Session Two Part 1: Hollywood ≠ Europe (?) Transatlantic Hollywood: or why Hollywood is more than an American Institution Department of Film and Audiovisual Culture Dr. Richard Nowell ¨12:35–14:15 ¨Mamma Mia (2008) ¨ ¨14:15–14:25 ¨Break ¨ ¨14:25–15:45 ¨Transatlantic Hollywood: Or why Hollywood is more just an American Institution ¨ inglourious_basterds.jpg mamma_mia_ver3.jpg ¨1. Do you feel like you are watching an American movie? ¨ ¨If so, what exactly makes it American? ¨ ¨If not, why does it not feel like an American movie? ¨ ¨How else would you classify it? ¨ ¨2. How does this film dramatize some of Higson’s ideas? ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ 1. mamma_mia_ver3.jpg ¨Cinema and cross-border flows ¨ ¨Hollywood International ¨ ¨Transatlantic dimensions of Hollywood ¨ ¨ ¨ inglourious_basterds.jpg mamma_mia_ver3.jpg ¨ ¨To what does the term “transnational cinema” refer? ¨ ¨In “The Limiting Imagination of Transnational Cinema”, how does Higson suggest cross-border flows undermine the notion of national cinema? ¨Cross-boarder flows of money, people, goods, and ideas undergirding cinema are usually subsumed under the term “transnational cinema” ¨ ¨Notions of national cinema are underpinned by sense of national purity: ¨Production → Content/Address → Appreciation/Consumption ¨ ¨The various cross-border flows characterizing Hollywood complicate its status as a nominally American institution … at all of these stages ¨ ¨Crucially, flows between the United States and Europe impact upon every Hollywood film ever made, albeit in different combinations ¨ ¨The cumulative effect of the transatlantic dynamis of Hollywood output makes it difficult to maintain the idea that Hollywood is American ¨ ¨ ¨What is Hollywood? ¨ ¨… and how does its structure undermine its nominally American status? http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa20/seanandgoggles/Columbia_90s.jpg http://fusedfilm.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/walt_disney_pictures_logo_disney_4_44518dd38cc33292 1201beda99592cf1_490x350.png http://ban-sidhe.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2006/04/Paramount_logo.jpg http://www.collider.com/wp-content/uploads/universal_pictures_logo_01.jpg http://www.sandropellegrini.com/pics/Warner_Bros.png Logo_20th_century_fox.jpg logo_timewarner.gif viacom-media-logo-design.jpg walt-disney-media-logo-design.jpg news-corporation-media-logo-design.jpg logo-sony.gif comcast-white-text-logo.jpg ¨Hollywood is a group of financier-distributors-licensors (MPAA members), each owned by a multinational corporation ¨ ¨These companies outsource production to independent companies, around the world, who in turn outsource aspects of production ¨ ¨These operations involve numerous individuals and companies scattered across the globe – some in European countries ¨ ¨The notion of Hollywood imbues these countless temporary relations with a reassuring but misleading sense of unity ¨ ¨“Hollywood” is in effect a brand name for an internationally structured institution whose spiritual and ancestral home is in the United States ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨Production Companies: US and German ¨ ¨Distributors: (Mainly US) ¨ ¨Writer- Director: Quentin Tarantino (US) ¨ ¨Cast Brad Pitt (US) ¨Melanie Laurent (France) ¨Christoph Waltz (Austria) ¨Michael Fassbender (DE-IE) ¨Diane Kruger (DE) ¨Daniel Bruhl (ES-DE) ¨Til Schweiger (DE) ¨ ¨ Quentin-Tarantino-7.jpg christoph waltz.jpg ¨Production Companies: ¨Universal (Multi-national) ¨Relativity (US) ¨Littlestar (UK) ¨Playtone (US) ¨Internationale Filmproduktion Richter (DE) ¨ ¨Distributors ¨Universal (and UIP [Universal and Paramount[) ¨Producers ¨Swedish and US (inc.Tom Hanks and ABBA!) ¨ ¨Director: Phyllida Lloyd (UK) ¨Writer: Catherine Johnson (UK) mamma_mia_ver3.jpg ¨ ¨ ¨Amanda Seyfried (US) ¨Meryl Streep (US) ¨Stellen Skargard (Sweden) ¨Pierce Brosnan (Irish) ¨Colin Firth (UK) ¨Julie Walters (UK) ¨Chrisitne Baranski (US) ¨Rachel McDowell (UK) mamma_mia_ver9.jpg ¨ ¨Why might it be the case that the nationality of creative talent be deemed to be important? ¨ ¨Upon what rather questionable assumptions does this position lie? ¨Supposedly bringing a specifically national perspective to the material: Speilberg as American ¨ ¨Assumes that: ¨1. Such a thing as a national perspective exists (back to the national discourse problem) ¨ ¨2. Personnel act upon it in their work lives ¨ ¨3. Other aspects of identity are not mobilized ¨ ¨We do