The Nigerian film industry, as we discussed in class, seems to reflect in some way the national identity of Nigeria. There is an emphasis on storytelling, fast paced dialogue, and religion/cultist rituals. In the discussion afterwards, we tried to determine whether or not the US film industry still reflects our own national identity.
If you asked me to list words that define the stereotypical American identity (and let’s assume that you do) I would tell you that the American identity consists of rugged individualism, underdog stories, perseverance, innovation, and optimism. American Cinema is chocked full of all of the above (especially underdog stories). What, if any of those ideals continue to make it to the silver screen?
It is disingenuous to characterize American Cinema as explosion after explosion, or crude joke after crude joke. Its true: Transformers has a distinctly American feel. The American military plays a crucial role in all of the movies, and to say that there are explosions and fight scenes would be an incredible understatement. In the end, the bad guys (whoever they are) lose, the guy gets the girl, the buff and attractive American Special Ops forces nod knowingly and look off into the distance, uniforms torn and faces smudged from a hard days work shooting alien robots. It is an American movie in every sense of the word.
Where then, does The Social Network fit into the American film industry? The movie, a profile of Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, is almost completely driven by its characters and dialogue. There are no CGI explosions, only a strong story and a powerful script. The rapid fire delivery of lines create a tense, unrelenting drive to the film. At the end of the movie, we are forced to admire the tenacious Zuckerberg, who essentially singlehandedly changed the way that much of the world interacts. His innovation and know-how has pushed him straight to the top of the socio-economic pyramid, past social and class obstacles-- a true underdog story. And though everything seems to be going poorly for Mark in the second half of the movie, the movie ends on a lonely yet hopeful note. It is an American movie in every sense of the word.
America is too diverse and globalized a nation to have a clear cut “American” style of movie. Unlike the Nigerian film industry, which pretty much focuses on dramatic dialogue driven releases, the American film industry produces the widest array of genres, sub genres, and movies that are somewhere in between. In a society as diverse as America, there are markets for just about every type of movie. And through major studio distribution, there are markets overseas and around the world for just about every type of movie.
Yet even though the American Film Industry is marketing their product not just for Americans but for a global audience, the themes and stories remain rooted in American storytelling. The fact that they resonate with a wider audience is a bonus. The under dog story; perseverance and hard work-- these are themes that every culture values. I would argue that commercialism and CGI explosions do not change the core stories and ideas that are at the heart of the bulk of American Cinema. Transformers and The Social Network may seem diametrically opposed. They may be at opposite ends of the critical spectrum. At a glance they may seem to have nothing in common. Yet at their core they are distinctly American films-- I could not ever imagine either film being made in Bollywood or Nollywood. The stories they tell, the themes they address, they are American to the core. You may have to search a little harder, but American Cinema still reflects the very best (and in some cases) the worst that America has to offer.
Hey Wyatt. Your blog focuses especially on themes and stories that are rooted in distinctly American storytelling. However, are the themes such as "individualism, underdog stories, perseverance, innovation, and optimism" strictly American? At the forefront you have obvious blockbuster movies such as Avatar, Transformers, Lord of the Rings, etc. However, these are all franchise series which are built to expand on previous stories. Stories that essentially need the hopeful ending in order to properly continue the story. James Bond has faced 22 going on 23 perilous adventures and has at most had a minor gun wound which he recovered from in less than a scene. However, for every movie that is a franchise, such as the Indiana Jones series, you also have movies that are internationally recognized and domestically recognized award winning films that have endings that set up the exact antithesis of the american ideals.
ReplyDeleteIf you look at Oscar nominees and winners for best picture in the past you will see countless examples of this; such as Million Dollar Baby, Schindler's List, Gladiator, Shakespeare in Love, etc. The endings of these movie offer much less hope and feel-goodness then what is typically marketed to Americans. But perhaps that is what makes them so iconic and so well-respected in the film community, that they offer a new perspective that is not usually mass marketed to Americans. Are these cases of award winning movies that market non traditional american values exceptional to Hollywood, or is it simply that Hollywood is not as one-dimensional in terms of movie making as people set it out to be.
Wyatt,
ReplyDeleteI think your blog about films and culture can connect quite nicely to realist, liberal, and constructivist theories. Why do different countries produce films in different ways?
I think that Constructivists would argue that identity shapes the way in which a country’s films are portrayed and produced. Realists may argue that the expenses put into movie production and the themes conveyed show the way in which a state is trying to assert its power in order to gain security. Liberals, however, may argue that because the film industry is transcontinental, it helps to bridge peaceful relationships between various countries in the world.
Do you agree with this analysis?
Wyatt, I really liked your post, and I agree with your analysis. While there are several movies that could be outliers, and present the more negative ideals that people now associate Americans with, there are still these core values you talk about in American cinema. I also think it's safe to assume that this is because of how our country was created - by people who wanted freedom, and later on, the American dream - the idea that anyone can go to America and become something. If Nigeria were to become a country of possibility, I feel it would too have more diverse films like the US. It's all about progression - back when the movie industry began in the US, all movies were about cowboys. Like anything, it's a process, but depending on the country, it can be a short or long one.
ReplyDeleteWyatt,
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your analysis of American cinema being a representation of our culture. This may seem rather far-fetched but our nation is built on dreamers. We are a people who look at the world and think anything and everything is possible. Watching any film that is released in the United States represents that model. We are able to live vicariously through our film market, which is vastly different compared to that of Nigerian films which have a purpose of informing. So my question for you is to connect these ideas to Bollywood. Do you think Bollywood resonates more with informing, living out our fantasies, or are do their films represent something totally different?
To Ryan:
ReplyDeleteI think that the strength of a movie like Gladiator is that it takes the themes of Individualism, Perseverance, and Optimism and runs with it. Yes, Russel Crowe's character dies at the end; but he dies in defense of democracy, after singlehandedly toppling a corrupt and psychotic emperor. In other words, a single individual creating positive change in the world.
To be an American film, I feel, a movie does not have to be positive. There can be negative takes on the ideals of the American People; I think Social Network is a great example. At the end of the day, was Mark Zuckerburg happier after he reached the top of the pyramid through his own genius and hard work, or when he still had all of his friends. The movie ends with him friend requesting his ex-girlfriend, waiting for her response. I think it implies that he would trade all the money, all the innovation, for life as it was before Facebook started.
To Hannah:
ReplyDeleteThat's a very interesting analysis. I had always made a direct connection between Constructivism and cinema. I think that is the clearest IR way of looking at a national movie industry. A nation needs to have some sort of national identity or culture to make movies; therefore Constructivism and cinema go hand in hand.
To Julia:
ReplyDeleteI agree with a lot of what you're saying. The classic form of American Cinema was the western, but I have just a minor point: the western was not the only movie made during early cinema. From the continuation of the stage traditions of vaudeville to classic horror films, American Cinema began with an incredibly diverse range of styles and genres.
To Frank:
ReplyDeleteThe tricky thing about Bollywood is that they have grown up in the shadow of Hollywood. They have always had Hollywood as a model to base themselves off of, and they've always had American movies as examples and formats to base themselves off of. I don't know if you remember it, but I posted a video to the UC facebook wall during Nollywood week; here it is again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4iDWXstrWY&feature=related
Without Hollywood that entire sequence would never have happened. So I can see Hollywood influencing the types of movies that are made and the way they are shot, but I think the themes inherent in Bollywood movies relate more directly to Indian culture than American.