...Film Final Evaluation Essay By Armando Khan Orientalism is something that has shaped the world. It has created the way we see culture. More than that it has placed culture in boxes and has probably led to the awareness of culture. By saying this I mean that the only reason we hold culture in such importance is because of difference. And that difference is caused by the wonder of orientalism. Orientalism is the portrayal off something mostly in a cultural context, in order to show a difference as well as to display something exotic. It overlooks similarities and is used to attract. This attraction comes from the exoticness for we are always attracted to something that seems distant from the mundaneness of our existences. With that being said, what also contributes to the attractiveness of orientalism is that orientalism can be seen by many as an escape. A place where taboos do not exist and one can break free of the shackles of society. Orientalism seemed to be most striking when depicted visually. Whether it be the nubile young boy on the cover of a book. Or a nude Chinese women on a placard , it was a subject of visual intrigue and something ,many in the west could not resist. This is probably why it was used in film which is what I shall get into later. Orientalism first came about with depictions of Arabic and Islamic regions. It became the norm as how this particular culture was to be viewed. This however overlooked the fact that there might have been styles that were...
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... and subsequently were pushed down by the others. This is true in the case of the film industry as well. It is well known that the United States has essentially monopolized the production of films, and while many countries around the world have still managed to produce their own and express their own sense of cultural identity through them, Canada has famously failed in its attempts. The Red Violin, first premiering in 1998, was Canada’s biggest budget film and subsequently greatly overdetermined by the market as a result. In comparison to the U.S, who not only averages a greater budget per film but also spends a higher percentage of that on advertising, Canada’s mere...
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...There have been a series of disagreements in the way that films represent the indigenous people of America. Indigenous people in this sense are the Indians, who are sometimes misunderstood as the foreigners. When talking about foreigners, it is the Europeans who invaded and settled in America, not the Indians. But, on many occasions this is not the case, as many of the European settlers consider themselves as the indigenous people of America (Howells and Negreiros 27). These concepts have been shown in films, where the battle for what might appear as ownership is evident. There are many films that are about the indigenous people of America, among which are Smoke Signals and Fast Runner. The films try to demonstrate and oppose the stereotypes that people have for the indigenous people of America (Knopf 193). Comparing the movies, one can see the employment of cinematic applications such as sounds and shots, editing, angle, camera movement, framing, music, and lighting, and then see how they relate or contrast. All the same, the films are...
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...The film "The Gods Must Be Crazy" illustrates the stark contrast between the culture of the Bushmen and modern society through the interactions between socialized members of each of these very different cultures. The cultural contrasts are evident in the characters' actions, values and differing world views. The film paints an exceptional portrait of the differences between human cultures, as well as the belief in the superiority of one's own ethnic group, that runs common to all. The Bushmen culture is one of simplicity and contentment. The pace of life in the Bushmen culture is relaxed and slow. The Bushmen culture was one without social classes. They never punished or even spoke harshly to their children and yet the children were surprisingly well behaved. The Bushmen place the greatest value on their family and their relationship with god. The Bushmen seem to have a deep respect for all life both human and non-human. In the film, the Bushman shoots an animal with a tranquilizer dart and waits until the animal lays down to go to sleep; before taking the animal's life the Bushmen would apologize for having to kill the animal and explained that he must do it so that his family could eat. His action was important because it showed that the Bushmen hunted only out of necessity and never for sport. Although the Bushmen lived in circumstances that we think of as squalor they seemed to be very happy and completely content with their lives. The most striking aspect of the Bushmen...
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...silver screen has in the modern era been awarded a significant portion of blockbuster film soundtracks, showcased in films such as The Fast and The Furious series and, perhaps more relevant to this coursework: Straight Outta Compton. In order for one to make a proper distinction between the concepts of a “hip-hop film” and “hip-hop in film”, one must first understand the basic semantics of the argument proposed. The core difference lies in that the “hip-hop film” implies an overarching theme of hip-hop culture prevalent within the film, foretelling the potential viewer that the film may include forms of expression like breaking, DJing, graffiti work, and MCing. A film like Straight Outta Compton is a perfect example of a “hip-hop...