not know, we posit intention based on our OWN understanding of the material spielberg.jpg spielberg isreal.jpg spielberg jaw.jpg ¨ ¨ ¨How does the concept of transnational cinema complicate traditional conceptions of the consumption based approach? ¨ ¨What does Meers study tell us about ¨Distribution ¨Economic necessity ensures most Hollywood fare is made to be released internationally ¨ ¨Uptake ¨Most consumers are “Cultural Omnivores” who are not loyal to what they see as “national” forms ¨ ¨Hollywood films often enjoy deeper penetration into non-US markets than the US ¨ ¨Meaning ¨Hollywood fare is a meaningful component of the cultural experiences of countless non-Americans ¨ inglourious_basterds_trl_d_16x9_qt_850_original.jpg inglourious-basterds-hellstrom.jpg ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨How would you go about gauging the extent to which a Hollywood film penetrated the cultural sphere of a European nation? ¨North America: 37.5%/ International: 62.5% ¨ ¨USA: 25th/2009 ¨Germany: 12th/2009 ¨France: 11th/2009 ¨Italy: 17th/2009 ¨UK: 27th/2009 ¨Spain: 13th/2009 ¨Holland: 8th/2009 ¨Czech Rep. 9th/2009 inglourious_basterds.jpg ¨North America: 23.6%/ International: 76.4% ¨ ¨USA: 13th/2008 ¨Germany: 3rd/2008 ¨France: 24th/2008 ¨Italy: 14th/2008 ¨UK: 1st/2008 ¨Spain: 5th/2008 ¨Holland: 1st/2008 ¨Sweden: 1st/2008 ¨Czech Rep.: 2nd/2008 ¨ mamma_mia_ver3.jpg ¨ ¨ ¨What important information do these data not reveal? ¨Meers study is quite rare in Film Studies, as it considers how Europeans think of Hollywood ¨ ¨His study sidesteps box office data, which shows the extent to which Europeans gravitate to some Hollywood films ¨ ¨Instead, he shines a light on how young Flemish audiences perceived Hollywood, and compare it to other cultural products ¨ ¨They were drawn to the slickness, escapism, and plausible fantasies they saw in Hollywood films, and to American English ¨ ¨Hollywood was was very much a part of their cultural experience ¨ ¨How, in a general sense, does transnational cinema complicate the text-based approach … ¨ ¨ … in terms of the content and themes of a film? ¨ ¨… in terms of how it addresses audiences? ¨1. Most films do not focus on a nation: ¨ ¨A. Focus on tiny communities ¨ ¨B. Dramatize international events ¨ ¨C. Set in fantasy space ¨ ¨2. Viewers are invited to focus on perennials underpinning topical themes – honor, love ¨ ¨3. Audiences are addressed as members of other types of community – e.g. youth ¨ ¨ manhattan.jpg wall_e.jpg frost_nixon.jpg eurotrip.jpg ¨ ¨How does the content and address of Inglourious Basterds complicate the text-based approach? ¨ ¨ ¨How does the content and address of Mamma Mia! complicate the text-based approach? ¨ ¨Content ¨Focuses on international events and transnational cinema ¨ ¨Spotlights regional, ethnic, political, and taste communities (not national though) ¨ ¨Themes ¨Perennials: revenge, power, fate, hubris ¨ ¨Address ¨International cine-literate audience: young hip “indie” crowd defined by taste ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ inglourious_basterds_poster6-690x1024.jpg inglourious-basterds-eli-roth.jpg inglourious_basterds_ver6.jpg inglourious_basterds_ver7.jpg ¨A multi-layered expression of the transatlantic circulation of shared popular culture ¨ ¨1. Producers seek to bring moviegoers together across the globe around the film Mamma Mia! ¨ ¨2. The international community-building role of popular culture is spotlighted on the screen ¨ ¨[Characters overcome problems and unite around a shared love for internationally known ABBA music] ¨ ¨3. Indeed, that music showcases joy of international cultural exchange: lyrically, stylistically, tonally women at the movies.jpg mamma mia dance.jpg ABBA Album Covers (31).jpg ¨https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmFhcst0s9I ¨Despite its reputation, Hollywood is best approached as an international institution with both American and non-American dimensions ¨ ¨“Hollywood” is a brand name for myriad global operations conducted under the auspices of six multinational conglomerates ¨ ¨Hollywood utilizes the international circulatiom of capital, goods, people, and ideas to assemble products for international markets ¨ ¨Hollywood films often tell international, regional, or post-national atories, and cannot avoid being underpinned by perennial themes ¨ ¨These films are invariably intelligible to, consumed by, and play important roles in the lives of international audiences esp. in Europe ¨ ¨ ¨