# Americans, movies, stupidity, foreign countries... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 4, 2009, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585 "2009-10-04T20:35:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Shig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Shig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shig)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/41 "2009-10-08T03:47:00Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > There are some good Australian films (_Crackerjack_, the _Mad Max_ films, _Hercules Returns_, _The Castle_, and _Dark City_ spring to mind), though. I like “Chopper”. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/42 "2009-10-08T09:09:10Z")
I tried to watch **Chopper** but couldn’t get through it. I dug **Somersault** a lot, though. I became such an Abbie Cornish fan that I was thrilled when **Candy** showed up on cable. Another solid Australian flick, IMO. I will now watch anything with Abbie Cornish. There are a couple more Australian films I liked, but I can’t remember the title, the actors, or any specific enough scene to google. EDIT: I have a hard time classifying movies like Dark City as Australian. Those feel like Hollywood movies that may be shot in a different country, or have directors or stars from another country, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the movie is of the country, y’know? Otherwise much of Hollywood drivel could be blamed on Canada for how much Hollywood films in Toronto. By contrast, Somersault and Candy feel Australian through and through. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/43 "2009-10-08T09:50:51Z")
_Dark City_ was directed by an Australian, filmed in Sydney, and Terence Stamp is in it. It’s an Australian film, but not an “Australian” film, if that makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/44 "2009-10-08T10:19:01Z")
Well, Australia does come before USA in the “country” section of its imdb listing, so it’s more Australian than, say, **Training Day** or **Saw**. ---
**Author:** ![Estilicon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/848f3c/32.png) [@Estilicon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Estilicon)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/45 "2009-10-08T12:17:27Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > Releases in Spain are either simultaneous with the US or a long time behind (sometimes we may get in theaters stuff which was for-video in the US, or which nobody expected would do well but which did). American movies and TV shows get dubbed to Spanish twice, once for Spain and once for Latin America. European movies often get dubbed to “Spanish from Spain” only. In Argentina, at least, we like our foreigner movies or tv series with in the original language and with subtitles. Usually american movies are the most seen. Lately, though, there are lots of national movies: “El Secreto de sus ojos” and “Las viudas de los jueves” are currently on top. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/46 "2009-10-08T12:36:54Z")
The last time I was in Paris, it was wallpapered in posters for **Fortress II - Reentry**. I’m not sure, but I think that movie was straight to video in the US. In other words, the French might be snobs when it comes to our dirty American culture, but they aren’t too good for it after all. As for subtitles, my mom and I saw _Erin Brockovich_ in Brussels and it was in English with Flemish and I think French? The audience obviously all understood English, though, as they laughed when things were funny in the dialogue, not before or after as you do when you’re reading subtitles. ---
**Author:** ![LunarPlexus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LunarPlexus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LunarPlexus)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/47 "2009-10-08T13:56:49Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > I saw Final Destination 2 (might have been 1 or 3), Hulk and some random comedy about a gay boat cruise in Turkey. Got caught trying to smuggle heroin, didja? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/48 "2009-10-08T14:00:18Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > _Dark City_ was directed by an Australian, filmed in Sydney, and Terence Stamp is in it. It’s an Australian film, but not an “Australian” film, if that makes sense. Terence Stamp wasn’t in Dark City. And lots of movies are filmed in Sydney. The guy to figuring out a film’s “location” is who funded it (in this case, New Line Cinema, a US company) and who are the principal creators. In Dark City’s case, director Alex Proyas is Australian, but none of the leads are (three are American, one is British) and the three screenswriters come from all over (Proyas himself, an American and a Brit). Proyas also began working in Hollywood in 93 and never looked back, so while he’s Australian, he works in the Hollywood system. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Baldy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Gary\_Baldy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Baldy)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/49 "2009-10-08T14:16:50Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > _Dark City_ was directed by an Australian, filmed in Sydney, and Terence Stamp is in it. It’s an Australian film, but not an “Australian” film, if that makes sense. Dark City was Alex Proyas’ follow up to The Crow, which is about as American as you can get. From what I gather, you do not consider a movie to be American if it is filmed outside the USA with some non-American actors and crew. If this is the case, then America has been taking alot of blame for shitty TV shows that are filmed in Canada with Canadian actors, directors, writers and crew. Seriously, that’s about 80% of American shows. Currently, I think Supernatural is the only show with an all-American cast, but it’s filmed completely in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![LiveOnAPlane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3d9bf3/32.png) [@LiveOnAPlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LiveOnAPlane)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/50 "2009-10-08T17:25:49Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > I saw Final Destination 2 (might have been 1 or 3), Hulk and some random comedy about a gay boat cruise in Turkey. > > Does that help answer your question? It just raises another one: Why would a cruise line that hates gays so much sponsor a gay cruise? