Top box office hits over the past few weeks include Harry Potter, Ice Age 3, Attack on Metro 123 (Pelham 123), and Public Enemies among others. In fact, of the top ten films now showing in France as reported by the national daily Le Figaro, eight are American and only one is French. And thatÕs despite a still very creative and heavily state - subsidized French film industry.

HollywoodÕs hold on the box office is nothing new either. Over the past year, among the ten top box office hits were American including Madagascar 3, Quantum of Solace, and Gran Torino. Not surprisingly Clint Eastwood is very popular with French audiences.

And Disney-Pixar animations such as Up, remain equally enchanting.

The National Centre for Cinematography (CNC) reports that for the month of July, movie houses had their biggest box office sales since 1980. The reasons according to Le Figaro is that the Òmajor Anglo-Saxon studios brought out their heavy artilleryÓ with Ice Age, Up, and Harry Potter coming to the silver screen. The other reason for an astounding 20 million box office receipts, is the recession. Despite vacations, far fewer French are traveling this summer, nor are they frequenting restaurants so much, but they are going to the cinema.

Quite interestingly and not very well-known is that for every movie ticket sold in France, including for foreign films, the CNC receives a percentage which then goes into a fund to subsidize French film production.

ItÕs not just not the cinema but music on the radio, is heavily American as are the top TV programs. Shows like Desperate Housewives, House, and a myriad of police programs like NCIS and Miami Vice hold sway over prime time on the major channels.

Actually none of this is terribly surprising given that the ÒAmerican brandÓ has an amazing appeal overseas; what does pose a dilemma is that the French who possess a very virile culture and needless to say arts scene, are themselves unable to slow this tsunami of American popular culture.

Not that they havenÕt tried. At least some of the intellectuals who as self-anointed cultural guardians who defend a Òcertain form of civilization,Ó are quick to offer condescension towards ÒAnglo-SaxonÓ culture in everything ranging from business to entertainment.

Yet, there are so many contradictions. In a country of truly fabulous food and equally amazing vegetables and food products, thereÕs at the same time the surprising appeal of fast-food at MacDonaldÕs. ÒMacDoÓ as itÕs called, posts some of its largest European sales in France. The Starbucks coffee houses are growing in popularity too.

Wines however remain one area where fortress France holds firm; visit the largest wine shops or supermarkets and see the extraordinary spectrum of French viniculture. Foreign wines? Surely you jest Monsieur? The very fact that so few California, Australian or Chilean wines are for sale illustrate the suffocating effectiveness of protectionism.

Yet the ÒAmerican-wayÓ is still popular. ItÕs not at all unusual seeing a baker wearing an FDNY tee shirt and New York Yankees baseball hats are common with many young people who are probably otherwise die-hard soccer fans. ItÕs the fact that the team and the symbolism is American.

Many observers may conclude, that since the political rift with Washington resulting from the Iraq war in 2003 is past, America is popular in France again. While this is true, the popularity of American cinema is nothing novel and in fact has been a feature of French life at least since WWII. Happily French President Nicolas Sarkozy had already mended political fences with the Bush Administration in 2007.

The Franco/American friendship is pretty much back to normal; both sides are free to disagree, except over the movies.