days (c. 1999), a fictional account of fans’ revenge on Art Modell, marketed only locally in Cleveland. 5. The Great Auteurs have always transcended national boundaries, even as they have often defined their native country’s cinema. Your textbook has sections on many of these in chapters 15, 16, and 18; some key examples: * Akira Kurosawa (Japan) * Satyajit Ray (India) * Federico Fellini (Italy) * Michelangelo Antonioni (Italy) * Bernardo Bertolucci (Italy) * Ingmar Bergman (Sweden) * Istvan Szabo (Hungary) * Andrei Tarkovsky (Soviet Union) * Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger (Great Britain) 6. The growth of various national and ethnic diasporas engenders greater sharing of cultural products such as film–e.g., the popularity of Indian films in Trinidad/Tobago. And, some films actually examine the diasporic experience, such as Bhaji at the Beach (Gurinda Chadha, 1993) and Bend It Like Beckham (Gurinda Chadha, 2002), which focus on the Indian immigrant experience in England. Monsoon Wedding (Mira Nair, 2001) looks at the cultural ambiguities of life for diasporic Indians–and their love of film! Many current Indian films examine life for diasporic Indians (e.g., My Name is Khan, Karan Johar, 2010). 7. Contemporary “migrant auteurs” seem to move across borders with ease. Compared with the German exodus of auteurs and craftspeople in the 1920s and 1930s, this trend is less politically oriented, and more of commerce and/or art. e.g.: * John Woo (Hong Kong –> U.S.) * Ang Lee (Taiwan –> U.S. <–> U.K.) * Mira Nair (India –> U.S.) * Lasse Hallstrom (Sweden –> U.S.) * Wim Wenders (W. Germany <–> U.S.) * Wolfgang Petersen (W. Germany <–> U.S.)3* Volker Schlondorff (W. Germany <–> U.S.) * Agnieszka Holland (Poland <–> Czechoslovakia <–> Germany <–> U.K. <–> U.S.) 8. Breakthrough films from “Third Cinema” countries have transcended national boundaries in recent decades. These films from countries not historically associated with a strong filmmaking tradition tend to present a fresh vision. The term “Third Cinema” is no longer in favor among film scholars (it is seen at rather condescending), and is considered a somewhat archaic term today, given that cable/satellite channels, an expanding film festival system, and the availability of DVDs and online viewing have made such films much more accessible to all. Some “breakthrough” films that garnered a worldwide following: * Taiwan (e.g., The Wedding Banquet, Ang Lee, 1993; Eat Drink Man Woman, 1994) * China (“The Fifth Generation” of filmmakers–e.g., Raise the Red Lantern, Zhang Yimou, 1991) * Hong Kong (e.g., Chungking Express, Wong Kar-wai, 1994) * Japan (e.g., Shall We Dance?, Masayuki Suo, 1996) * Korea (South) (e.g., Old Boy, Park Chan-wook, 2003) * Mexico (e.g., Like Water for Chocolate, Alfonso Arau, 1992; The Holy Mountain, Alejandro Jodorowski, 1973) * Brazil (“Cinema Novo” in the 1960s, such as Glauber Rocha’s Black God, White Devil, 1963; later, such films as Dona Flor and her Two Husbands, Bruno Barretto, 1976, and Kiss of