pipicaca has a couple of franch fries up his ass…
It's painful…

Does the French government really need to interfere in what films are shown in French movie theaters?

This is a good one !
As if the US Government never intervened in order to select what should be shown in French movie thearters ..
Do the Blum-Byrnes agreements ring a bell ?
The French government shaped the offer of movies in French theaters based on the pressure and in application of agreement with our American friends..

Learn your history guys. Cultural imperialism has a name.

Regarding cultural products as elements of foreign policy, one can also mention the Blum-Byrnes Accord in 1946 between a ruined France and triumphant USA : American aid was conditional to the introduction of American products in France and a whole part of the accord referred specifically to films and to US demand to play American movies in French theaters.

www.understandfrance.org . . .

ALLAH OUAIS !

On connait tous l'histoire de la censure de Path of Glory liée à la préservation du mythe d'une armée française héroïque en toute circonstance.
Tu es totalement hors sujet mon gros!
Ici on parle de censure via les quotas visuels et cinématographiques.

Alors merci d'aller jouer avec tes billes ailleurs.

Still no censorship!
Europe wants to preserve European productions following the French model (France saved its cinematographic industry with such measures).
USA can trust 49% of the market and diffuse any movie it wants.

Still waiting proofs of censorship...

i think they have been nailed properly on this one!!! this thread will become a sticky, for sure!!

SSaxonsucks wrote:

i think they have been nailed properly on this one!!! this thread will become a sticky, for sure!!

God I hope so...

pipicaca wrote:

Have you any clue taht France is limiting importation of US movies ?

Pipi, I addressed this question. Yes, France has limited importation of US movies and continues to do so.

They do it because otherwise they are afraid that the French film industry would die if left to compete on its own merits with American film.

Or do you think French film can compete with American films and if so should restrictions on how many American films can be shown in France be ended?

Let movie theater owners decide what films to show their customers...not your government!!!

SALE RACE!!!

The French Love of American Culture

Well, it might seem strange from a mostly mono-cultural country like the US, but France is open to many foreign cultures.

When most US cities have a limited number of blockbusters in their cinema theaters, dozens of movies from all over the world are on Paris screens.

In cinema like in other cultural fields, we have all what you have, plus more.

In France, we have regional cultures, French culture, European culture and are still open to other foreign cultures.
We have the diversity, we have the choice and THIS is freedom.

Atlantic wrote:


Well, it might seem strange from a mostly mono-cultural country like the US

Where does this dipshit come up this crap? The USA is the most diverse country in the world. Wake up moron, you have been thoroughly brainwashed and you are not convincing any independent thinking people of your lies. I have been picking up signals here, that not even your fellow amphibian scum are buying your EU propaganda anymore, you laughing stock!

Baltic is right, you know?

From the Bible belt to San Francisco, or Alaska to Las Vegas, we have cultural diversity coming out of our ears.

I used to know a joke about a New Yorker, a Calfornia Surfer, and a Texan who got stuck on an elevator together.

I don't remember the punchline, but the point is that they were all very different and from different cultural areas.

Anyone who travels through the US, not just one region, will know that the US varies widely in terms of food, culture, dress, lifestyle, etc...

Its much like the diversity of Europe, except for we are united by one language (for the most part- much more so than Europe) and never needed a passport to travel from one state to the next as used to be the case in Europe.

The problem for US cinema is that US filmgoers hate watching films with subtitles, and their dubbing industry is unable to cope with films from elsewhere in the world. They only watch a tiny fraction of the films available from outside the USA.

By contrast, other countries either have an excellent dubbing industry (like, say, Germany) or are accustomed to watching with subtitles (e.g. the Netherlands).

Hollywood films have so much money and industry-style capacity behind them that in a really free market they'd just swamp the world with wall-to-wall crap and kill off other film industries. They've effectively locked out most foreign films in the USA, but that's no reason why other countries should emulate them. The French still make some pretty decent films, as do the Germans, but while the French and Germans get to see those films (and other European films) in addition to US stuff, the Yanks don't get to see European films. Their loss!

Anyone who travels through the US, not just one region, will know that the US varies widely in terms of food, culture, dress, lifestyle, etc...

I have travelled through the US from East to West and North to South, this might be comparable to Britain's regional diversity, but certainly not to France's, and even less to Europe's.

Atlantic wrote:

I have travelled through the US from East to West and North to South, this might be comparable to Britain's regional diversity, but certainly not to France's, and even less to Europe's.

Atlantic, I have traveled through Europe. Much of it anyway, from Portugal to Turkey. If we consider just Western Europe, I don't see how it is more culturally diverse than the US aside from language.

Both have considerable differences in food, dress, religious observance, and lifestyles that vary according to region.

Give me ONE example of a country, except USA, who can rank almost 50 % of local movies in the top 100.



Imperialist countries invaded other countries with a sword, americans did it with their movies, hamburgers and fake culture.

They had some great success with that and Roman mpire had spread his culture too. But who can tell me seriously that we will remember American cultural achievements as long as Romans one ?!?


To be short, what american cultural stuffs will stay in the collective memory in 2000 years ?

Britney's hits ?




Where are the american Victor Hugo, Pascal, Descartes or Verlaine ? The Manet, Jericho or Bizet ?

