American movies and RW

[KenC]

I have a running joke with Lena about her cultural education of America through movies.  there are just certain movies I think people should see to understand American life.  The latest (old) movie we watched was "The Graduate."  (Did you know that Dustin Hoffman was 30 and Ann Bancroft was 35 when that was filmed?)  Other "must see films IMO: Animal House, Gone with the Wind, the Godfather, Forrest Gump, Thomas Crown Affair, Pulp Fiction, It's a Wonderful Life, Rocky and Wizard of OZ.

Lena's first movie here in America was "American Pie" and still funny to us after all these years.
KenC

[KenC]

Lena was appalled at the behavior and dress of the Americans in her first trip to the movies here.  Poor girl put on nylons, a dress and heels.  I tried to tell her it was overkill too, but you know RW, they will do what they want any way.  She couldn't get over the size of the monster popcorn tubs and the 32 oz drinks.  "Why does everyone need to eat something to watch a movie?" was but one of many questions I had difficulty answering.

When Lena first arrived she was drawn more to slapstick type comedies and less to plot driven movies.  I have to say that she did manage to laugh in all the right spots in American Pie and didn't need any translations.

I have seen some of the comedy shows on Russian TV and they seem to be a bot like the old Benny Hill shows.  BTW my in laws did laugh until they cried when I rented "Jackass the Movie."  Again, no translation necessary.
KenC

[wxman]

Dr. Strangelove another classic mocking our our cold war mentality of the 60s, Animal House, Blazing Saddles, The Hustler,  The Grapes of Wrath,  Ghosts of Mississippi.

[Simoni]

Marina was appalled that she could not get a beer at the movies in the US to have with her popcorn.

Later, she saw an episode of the Charlie Sheen TV show Two and a Half Men, where Charlie's date added rum from her purse to their cokes...

and a light went on in Marina's head!

Now, our movie going is always fun, regardless the quality of the movie! 

[Gator]

I have watched a few films with one RW.  She enjoys them if they are not silly or action-packed.

Films are one of my many interests.  I have thought what critically accepted films would entertaining to RW and teach them something about America.  My quickly prepared list of the top 20 would be:

AMERICAN HISTORY

GONE WITH THE WIND
DANCES WITH WOLVES
GRAPES OF WRATH
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
CHINATOWN (if you live in California)
(no war movies as Russians have some excellent examples)

LEGAL/POLITICAL SYSTEM

ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN
MR SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON
12 ANGRY MEN
ERIN BROKOVICH

LIFE IN AMERICA

AMERICAN BEAUTY
SIDEWAYS
MIDNIGHT COWBOY
AMERICAN GRAFITTI
BIG CHILL
KRAMER VS. KRAMER
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (OR PHILADELHIA)
CRASH
FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF
THELMA AND LOUISE
TRAFFIC

There are others such as FARGO, CITIZEN KANE, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST, THE AVIATOR.  But these 20 will embrace much of what is America.   And they are great films.  I did not include any sports movies as this would confuse RW.

Okay, married men, what do I not understand about RW wives?   What movies would you remove from this list?  What would be the replacement?

[KenC]

Gator,
Very good list.  Lena had a class at the university where they dissected "Crash" and then "Psycho" (original version)/  I have to say I never knew all the underlying meanings in Psycho that she explained to me.  I don't know if "Brokback Mountain" tells anything about life in America though.  (Not being homophobic here, just think it was a very unusual plot even for gays)  "Sideways" was a little too subtle for Lena although she did enjoy the scenery and the wine information.  We also got a hoot out of "Little Miss Sunshine!"
KenC

[Lily]

What a good topic 

From the movies mentioned I only watched The Graduate, American Beauty, Godfather.
I think many movies do show American life. Unlike the Soviet life that used to be pretty similar on many levels of life, from the US movies we can really observe different people and lifestyles.

In the US my favorite channels were AMC and Discovery.

Now when I watch an interesting movie, I always look up for details at imdb.com and recommend all friends doing this.

[I/O]

Gator: Not being "Married", forgive me for overstepping the mark here slightly, however I speak from the short experiences of my fiance' being in my country and her reactions to movies/entertainment.  My impressions were that in the beginning with very limited English comprehension, the "Cinema" atmosphere was more conducive to her understanding than a home situation even though I have a fairly decent plasma screen with surround sound and a few tricks.  Somehow, she seemed to grasp more from the "Big Screen" so to say.

Your choice is interesting and if a Russian woman has gotten a solid grasp on all of those, I suspect she would consider herself pretty much "localised".  Regardless, one thing I do know is Russian women love a movie. (Generally speaking) I don't mind a bit, I can sleep through anything.

I/O

[jj]

I hope Marina will tolerate and "go ahead and make my day", by watching a rerun of Icons such as Clint Eastwood (dirty Harry), and John Wayne. Surely Americana.  I do know that she would enjoy John Candy and Steve Martin comedies tho.  Yes, Lily, Discovery is a great channel on TV that I know she will like , and also Animal Planet.

