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Eight of top-10 films in France were made in the USA


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By John Metzler
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM

Sunday, August 20, 2006

PARIS — The Pirates of the Caribbean have seized Paris — and most of France! Since the Hollywood blockbuster opened here last week, the Pirates have shot to the top of the cinema charts and swashbuckled past other selections. And though the black skull and cross bones Jolly Roger will hardly be replacing the tricolor blue, white, red French flags, there’s little doubt that American films have long ago secured a beachhead in a land which has let’s face it, a love/hate relationship with the USA.

It’s hard not to notice or to miss the overwhelming American influence over French cinema tastes. Of the top ten films now playing in Paris, eight are from the U.S. including, The Lake House, Superman Returns, Flight 93, Garfield 2 etc. American movies are popular for their special effects and action scenes while the heavily state- subsidized French film industry turns out more cultural or comedic movies — the types that don’t pull in big box office numbers.

Clearly the grand cinemas of the Montparnasse and Champs Elysees are immersed by Hollywood flicks. Over the past year for example, of the top ten films playing in the Paris region, again seven are American with Harry Potter leading the list. Others include the Chronicles of Narnia, King Kong, and Ice Age. Hooray for Hollywood?

Now Miami Vice and Adieu Cuba (the Lost City), Andy Garcia’s captivatingly nostalgic view of old Havana, have just opened.

Actually the fascination with America goes beyond movies — TV and radio are equally deluged by selections from the U.S. Clearly in the market place of choice in entertainment, America remains an odds on favorite. While French selections are easily found, and in many cases of high quality, the fact remains that the popular choice favors the U.S. Equally the USA remains a top ten destination for French tourists.

Why is this all so important? While much of the French political class, right and left, rails against the bete noir of “globalization” such is a simple fact for quite a long time. Is not the rock music which is easily found on the airwaves for at least forty years not a part of the musical globalization? And what of the worldwide trend wearing blue jeans which have long ago been a “dress code” on all continents? Is this not part of a single, should we say “global” statement?

The T-shirts and baseball hats equally reinforce the trend. A Senegalese teenager in Paris will wear a New York Yankees cap, an Algerian kid will sport an NBA sweatshirt, and both will probably be Rap music fans, although in French, the language of Moliere!

The sociologists and the political doyens of the Rive Gauche will drone on about the French language and culture being under assault by the Americans, and in one way it really is, but at the same time let’s not forget that in a society of free choice, selections cannot be programmed.

French and Americans may often differ over politics, but at the cinema box office, they seem to see things the same way.


John J. Metzler is a U.N. correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He writes weekly for World Tribune.com.