hollywood & cultural imperialism
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Hollywood & Cultural Imperialism. Fall 2013 Prof. Karl J. Skutski Department of Modern Languages & Literatures. The World Cinema Market: Admissions, worldwide. Source: Focus 2010 World Cinema Market Trends, Marche du Film Festival de Cannes. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Hollywood & Cultural Imperialism
Fall 2013
Prof. Karl J. SkutskiDepartment of Modern Languages & Literatures
The World Cinema Market:Admissions, worldwide
India 2.9 billion
North America 1.4 billion
European Union 951 million
China 217 million
France 201 million
United Kingdom 173 million
Japan 160 million
Germany 146 million
Italy 111 million
Spain 106 million
Source: Focus 2010 World Cinema Market Trends, Marche du Film Festival de Cannes
The World Cinema Market:Number of screens (sample listing—not ranking)
United States 39,028
European Union 29,202
India 10,120
France 5,522
Germany 4,734
China 4,723
Mexico 4,430
Italy 3,208
Spain 4.083
United Kingdom 3,696
Japan 3,396
Russia 2,101
Australia 1,989
Poland 1.043
Philippines 770
The World Cinema Market:Number of feature films produced
2007 2009
European Union 1140 1168
India 1132 819
United States 909 677
China 407 456
Japan 406 448
France 133 137
Spain 115 135
Italy 93 101
Argentina 96 101
Germany 77 87
United Kingdom 70 71
Poland 30 31
Morocco 15 15
The World Cinema Market:Market share
Spain United Kingdom
Russia
European Union
France Germany Italy
National
US
The World Cinema Market:Market share
Turkey Japan
North America India China
National
Other
The World Cinema Market:Top-grossing films, worldwide - 2009 Country of origin USD ($millions)
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince UK/US 934
2. Avatar US/UK 899
3. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs US 888
4. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen US 835
5. 2012 US/CA 754
6. Up US 710
7. New Moon US 688
8. Angels and Demons US 485
9. The Hangover US/DE 467
10. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithonian US/CA 415
11. Star Trek US 386
12. Monsters vs. Aliens US 381
13. X-Men Origins: Wolverine US 375
14: Terminator Salvation US 372
15. Fast and Furious US 363
16. Inglorious Basterds US/DE 320
17. The Proposals US 317
18. A Christmas Carol US 311
19. GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra US/CZ 302
20. G. Force US 284
2012 (all time)
2012
The World Cinema Market:Top-grossing films of all time
1. Avatar (2009) $2,781,505,847 2. Titanic (1997) $1,835,300,000 3. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $1,129,219,252 4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) $1,065,896,541 5. Toy Story 3 (2010) $1,062,984,497 6. Alice in Wonderland (2010) $1,023,285,206 7. The Dark Knight (2008) $1,001,921,825 8. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) $968,657,891 9. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) $958,404,152 10. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) $937,000,866 11. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009) $933,956,980 12. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) $922,379,000 13. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) $921,600,000 14. Jurassic Park (1993) $919,700,000 15. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) $892,194,397 16. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009) $887,773,705 17. Spider-Man 3 (2007) $885,430,303 18. Shrek 2 (2004) $880,871,036 19. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) $866,300,000
20. Finding Nemo (2003) $865,000,000
The World Cinema Market:
“The Yanks have colonized our subconscious.”
--Wim Wenders
German
director
The World Cinema Market:
“Americans have turned every cinema in the world into
the equivalent of an American consulate.”
--UK government
report
The World Cinema Market:
“The average Western film requires nothing from the
viewer. Its narrative sets up a series of questions in order
to preserve an air of suspense...“Will Lassie bring the
insulin to the diabetic hunter with the broken leg before he
dies?” Then it logically answers each question ...Thus the
typical Western film gives us what we want by telling us
what we already know.”