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2009, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/51 "2009-10-08T23:36:59Z")
> [@Justin\_Bailey](#): > > Terence Stamp wasn’t in Dark City. Sorry, you’re right, it’s Bruce Spence- the Gyro Captain in the _Mad Max_ films. Still an Australian actor, though. > [@Gary\_Baldy](#): > > From what I gather, you do not consider a movie to be American if it is filmed outside the USA with some non-American actors and crew. That’s not entirely accurate- if the show or movie purports to be set in the US (or about American people), then it’s likely to be considered an “American” film anyway, IMHO. Take something like _The Frighteners_- directed by a New Zealander, filmed in New Zealand, but starring Americans and very clearly supposed to be set in America. I’m not entirely sure I’d call it a “New Zealand” film, but on the other hand I’m not going to argue with anyone who would. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2009, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/52 "2009-10-09T02:38:55Z")
> [@Martini\_Enfield](#): > > Take something like _The Frighteners_- directed by a New Zealander, filmed in New Zealand, but starring Americans and very clearly supposed to be set in America. I’m not entirely sure I’d call it a “New Zealand” film, but on the other hand I’m not going to argue with anyone who would. It’s a hybrid, _Moulin Rouge!_ is another – Australian director, international cast (including several Aussies), but perhaps not quintessentially Australian. Unlike Baz Luhrmann’s earlier film _Strictly Ballroom_ which is truly Australian. By the same token, _The Frighteners_, not really Kiwi, unlike Jackson’s earlier _Heavenly Creatures_ or _Bad Taste_. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_Baldy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Gary\_Baldy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_Baldy)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2009, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/53 "2009-10-09T03:13:23Z")
> [@Apollyon](#): > > It’s a hybrid, _Moulin Rouge!_ is another – Australian director, international cast (including several Aussies), but perhaps not quintessentially Australian. Unlike Baz Luhrmann’s earlier film _Strictly Ballroom_ which is truly Australian. > > By the same token, _The Frighteners_, not really Kiwi, unlike Jackson’s earlier _Heavenly Creatures_ or _Bad Taste_. I agree with everything you say except one thing. I believe The Frighteners is a Hollywood movie completely. It was suppose to be a Tales from the Crypt movie, but Robert Zemeckis thought the movie was strong enough not to need the franchise behind it. Star Wars is an American movie. However, it was filmed in England with a British crew and had some key characters played by British actors. It’s still an American film. Why? It was produced for an American company. Let’s look at three David Lean movies: The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago. I think everyone is agreement that Lawrence of Arabia is a British film. Doctor Zhivago is a Hollywood movie, therefore it’s American. That leaves The Bridge on the River Kwai… The Bridge on the River Kwai is kind of tricky. It could agruably be considered a “hybrid” coproduction film, but I think there are few people that would argue if you insist it’s a British film and not American. Somewhere above, someone stated that an American cast with an American setting aimed at an American market makes it an American film. Not true at all. I can pull a million examples out to disprove this, but I’ll narrow it down to two words: spagetti westerns. Every movie that Sergio Leone made since A Fistful of Dollars has been set in the USA starring American actors, except for My Name Is Nobody, and A Genius, Two Friends and an Idiot where Terence Hill is the lead. All of his movies are Italian with various coproductions. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2009, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/54 "2009-10-09T21:52:57Z")
The question of how to classify the “country” of a movie is a fascinating one that had never before occured to me. Before coming back to the thread, I was trying to figure out exactly why the two Abbie Cornish movies struck me as so clearly Australian compared to some of the others mentioned. I concluded that it was because everyone in the movie speaks with an Australian accent. heh. I guess at the end of the day, a movie is of whatever country its production company is from. Any other definition makes most Hollywood films Canadian. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585/55 "2009-10-10T00:22:25Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > The question of how to classify the “country” of a movie is a fascinating one that had never before occured to me. I remember the [Red](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111495/) (1994) portion of Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colors trilogy missed out on being nominated for the Best Foreign-Languge Oscar because they could not pin down which country could rightfully claim it. The producers were Swiss, French and maybe one other nationality. Kieslowski was Polish. Filming or other production aspects were done in multiple countries. It was nominated for three Oscars (cinematography, director and screenplay) but missed out on a Best Foreign-Language nod because they like to assign a specific country to it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-movies-stupidity-foreign-countries/512585.md?page=2)