... otherwise it would be dead quiet
In Sweden, and I guess in other European countries,
we have a massive amount of american "sit-coms" series
running day out and day in from morning to night.
It almost seems like it is some stuffing
between the "real programs", to fill in the spaces.
I couldn't help laughing, when I came across this post
by a fellow european. He seems to have had a similar experience
by watching dutch television.
Those planted faked laughs are very annoying.
You wouldn't have to put in artificial laughs
in a Charlie Chaplin or Oliver & Hardy movie, would you.
This statement by jean-paul surely
has its given place in this thread.
Because the technique used is to try to convince
the tv-program consumer, that something is very funny,
when it not necessarely is funny at all.
halojoy - demands freedome of laugh
In Sweden, and I guess in other European countries,
we have a massive amount of american "sit-coms" series
running day out and day in from morning to night.
It almost seems like it is some stuffing
between the "real programs", to fill in the spaces.
I couldn't help laughing, when I came across this post
by a fellow european. He seems to have had a similar experience
by watching dutch television.
Those planted faked laughs are very annoying.
You wouldn't have to put in artificial laughs
in a Charlie Chaplin or Oliver & Hardy movie, would you.
This statement by jean-paul surely
has its given place in this thread.
Because the technique used is to try to convince
the tv-program consumer, that something is very funny,
when it not necessarely is funny at all.
halojoy - demands freedome of laugh
I will say this. While there are plenty of non-Americans claiming that they find American culture second-rate or worse, I cannot help but notice that foreign theaters keep showing our movies, overseas record buyers keep buying our music, (rock, jazz, blues, country), and foreign TV stations keep buying our TV shows.
Yet so many Europeans maintain that they dislike American culture.
Kelticwizard is beginning to suspect that the European way is to tell one's neighbors that you watched the symphony while in fact you gorged yourself on the Steven Seagal Movie Marathon.
Yet so many Europeans maintain that they dislike American culture.
Kelticwizard is beginning to suspect that the European way is to tell one's neighbors that you watched the symphony while in fact you gorged yourself on the Steven Seagal Movie Marathon.
I wouldn't like most of such sit-coms, with artificial laughs
if it was from Soviet, China or from my own country.
There are swedish sit-coms, replicas of the concept,
but not so many.
Of course any critic of anything from the states
arises "the nationalistic feelings" in every true yankee.
One thought I have had:
During the Soviet era, surely the kids were indoctrinated
in school and media controlled by governement
that anything from west, especially from USA was bad.
This happend in East-germany and Russia .....
This so no more in those countries. They want to belong to EU.
But I still think indoctrination goes on in some parts
of the world, where we do not regard it as indoctrination.
Of my contacts with americans on the web
and by follwing the political propaganda from governement in charge
I have gotten the impression, that it is a true american's
duty to be patriotic and think that his country is the best
of all places on earth.
We all know that this isn't true.
Too much nationalism isn't good. You got to like your country
but there are others who are glad they were born
in other countries too.
I don't know exatly how young people are tought
by parents and school.
Can they get a coloured picture of the world today?
"What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?"
(I associate this line to Bob Dylan, might be wrong)
Hitler was one example, where nationalistic propaganda/indoctrination
caused a hell for many people for decades.
I am glad I am swedish. I wouldn't like to live anywhere else.
But we swedish have a very selfcritical attitude towards
ourselves and our swedish way.
We can say in an ironic way:
"typiskt svenskt!"
"typical swedish!"
and that expression is NOT used in positive ...
Of corse there are american TV-shows I like,
Seinfeld is such a program.
But that is not the issue here. Here we have a look
at crooked things producers do to make us buy/consume
their products, whether we need them or not.
And try to convince us that those things we buy
have some special quality, said in twisted formulations.
that is the subject of this thread, kelticwizard
halojoy - hope Second 11th September won't come
but revenge and giving back is strong mechanism
if it was from Soviet, China or from my own country.
There are swedish sit-coms, replicas of the concept,
but not so many.
Of course any critic of anything from the states
arises "the nationalistic feelings" in every true yankee.