--Stuart Hancock
The Hollywood Machine
Production
Distribution
Megaplexes
Video sales
Video rentals
Cable and pay-per view
Merchandise
The Hollywood Machine
Titanic
Harry Potter
Star Wars
Forest Gump
Matrix
Oceans 11
Meet the Parents
$1.8 billion
$1.0 billion
900 million
700 million
500 million
400 million
300 million
The Hollywood Machine
Titanic
Harry Potter
Star Wars
Forest Gump
Matrix
Oceans 11
Meet the Parents
Trainspotting
Secrets & Lies
Run Lola Run
Red
No Man’s Land
$1.8 billion
$1.0 billion
900 million
700 million
500 million
400 million
300 million
80 million
20 million
7 million
4 million
1 million
The World Cinema Market:Representative listing of “foreign” films in the world market
2009 ($millions)
Slumdog Millionaire (UK) 363
The Full Monty (UK) 256
Trainspotting (UK) 72
Secrets and Lies (UK) 52
Amelie (France) 32
Monsoon Wedding (India) 14
Run Lola Run 7
Red (Poland) 4
The Class (France) 4
Water (India) 3
Ran (Japan) 3
Source: worldwideboxoffice.com
The Hollywood Machine
AT Austria GR Greece BE Belgium IE Ireland DK Denmark IT Italy FR France LU Luxembourg FI Finland NL Netherlands DE Germany NO Norway SE
Sweden PT Portugal CH Switzerland ES Spain CEE Central Europe & Turkey UK United Kingdom
The Hollywood Machine
The Hollywood Machine
US = 36,000
The Hollywood Aesthetic
• The aesthetic of pretense• Studio system (films as products)• Star-centric• Formula approach to narrative
– Hero - Problem - Overcome- Happy Ending
• Rapid montage editing• Special effects• Non-diegetic music
HollyŁódź:
“It’s all about how we have suffered and been oppressed”
No middle class
Struggle for survival; pursuit of tolerable dignified existence
Wars happen here
Distrust of all governments
Film as mirror of harsh existence
Not many happy endings
“Dark, somber, ironic, existential”
Life can be tough
Hollywood
“It’s all about me”/ Star-centric
Obsession with status, personal success and freedoms
Pursuit of happiness
Wars happen elsewhere
America is the greatest
Film as entertaining products
Formula, “happy-ending” plots
Aesthetic of pretense
All is well
A Matter of National & Cultural Identity
Migration of international directors to Hollywood(e.g., Forman, Polanski)
Expatriate productions (e.g., Nair, Mehta)
Co-national productions
International financing
Anti-Hollywood quotas (pro-national)
Government subsidization
TV as a funding and creative outlet (e.g., BBC Films and Film 4)
The Hollywoodization of world cinema
Globalization (e.g., SONY Pictures)
Cultural Imperialism, Globalization& Contemporary World Cinema
Contemporary World CinemaSpring 2011
Cultural Imperialism
Cultural Imperialism: A critical introduction, defines the term as "the use of political and economic power to exalt and spread the values and habits of a foreign culture at the expense of a native culture.”
Cultural Imperialism
Cultural imperialism proposes that a society is brought into the modern world system when its dominating stratum is attracted, pressured, forced, and sometimes bribed into shaping its social institutions to correspond to, or even promote, the values and structures of the dominating center of the system.
(Hebert Schiller, 1976).
Cultural Imperialism
Cultural Imperialism Theory states that Western nations dominate the media around the world which in return has a powerful effect on Third World Cultures by imposing on them Western views and therefore destroying their native cultures.
(Theorist: Herb Schiller)
Source, White, Livingston. “Reconsidering cultural imperialism theory.” Florida State University
Cultural Imperialism or Globalization?
Irving Kristol, in The Emerging American Imperialism, presents imperialism as an unintended consequence of market expansion rather than a conscious goal…he later argues that…in fact many nations have facilitated and welcomed American cultural values along with American products and ways of life: "it happened because the world wanted it to happen."
To him, the American missionaries live in Hollywood, which is different from the Old European imperialism, which was based on bureaucratic colonial governments and resource extraction. Source, White, Livingston. “Reconsidering cultural imperialism theory.” Florida State University
Cultural Imperialism or Globalization?
Some theories of globalization see, instead of cultural imperialism, the movement of products and ideas from across national and cultural borders in ways that produce real changes in cultures like that of the United States. In 1994, MacQuail wrote in his book Mass Communication Theory that not only was United States influencing other cultures, but other cultures were also influencing the US…In that perspective, we can talk about an interpenetration of cultures instead of the invasion of American culture in the world.
Source, White, Livingston. “Reconsidering cultural imperialism theory.” Florida State University
Major Cinema Capitals of the World
American Cinema’s Spheres of Influence
The World Cinema Market:Market share
Spain United Kingdom
Russia
European Union
France Germany Italy
National
US
The World Cinema Market:Market share
Turkey Japan
North America India China
National
Other
Parallels the Spread of Western Values
Parallels the Spread of Western ValuesFree market economics
Democracy
Secularism
Cultural materialism
Multiculturalism
Gender equality
Religious tolerance
Postmodernism
Artistic freedom
Parallels the Spread of Western ValuesFree market economics
Democracy
Secularism
Cultural materialism
Multiculturalism
Gender equality
Religious tolerance
Postmodernism
Artistic freedom
Plus impact of technology and communications
- Internet- Social media- Satellite TV
Significant “National” Cinemas
A Matter of National Identity
“Recent national cinema studies emphasize that national identity is not a fixed and unchanging ‘essence’ but is actively constructed in films, which project national imaginaries, creating imaginary bounds holding the nation together.”
Source: Chaudhuri, Shohini. Contemporary World Cinema. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005.
A Matter of National Identity
“There are a number of similar themesacross the region’s [Europe’s] cinema. These include nationalism and national identity, borders and frontiers, migration…”
Source: Chaudhuri, Shohini. Contemporary World Cinema. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005.
A Matter of National Identity
Source: Chaudhuri, Shohini. Contemporary World Cinema. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005.
“A rich vein running through these films…is their enlarged definition of Britishness.”