Dos Pasos"Manhattan transfer" for exemple is perfectly unknown in today's USA, so...
Their jazzmen (the american best products) are all looking for tips in Europe.

So, what will stay in the future ?

[q=Atlantic]

In France, we have regional cultures, French culture, European culture and are still open to other foreign cultures.
We have the diversity, we have the choice and THIS is freedom.

Translation: We are a whore to everyone.

parigot wrote:

Imperialist countries invaded other countries with a sword, americans did it with their movies, hamburgers and fake culture.

If it is fake, then why do French people seem unable to get enough of it? Why must the French government regulate how many American films can be shown in France to protect its film industry?

Why is McDonalds the number one restaurant in France?

More than anything, why do you people love Britney Spears?


As for authors, America has had a number of great writers, as well as scholars, as our universities are, on the whole, the best in the world. No place on earth spends as much on research and development and comes up with so many great technological advancements.

The internet, for example.

I know you stinkies say it was invented in Switzerland, but that myth is easy to disprove. When the UN or China or whoever wants to control it, who do they go to?

THE USA...

www.worldtribune.com . . .

If we don't own it, then why come to us for control of it?

How come the Romans didn't invent the internet if they were so great? Where is their space shuttle program? I see no record of their tactical nukes in the sources?

Fucking pussies...



No offense berlu...

The French still make some pretty decent films, as do the Germans, but while the French and Germans get to see those films (and other European films) in addition to US stuff, the Yanks don't get to see European films. Their loss!

Exactly, their loss!

As much as I can understand that their limited cultural offer is sufficient for their little cultural expectations and intellectual capacities, as much I don't understand why they would want us to be like them...

We love American culture, of course!
Not to the point of making it the ONLY available culture.
We leave mono-culture to the US.

Respect the French cinema...

The fact that we use your products doesn't mean it's the brightest side of the western civilisation.



McDo is easy to eat for peoples who have less time to eat... That's all but I can assure you that most peoples are buying baguette's sandwichs with parisian ham with normandy butter.



To the questions about why romans not invented the Internet, I will let you think about it during a few days and thhen I will give you the solution if you failed to answer yourself.



What's the real basics of your culture ? Your roots are mainly european or africans and only the african parts will be remembered (jazz, rock, blues, etc).

If we consider just Western Europe, I don't see how it is more culturally diverse than the US aside from language.

So what was the last typically Iowan movie?
What's the biggest Texan blockbuster, those days?
Would you say that Narnia 2 is more East-Coast or West-Coast?

Your culture has been in a melting pot for too long.
There might be some cultural micro-exceptions, but your culture is awfuly monolythic in European standards.

Wulfrun wrote:

The problem for US cinema is that US filmgoers hate watching films with subtitles, and their dubbing industry is unable to cope with films from elsewhere in the world. They only watch a tiny fraction of the films available from outside the USA.

By contrast, other countries either have an excellent dubbing industry (like, say, Germany) or are accustomed to watching with subtitles (e.g. the Netherlands).

Hollywood films have so much money and industry-style capacity behind them that in a really free market they'd just swamp the world with wall-to-wall crap and kill off other film industries. They've effectively locked out most foreign films in the USA, but that's no reason why other countries should emulate them. The French still make some pretty decent films, as do the Germans, but while the French and Germans get to see those films (and other European films) in addition to US stuff, the Yanks don't get to see European films. Their loss!

I agree with a lot of what you write here, but with some significant nuances.

I think you are right that Americans hate sub-titles, but that is because we never needed them to enjoy a good film. There are many excellent English language films already coming out of Hollywood and most of them are, as you mentioned, well funded or pretty elaborate in comparison with foreign films.

So if your argument is that the richness of films available to English speakers, or more specifically Americans, makes them blind to other films I might agree to some extent. But certainly that is a better excuse for missing a foreign film than to have missed a film because your government restricts films in an effort to preserve "culture."

FREEDOM!!!!

No worries there, we have plenty of crappy hollywood movies on top of the good stuff.

Atlantic wrote:

Your culture has been in a melting pot for too long.
There might be some cultural micro-exceptions, but your culture is awfuly monolythic in European standards.

It is interesting that you mentioned the melting pot. From that perspective I suppose the USA is slightly more monocultural than Europe, but there is still enormous cultural diversity. Have you been to Chinatown in California? Or Little Italy in New York? Or eaten at a Cajun restaurant in Louisiana?



Do you think the melting pot is better or worse than the so-called Salad bowl?

JeanValette wrote:

The French really have no choice in the matter, because their own movies suck. One time over at a girlfriend's house her sister suggested watching one of her French films. It was about some dumb bitch lost her precious cat and she frantically walked all over your typical arab infested French slum city to relocate it. That movie was one of the most boring cinematographic experiences in my life.

Of course you were bored- you have a short attention span.
You are an American and you need guns and explosions- that's why you joined the military isn't it?

parigot wrote:

To the questions about why romans not invented the Internet, I will let you think about it during a few days and thhen I will give you the solution if you failed to answer yourself.

Parigot, I was mostly joking about the Roman thing...relax. This movie/film/culture discussion really seems to have you fired up.

You should have picked up the fact that my comments were mostly tongue in cheeck when I noted the French love of Britney Spears.

I am worried about you.

Why don't you just admit to American cultural superiority and you will feel better?