One thought I have had:
During the Soviet era, surely the kids were indoctrinated
in school and media controlled by governement
that anything from west, especially from USA was bad.
This happend in East-germany and Russia .....
This so no more in those countries. They want to belong to EU.
But I still think indoctrination goes on in some parts
of the world, where we do not regard it as indoctrination.
Of my contacts with americans on the web
and by follwing the political propaganda from governement in charge
I have gotten the impression, that it is a true american's
duty to be patriotic and think that his country is the best
of all places on earth.
We all know that this isn't true.
Too much nationalism isn't good. You got to like your country
but there are others who are glad they were born
in other countries too.
I don't know exatly how young people are tought
by parents and school.
Can they get a coloured picture of the world today?
"What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?"
(I associate this line to Bob Dylan, might be wrong)
Hitler was one example, where nationalistic propaganda/indoctrination
caused a hell for many people for decades.
I am glad I am swedish. I wouldn't like to live anywhere else.
But we swedish have a very selfcritical attitude towards
ourselves and our swedish way.
We can say in an ironic way:
"typiskt svenskt!"
"typical swedish!"
and that expression is NOT used in positive ...
Of corse there are american TV-shows I like,
Seinfeld is such a program.
But that is not the issue here. Here we have a look
at crooked things producers do to make us buy/consume
their products, whether we need them or not.
And try to convince us that those things we buy
have some special quality, said in twisted formulations.
that is the subject of this thread, kelticwizard
halojoy - hope Second 11th September won't come
but revenge and giving back is strong mechanism
Visit tom paxton web site!
What Did You Learn In School Today
Tom Paxton
--------
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
I learned that Washington never told a lie
I learned that soldiers seldom die
I learned that everybody's free
That's what the teacher said to me
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
I learned that policemen are my friends
I learned that justice never ends
I learned that murderers die for their crimes
Even if we make a mistake sometimes
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
I learned that war is not so bad
I learned about the great ones we have had
We fought in Germany and in France
And someday I might get my chance
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
I learned that our government must be strong
It's always right and never wrong
Our leaders are the finest men
So we elect them again and again
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school
--------------
Visit the Tom Paxton web site
Tom Paxton Website
Almost 40 years has passed, since Tom Recorded
"What did you learn in school today?"
--------------
Ramblin' Boy - Tom Paxton (CD)
Released: 1964 (LP)
This was the first album I recorded for Elektra, in 1964. Paul Rothchild produced and I was joined in the studio by Barry Kornfeld on guitar and banjo and Felix Papparlardi on guitarron.
1 A Job Of Work
2. A Rumblin’ In The Land
3. When Morning Breaks
4. Daily News
5. What Did You Learn In School Today?
some music, played with Hifi or without,
never lose its actuality .....
/halojoy
What Did You Learn In School Today
Tom Paxton
--------
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
I learned that Washington never told a lie
I learned that soldiers seldom die
I learned that everybody's free
That's what the teacher said to me
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
I learned that policemen are my friends
I learned that justice never ends
I learned that murderers die for their crimes
Even if we make a mistake sometimes
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
I learned that war is not so bad
I learned about the great ones we have had
We fought in Germany and in France
And someday I might get my chance
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school
What did you learn in school today, dear little boy of mine?
I learned that our government must be strong
It's always right and never wrong
Our leaders are the finest men
So we elect them again and again
And that's what I learned in school today
That's what I learned in school
--------------
Visit the Tom Paxton web site
Tom Paxton Website
Almost 40 years has passed, since Tom Recorded
"What did you learn in school today?"
--------------
Ramblin' Boy - Tom Paxton (CD)
Released: 1964 (LP)
This was the first album I recorded for Elektra, in 1964. Paul Rothchild produced and I was joined in the studio by Barry Kornfeld on guitar and banjo and Felix Papparlardi on guitarron.
1 A Job Of Work
2. A Rumblin’ In The Land
3. When Morning Breaks
4. Daily News
5. What Did You Learn In School Today?
some music, played with Hifi or without,
never lose its actuality .....