[aikorob]

Good topic Ken--
I was struck last week by just how much our culture has certain movies and television shows totally enmeshed in it. Think about it--talking among coworkers, friends and family---you are reasonably certain to hear things like:

what we have heah, is a failure to communicate
go ahead, make my day
I know nothing!

Even if your lady is proficient in English, how lost will she be with out having been exposed to this entertainment?

Gator--your list is excellent; but what about other entertainment--books, TV, etc.?
I would add "It's a Wonderful Life"; "True Grit"; "Cool Hand Luke"

[Shadow]

While on this topic, do your wives comment on how 'Russians' are in American movies ?
Mila will always judge the characters supposed to be Russian and often this is hilarious.
Dress, attitude and language are often complete off. 

[Lily]

  Think about it--talking among coworkers, friends and family---you are reasonably certain to hear things like:

what we have heah, is a failure to communicate
go ahead, make my day
I know nothing!

 

Do you mean the memorable quotes? yes they do make a handsome portion of people' daily talks!

We made him an offer he couldn't refuse.
Show me the money, Lebowski.

Same in Russia, too, just another movies, another lines.

Here is what I googled about American movie quotes:

 AFI's 100 YEARS...100 MOVIE QUOTES

100 GREATEST MOVIE QUOTES OF ALL TIME

The American Film Institute (AFI) revealed the top movie quotes of all time in AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes, a three-hour special television event on CBS hosted by actor and action star Pierce Brosnan with commentary from many of Hollywood's most celebrated actors and filmmakers. A jury of 1,500 film artists, critics and historians selected "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn," spoken by Clark Gable in the celebrated Civil War epic, GONE WITH THE WIND as the most memorable movie quote of all time.

 "I'm going to let you in on a little secret...and tell you that six of tonight's greatest movie quotes come from one film. CASABLANCA.

In the eight years we've aired these specials, CASABLANCA has been honored in seven of them. And when we counted down the greatest love stories of all time...it was #1.


"Great movie quotes become part of our cultural vocabulary. When you consider that any phrase from American film is eligible, you realize this is our most subjective topic to date. We expect nothing less than a war of words as we reignite interest in classic American movies."
Jean Picker Firstenberg
Director and CEO, American Film Institute
 
About the Jury Process

AFI distributed a ballot with 400 nominated movie quotes to a jury of over 1,500 leaders from the creative community, including film artists (directors, screenwriters, actors, editors, cinematographers), critics and historians.

Jury members were asked to choose up to 100 movie quotes from a comprehensive list, including entries such as "Here's lookin' at you, kid" (CASABLANCA), "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn" (GONE WITH THE WIND), "Why don't you come up sometime and see me?" (SHE DONE HIM WRONG), "May the Force be with you" (STAR WARS), "Houston, we have a problem" (APOLLO 13), "Snap out of it!" (MOONSTRUCK), "You can't handle the truth!" (A FEW GOOD MEN), "I'll be back" (THE TERMINATOR) and "Show me the money!" (JERRY MAGUIRE).

Due to the extensive number of memorable movie lines in American film, jurors could also write in votes for up to five quotes that may not already appear on the ballot.

Jurors were asked to consider the following criteria in making their selections:

MOVIE QUOTE
A statement, phrase or brief exchange of dialogue spoken in an American film.* (Lyrics from songs are not eligible.)

CULTURAL IMPACT
Movie Quotes that viewers use in their own lives and situations; circulating through popular culture, they become part of the national lexicon.

LEGACY
Movie Quotes that viewers use to evoke the memory of a treasured film, thus ensuring and enlivening its historical legacy.

Interesting Facts about the Ballot

Chronologically, the ballot spans from 1927, with the first full-length sound film, THE JAZZ SINGER: "Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet!" to 2002 and "My precious" from THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS.

CASABLANCA has seven quotes in AFI's ballot, making it the most represented film.

THE WIZARD OF OZ is the second most represented film with six quotes.

Humphrey Bogart has 10 quotes on the ballot, the most represented male actor. Al Pacino and the Marx Brothers follow with six quotes each and Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, James Stewart, Woody Allen and Jack Nicholson are all represented with five quotes each. Funnymen Peter Sellers and Mike Myers each have four quotes represented.

Bette Davis, Greta Garbo, Judy Garland and Vivien Leigh each have four memorable movie quotes on the ballot.

Billy Wilder is the top represented writer with 13 quotes, some co-written with I.A.L. Diamond, Charles Brackett and Raymond Chandler. Frances Ford Coppola has nine quotes represented, with seven coming from THE GODFATHER Trilogy. Mario Puzo, Coppola's collaborator on THE GODFATHER trilogy, has a total of eight quotes. Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Howard Koch each have seven quotes (all from CASABLANCA), followed by Woody Allen with six and Cameron Crowe, William Goldman and Stanley Kubrick with five quotes each.

1939 is the most represented year with 19 movie quotes. 1942 has 17 quotes and 1980 has 12.