A Battle of World Views
Fundamentalism
Communism
National “Defense” Strategies
Government subsidies
Government-supported film schools
Government protection (quotas on national productions versus foreign imports)
Taxes on foreign films
Censorship boards
National festivals
Co-production with other nations
1993: Uruguay GATT discussions (French led campaign to exempt films from trade agreements)
Source: Chaudhuri, Shohini. Contemporary World Cinema. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005.
Globalization of Cinema
Globalization of Cinema
Globalization of Cinema
Co-Productions
UK:Director, Danny BoyleCelador Films (production)Film 4 (production)Fatts (post-production)
France:Pathe Pictures (production)
US:Modern Video Film (post-production)Fox, Warner (distribution)
India:ActorsTake One Productions (production services)FinancingMusic production
Battle of World Views
First World Nations
- United States- Europe- Australia - Japan - S. Korea
Second World
- Russia- Eastern Europe- China
Third World
- India- Africa- Parts of S. America
Seven Worlds Theory
Liberal Democracy
Communist & Post-
Communist
Newly Industrialized
Less Developed
Islamic World Marginal States
Mirco States
Australia
Canada
England
France
New Zealand
Sweden
Spain
Germany
Israel
Japan
S. Korea
United States
China
Russia
Poland
Hungary
Viet Nam
Cuba
North Korea
Algeria
Brazil
India
Indonesia
Mexico
Thailand
Egypt
Philippines
South Africa
Turkey
Latin America
Nigeria
Bangladesh
Brunei
Iran
Oman
Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Yemen
Afghanistan
Burma
Haiti
Iraq
Somalia
Sudan
Zimbabwe
Barbados
The Bahamas Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Singapore
Vatican City
Seven Worlds Theory
Liberal Democracy
Communist & Post-
Comminist
Newly Industrialized
Less Developed
Islamic World Marginal States
Mirco States
Australia
Canada
England
France
New Zealand
Sweden
Spain
Germany
Israel
Japan
S. Korea
United States
China
Russia
Poland
Hungary
Cuba
Viet Nam
Algeria
Brazil
India
Indonesia
Mexico
Thailand
Egypt
Philippines
South Africa
Turkey
Latin America
Nigeria
Bangladesh
Brunei
Iran
Oman
Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Yemen
Afghanistan
Burma
Haiti
Iraq
Somalia
Sudan
Zimbabwe
Barbados
The Bahamas Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Singapore
Vatican City
Seven Worlds Theory
Liberal Democracy
Islamic World Marginal States
Australia
Canada
England
France
New Zealand
Sweden
Spain
Germany
Israel
Japan
S. Korea
United States
Brunei
Iran
Oman
Pakistan
Saudi Arabia
Syria
Yemen
Afghanistan
Burma
Haiti
Iraq
Somalia
Sudan
Zimbabwe
India
SecularismDemocracy
Cultural materialismGlobalization
Multiculturalism
FundamentalismTheocracy
Monoculturalism
Third Cinema Theory First Cinema:
Commercial, studio-based cinema based upon the Hollywood model (including Bollywood)
Second Cinema:European art cinema and cinema of “auteurs”
Third Cinema:Third-world production that is ideologically opposed to the filmmaking practices of both the First and Second Cinema
- Manifesto by Argentinian film directors- Anti-American-European discourse- Post-colonial (celebration of “the Other”)- Africa, Latin America, and Asia- “Militant” (freedom for the repressed)- Political
Cultural Imperialism, Globalization…or the Dynamic Nature of Cultures?
The Middle East Today
Sources: Paul Starobin and Catherine Belton, Business Week, International Edition, July 24, 2000; Wikipedia.
Hollywood & European cinemaBlackmarket DVDs & VHSSatellite TVInternetSocial media
Western media & technology could “tip the scale” toward democracy and against dictatorial regimes and fundamentalism in:
EgyptYemenAlgeriaMoroccoIranBahrainTunisiaJordanWest Bank
The Middle East Today
Sources: Paul Starobin and Catherine Belton, Business Week, International Edition, July 24, 2000; Wikipedia.
Hollywood & European cinemaBlackmarket DVDs & VHSSatellite TVInternetSocial media
Western media & technology could “tip the scale” toward democracy and against dictatorial regimes and fundamentalism in:
EgyptYemenAlgeriaMoroccoIranBahrainTunisiaJordanWest Bank
“A revolution of the social media generation.”
The Middle East Today
Sources: Paul Starobin and Catherine Belton, Business Week, International Edition, July 24, 2000; Wikipedia.
“Despite bans on most movies and records, Iranian youth still manage to acquire pirated or black market American DVDs and CDs. They do not get their news from the state-run television or radio but from CNN, Voice of America, and Radio Israel.”
--Hoover Institution, Stanford University
The Black Market for DVDs
Sources: Paul Starobin and Catherine Belton, Business Week, International Edition, July 24, 2000; Wikipedia.
Sources: Paul Starobin and Catherine Belton, Business Week, International Edition, July 24, 2000; Wikipedia.
Cinema is changing the world!