/halojoy
halojoy said:
I don't think the Laugh Track is necessarily false advertising or deceptive. I think it is there to create some the sense of a live audience and a piece of shared experience. Even the audience knows the show was not filmed in front of a live audience.
Seinfeld is funny with or without the Laugh Track. If the Europeans don't like the Laugh Track, that is certainly their prerogative. But I don't think if falls under the umbrella of deceptive.
halojoy said:
No, it is just that I have read from quite a few posters from outside the US that they think little of American popular culture. Yet the overseas sales figures show that outside the US American popular culture is in demand. I just think it is humorous that so many claim not to watch or listen to it, yet the sales figures belie these protests.
It is a matter of opinion if one country is the best there is, and there is nothing wrong with feeling yours is the best, as long as you recognize others' right to feel the same. You might notice that it was I who started the thread congratulating Norway for being rated best country to live in by the UN. That does not mean that I necessarily think that Norway is a better country to live in than the US. I just thought that congratulations were in order for Norway to get the "prize", (LOL, I wonder if the UN gives a trophy for that?).
As for falling for political propaganda, you might note that in your own Support Peace thread I came out repeatedly against American involvement in Iraq.
What all this has to do with whether or not you like a Laugh Track on your TV shows, I couldn't say.
Drifting topic....sorry
KW, You may be unaware that in the UK, all the "Movie Theatre" chains are now owned and controlled by US companies. It is almost impossible to get a UK made film screened unless it has specific US finance. This is not a "knock US" post. These companys moved in to fill a vacuum following a funding chrisis which lasted decades. From a cultural aspect, it's up to the UK government to legislate, but of course they won't. Instead, they supply culturally targeted funds through "The Film Council", but the films planned attract little commercial funding as their commercial life is already destined. This is a tragic situation, as there is talent in abundance and are some great ideas here.
(My italics...)kelticwizard said:I will say this. While there are plenty of non-Americans claiming that they find American culture second-rate or worse, I cannot help but notice that foreign theaters keep showing our movies, , overseas record buyers keep buying our music, (rock, jazz, blues, country), and foreign TV stations keep buying our TV shows.
Yet so many Europeans maintain that they dislike American culture.
Kelticwizard is beginning to suspect that the European way is to tell one's neighbors that you watched the symphony while in fact you gorged yourself on the Steven Seagal Movie Marathon.
KW, You may be unaware that in the UK, all the "Movie Theatre" chains are now owned and controlled by US companies. It is almost impossible to get a UK made film screened unless it has specific US finance. This is not a "knock US" post. These companys moved in to fill a vacuum following a funding chrisis which lasted decades. From a cultural aspect, it's up to the UK government to legislate, but of course they won't. Instead, they supply culturally targeted funds through "The Film Council", but the films planned attract little commercial funding as their commercial life is already destined. This is a tragic situation, as there is talent in abundance and are some great ideas here.
Re: Drifting topic....sorry
Indeed there is. I always liked English movies, except for Ken Russell, who I found entirely undecipherable. But the comedies were frequently great-the old "Carry On...." series was a scream.
I would guess that part of the situation might be the shift in the desires of the movie going public. Years ago, movies-both American and foreign-were largely about plot, characters and dialog. You didn't need a gazillion dollars to make a movie. Somewhere along the line, the emphasis shifted to putting on huge visual displays with plot and character becoming de-emphasized. This led to much more money being required to make a movie if it is going to be promoted.
dhaen said:
Indeed there is. I always liked English movies, except for Ken Russell, who I found entirely undecipherable. But the comedies were frequently great-the old "Carry On...." series was a scream.
I would guess that part of the situation might be the shift in the desires of the movie going public. Years ago, movies-both American and foreign-were largely about plot, characters and dialog. You didn't need a gazillion dollars to make a movie. Somewhere along the line, the emphasis shifted to putting on huge visual displays with plot and character becoming de-emphasized. This led to much more money being required to make a movie if it is going to be promoted.