[Lily]

Here is a link where people can even hear the top 10 movie quotes (survey 1998)

http://www.filmsite.org/topquotes.html


also
100 GREAT MOVIE LINES WE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT Selected by Premiere Magazine (in their August 2000 issue) - no sound 

http://www.filmsite.org/moments00.html

[SANDRO43]

(Did you know that Dustin Hoffman was 30 and Ann Bancroft was 35 when that was filmed?)

If you like the performances of the late Anne Bancroft (neé  Anna Maria Louisa Italiano in the Bronx, and long-time wife of Mel Brooks, talk about unusual matches ), and like books, too, then may I recommend a little-known jewel of a movie from 1987: 84 Charing Cross Road (also another masterful performance by Anthony Hopkins).

Set in in post-WWII New York and London, it also reveals another little-known fact, i.e. that food rationing in GB continued well into the early 1950s.

[I/O]

Well the line that sticks with me from all lines is from "African Queen" when Boghart (Sp?) referred to Hepburn as a "Psalm singin' skitty ol' maid".

I/O

[groovlstk]

While on this topic, do your wives comment on how 'Russians' are in American movies ?
Mila will always judge the characters supposed to be Russian and often this is hilarious.
Dress, attitude and language are often complete off. 

My wife and I watched The Bourne Ultimatum last weekend and she burst out laughing during the opening segment in Moscow when Matt Damon spoke (or tried to speak) Russian to the militsya guy. 

[Simoni]

Gator,
Very good list.  Lena had a class at the university where they dissected "Crash" and then "Psycho" (original version)/  I have to say I never knew all the underlying meanings in Psycho that she explained to me. 

And I'll bet the author of the screenplay didn't either!   

[Simoni]

While on this topic, do your wives comment on how 'Russians' are in American movies ?
Mila will always judge the characters supposed to be Russian and often this is hilarious.
Dress, attitude and language are often complete off. 

Marina and I saw the new Bourne flick last week.  She commented on how realistic the train was.  Must have been filmed on location in Moscow.
She also said Bourne's Russian was not bad...guess we will have to watch it again, Groove 

[KenC]

One thing being married to a RW will do is to make you much more aware of how many "bad guys" in the movies are portrayed as Russian.  It seemed like every other movie we watched had a Russian bad guy when Lena first arrived.

The last movie we saw at the cinema was "Sicko", Michale Moore's latest doumentary on American health care.  I don't know about other RW, but Lena was off the wall for days after as she was so worked up by the movie.  Some movies just open the door to her less than positive thoughts about America or American ways.  This film ignited her for days if not weeks.

Sandro,
I would watch Anthony Hopkins in anything!  He is IMO the greatest living actor today.

A couple of movies not yet mentioned that Lena loved: Galdiator and Walk the Line.  She absolutely loves Joaquin Phoenix!
KenC

[Simoni]

And I'm dreading the Christmas release about the congressman who supported the Afgans in their fight against the USSR.   So many Russian boys killed with American surface to air missiles and other weapons.   Hope we can slip by without seeing it, but since Tom Hanks has the lead, I doubt.

[groovlstk]

Marina and I saw the new Bourne flick last week.  She commented on how realistic the train was.  Must have been filmed on location in Moscow.
She also said Bourne's Russian was not bad...guess we will have to watch it again, Groove 

Polina said the Moscow setting was genuine, I recognized the train line that runs between SPB and Moscow.

We watched Everything Is Illuminated last week and I was disappointed to find out at the end that most of it had been filmed in and around Prague, not Ukraine.

[Gator]

jj,

If you like John candy and Steve martin, I suggest the classic:  “Planes, Trains & Automobiles”.  RW do not like anything silly; however, this film may tickle them as it contrasts a sophisticated businessman (there vision of a dream man) with a slob of a salesman (the anti-thesis of their dream) while the two are forced to travel together to get home for Thanksgiving (Christmas?).   A few themes about American life and fellowship, saturated with humor.

[SANDRO43]

One thing being married to a RW will do is to make you much more aware of how many "bad guys" in the movies are portrayed as Russian.  It seemed like every other movie we watched had a Russian bad guy when Lena first arrived.

KenC, this ebbs and flows with the time: Injuns, slant-eyes, mafiosos, rag heads, etc.

What I always found peculiar is that a European baddy would often have a cultured British accent. And in connection with accents and humour, how about a few Pink Panthers, and the related A Shot in the Dark (1964) ? Although my favourite Peter Seller movie is still Blake Edwards's The Party (1968) .

[jj]

Gater- yes I saw that flick. It was funny.  Uncle Buck was funny also.

Sandro43- Got to agree pink panther series one of my favorites , along with all the Mr. Bean series.  I could can watch them more than once and still laugh.  Mr. Beans Holiday movie is due out the end of this month.

   

[KenC]

Never been into Peter Sellers much except for "Being There" and never saw the humor in Mr. Bean at all.  (jj, I had to check your pofile as I thought you might be a Brit!)
KenC