There’s a couple of problems I see here from a laymen’s viewpoint.
Prove the producers ever said that. The burden of proof rests on the plaintiffs and I seriously doubt they have any.
Technically, the statement as worded is true. This film will be viewed overseas.
I am sure that Cohen’s contract is worded to survive any legal challenge. After all, he is a Jew.
I was wondering about this scene. The way I remember that conversation going, one of the frat boys asks if the women are like sex slaves “up there in Russia.” Borat says yes, and then the frat boy starts talking about how he wished they had slaves like that in the US…presumably (I thought) still talking about sex slaves. Reading people’s comments afterwards, most people seem to think that the boys were wishing that we still had old school, American-style, antebellum slavery. But I don’t think that’s what they meant. (And while sex slavery is nothing to sneeze at, it seems like a more socially acceptable thing for a stupid, horny college kid to say than wishing that African-Americans were back in chains.) Am I remembering the conversation incorrectly?
Another question about this scene. The audience clearly knows that the woman is supposed to be a prostitute (we see Borat go in another room and call the number on the newspaper advertisement), but do the other dinner guests really know this? While she was definitely dressed inappropriately for the occassion, it didn’t look to me like she was obviously dressed like a prostitute, and Borat didn’t announce her as such. So did the dinner guests get upset just because there was a flashily dressed black woman in their home (as someone pointed out, they did live on Secession Drive), or are they told she was a prostitute off-camera?
For those wondering which scenes were real and which were staged, here’s a handy guide from Salon. Very much to my surprise, a lot of the scenes WEREN’T staged (even if they didn’t happen exactly as they appeared in the movie). The bed and breakfast couple, for example, originally thought Borat was for real. Same with the dinner party.
I thought the movie was pretty funny in parts, but like a couple others, I did feel an undercurrent of discomfort through a lot of it. The part where he insults the minister’s wife, for example. Or the part where he destroys the guy’s antique shop – yes, yes, I know he had a lot of Confederate stuff in that shop, but still, all I could think during that scene was “geez, he’s literally destroying a lot of stuff this guy has worked for and is evidently proud of.” Even if the store owner was paid the full worth of the stuff (as happened in real life), it was still kind of an ass thing to do.
Some of the over-the-top positive reviews of the movie made me slightly uneasy as well. In a strange way, some of them are more insulting than Borat was. The tent revival scene, for example: Borat, to my surprise, did not actually do much to insult the churchgoers. He was clearly just playing along for the camera, but he didn’t shit on those people and their religion in the same way, for example, that he shit on the group of feminists. But there’s a definite tone of scorn and derision in the way a lot of reviewers are talking about the people in the revival scene. Same with the rodeo: the rodeo owner deserves all the flack he can get, but the people in the stands were clearly applauding less and less as it became clear what Borat was saying, and eventually started booing him. Yet you get the sense that a lot of reviewers were more interested in mocking the people in the stands.
From memory, she seemed like the stereotypical underclothed (massively for her weight) streetwalker type prostitute.
Out of curiosity, does anyone have the movie’s soundtrack Stereophonic Musical Listenings That Have Been Origin in Moving Film "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan?
Nice article. Thanks for the link. It makes me wonder how many deleted scenes are going to appear on the DVD. Some of them seemed pretty damned funny, especially the (presumably) first time he met Pamela Anderson:
And, yeah, that dog thing is exactly what it sounds like. According to the tv.com article linked to from Salon:
:dubious:
I think Hollywood is starting to out-weird Cohen’s mythical vision of Kazakhstan!
Just saw Borat last night. Some funny bits & sight gags, but overall a one note joke that went on for far, far too long. Why people think this some sort of comedy genius puzzles me.
My sister and I just saw this movie a few hours ago. We alternated from laughing till it hurt to being uncomfortable. I have a few observations to share . . . Luellen may have been a prostitute, but she acted like a friendly, gracious person.
. One question I’ve got though, what happened to his sister? I don’t remember seeing her in the crowd scene at the end.
It was #1 at the box office this week too, 3 places ahead of a Will Ferrell comedy! It’s made $67.8 million in 10 days. Good for Cohen! He can do ANYTHING he wants now. I’m so happy for him.
I’m also happy that Flushed Away is at #3 for the 2nd week. What a wonderful movie!
That’s a bad sign, considering that the movie is only 84 minutes long – extremely short for a feature length movie!!
I guess since neither one of us is a mind reader, neither one of us will ever know with 100% certainty why he actually left.
I’ll point out, however, that their club was located on Secession Drive.
And “clearly a prostitute”? Cripes, she looked like (and dressed like) she could have been at home in the front pew of a church!
I seem to remember Borat identifying her as a prostitute, and I thought she was dressed like one, too.
I haven’t had a second viewing yet to confirm, but I could have sworn Borat saying she was his “friend” at first, and only said she was prostitute after the initial reaction of general disgust.
I second that I am very happy for SBC- I really thought America in general wasn’t going to “get” Borat, and that Borat would be a cult classic at best- that he will be recognized by the masses as the great comedian that he is awesome.
Did anyone else think it was funny that Borat talked to a comedy coach who had never heard of Borat? Don’t they have continuing education classes for this profession?
The comedy coach says he knew pretty quickly he was being had, but recognized that he was playing the “straight man” and played along.
Somehow I can’t see how this suit has merit. If I had signed a release form in advance and knew I was on camera, I would be damn careful what I said while it was rolling.
Did the people who acted so stupidly really think that it WOULDN’T
Sorry! I must have pressed some strange, undocumented key combination that posted my reply before I had finished it. I meant to say:
Did the people who acted so stupidly really think that it WOULDN’T be shown in theaters? Does it matter whether they were told a lie to get them on camera? Would it have been OK if Borat had been serious and it was made into a racial film the way they expected? Would they have looked any more intelligent?
yeah, I don’t get the complaint either- “I don’t care if people in another country see that I am racist or homophobic or whatever, just as long as no one in U S and A sees it” :rolleyes:
Why would that be an acceptable thing for him to desire? Even if it is, in fact, socially acceptable, it doesn’t make it any less morally repugnant, and it would be a pretty strong indictment of society.
If I recall correctly, it was immediately after saying “We should have slaves” that the boys began talking about all the privileges minorities enjoy, and lamenting the disadvantages that white people face, so I took the slavery comments as a wish that them uppity negroes would get back in their place.