A lot of what's on TV over here these days is US remakes of Dutch or British shows. I guess it just goes in cycles. For awhile everyone was interested in sitcoms, a mainly American format. Now it's reality programming and make-over shows, which were "pioneered" by Europeans. Who knows, maybe the next big thing will be telenovelas from South America.
By the way, the last two movies I saw were "Owning Mahoney", a Canadian production, and "28 Days Later", a British film. Even if British moviehouses only allow American movies (which I somehow doubt), fortunately we don't have that same problem here in the US.
By the way, the last two movies I saw were "Owning Mahoney", a Canadian production, and "28 Days Later", a British film. Even if British moviehouses only allow American movies (which I somehow doubt), fortunately we don't have that same problem here in the US.
dhaen said:I think you might think a little differently if the only movies you could watch were made in Japan or those with Japanese finance
Several of the big Hollywood movie studios are owned by Japanese companies.
In the spring when a few idiots were calling for a boycott of French and German companies, it quickly turned out to be impossible. The way multinational companies are structured, you can't take a breath in the US without paying something to Vivendi or Bertelsmann. Or Ahold or ING or Disney or Sony.
In the next few days I'll compile a list of what's on locally to me, and post it. Could be interesting reading...
Yes, that would be interesting. Right now I'm visiting my sister in a small town in a rural area in Oregon. There's not much going on here, movie-wise, compared to in a big city. But, among the twelve movies showing in town right now are Bend it Like Beckham (UK/Germany) and Whale Rider (New Zealand).
If you really only are allowed to see big-budget Hollywood movies, then I would agree that that would be pretty unpleasant. But, then, shouldn't your beef be with your movie theaters? Or maybe with your neighbors, for having such bad taste?
Hi Rob,
Cheers,
Yes I know about Matsushita and Sony's involvement. I know it caused some soul searching. But in my opinion it doesn't matter in principle who owns the place. The problem is when they control the culture.
Perhaps I should write to the head office, but I don't know their "zip code"
Absolutely
Cheers,
Rob M said:
Actually, I would think that Britain, as a sovereign nation, would be well within their rights to pass laws madating that movie theaters show a certain percentage of English-made movies.
We have an analogous situation here in the US, where if an English production comes to Broadway, only a certain percentage of the actors are allowed to be non-American. Actually, it is a policy of the American actor's union, but the effect is the same.
Every country has the right to make laws to protect it's own industries.
kelticwizard said:
So you think it's a good idea to let american actors star in a british production?
Well, I don't.
It just wont be the same thing, no mather how good that american actor is.
Years ago there was a pretty funny british sitcom called "dear John", about a guy who lost his wife. It wasn't art or anything like that, but it was funny and well acted.
A few years later they made an american version of it with an american cast. It really sucked!
They just did not get the english humor in it. They made it into one of their sitcoms with a laugh track.
I dont know if the original would have been a succes, because the style was very different from the typical american sitcom. No laugh track, no overacting...
The sad thing is that the original was only to be seen on the BBC. The other european countries bought the american version.
I really hate it when people who dont know anything about art get to controle it. To bad it has become an "industry".
Remakes in general are awful. The American version of Iron Chef, in its original form certainly one of the greatest shows ever on television, was just horrible. A remake of Father of the Bride?
We tend to do that remake a lot in our industrial film-making. It outsells the "good stuff" (by my taste, anyway) in the same way that Bose outsells Quad. The creativity is found in our smaller, more independent films. Nothing like "Pink Flamingoes" will ever come out of Europe. It's our distinct style. But make no mistake, though we sell a lot of crappy stuff for the masses, there's an enormous amount of edgy, interesting film-making going on here.
We tend to do that remake a lot in our industrial film-making. It outsells the "good stuff" (by my taste, anyway) in the same way that Bose outsells Quad. The creativity is found in our smaller, more independent films. Nothing like "Pink Flamingoes" will ever come out of Europe. It's our distinct style. But make no mistake, though we sell a lot of crappy stuff for the masses, there's an enormous amount of edgy, interesting film-making going on here.
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