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...the scene where Will Smith drink Coca-Cola in film. As a result of global flow, and access to media content and technology, the practice of product placement has become media-neutral and spread across other cultures. Due to this circumstances, there is a need to develop an expanded understanding of how non-US consumers perceive such placements. Product placement like traditional forms of advertising, transmit and reflect the important symbolic meanings and values within a culture. To add in, consumer attitudes toward product placement may also vary depending on the fundamental cultural orientations and values of a particular society. In general, there are abundant cross-cultural comparisons of advertising and promotion but little is known regarding how consumers from different cultures perceive and process product placement in their mind. Other than that, there has also been very limited knowledge on how and to what extent the medium of placement affects perceptions of the tactic. The main purpose of this research is to examine: i. US and Korean college student consumers’ attitudes towards product placements in three different media (films, TV shows, and songs). ii. product placement acceptability based on media genre and product type. Based on the above purpose, researchers have developed five research questions involve in this study. There are: i. What similarities and differences exist in the influence/attention of product placement...
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...American and Japanese Cultures Culture plays a vital role in defining a group of people, helping to shape the way they live, the traditions they carry out, and how they’re viewed by others. That being said, cultures vary greatly worldwide; some customs that are normal to Americans may seem strange to those living in Japan such as entertainment in America and Japan, Respect for Women in American and Japanese Cultures, and The Individual in America and Japan. To begin with, American and Japanese cultures both place an emphasis on film and video as a form of entertainment. In America, it’s not unusual for the media to pay a great deal of attention to new film releases and upcoming television premiers. Similarly Japanese culture focuses on motion pictures for entertainment, mainly through the promotion of “anime,” the Japanese contribution to the animation industry. Much like animated Disney movies are prominent in American culture, anime films are a common appearance in Japanese culture. Anime films are so popular, in fact, that they’re even viewed in the United States, creating a link between American and Japanese culture. America and Japan may share similar interests regarding entertainment, but one must remember that the two countries are at opposite ends of the world, creating differences in the way people live in the two areas. Perhaps the greatest difference between Japanese and American culture is the fact that Americans seem to have more respect for women...
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...GUNG HO! CULTURAL ANALYSIS Michael Hamilton MKTG 3852 – Second Summer 2012 7/22/12 GUNG HO- CULTURAL ANALYSIS Cultural differences influence how business is conducted in today’s rapidly expanding global market. These cultural barriers affect human interactions through our perspective of one another, credibility, time frames, as well as through communication. The success of international business depends upon the ability to set aside our differences, unite and strengthen one another. Many of these challenges can be seen throughout the movie Gung Ho. The movie portrays the relationship between the Japanese and Americans in a lightly comically point of view through an auto factory. However, when comparing and contrasting the interactions of these two cultures, both in and out of the film, they’re dynamics of become more apparent. The connections and exchanges between the Japanese management team and the American workers throughout the film present examples for each of the five dimensions in Geert Hofstede’s cultural dynamics analysis: Individualism/Collectivism, Uncertainty Avoidance, Power Distance, Masculinity/Femininity, and the later added Long-term Orientation. I. Hofstede’s Cultural Dynamics The results from Hofstede’s analysis for the United States and Japan are in the following table. When comparing the two we see that the Americans have a highly individualistic, male reinforced, ambiguous, society with a slight hierarchy with a weak connection to tradition...
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...Kung Fu movies Name: Institution: Course: Tutor: Date of submission: Introduction {introduce kung Fu movies] 0.5 Kung Fu movies are part of a subgenre of martial arts films. They are set in the modern period of futuristic martial arts. Kung Fu has its origins in China, which before being modernized, was popularly known as Wuxia (Greene, 2014). This film genre is an important creation of Hong Kong Cinema. The main difference between Kung Fu and Woxia is that the former has less sword play, instead, used more armed combat. It however found its way to the West, where it was embraced in Hollywood as one of them most loved action film genres. The genre was first played on screen in the 1930s in a film known as The Adventures of Fong Sai-Yuk (Kato, 2012). The first directors choreographed the fights to become more realistic on screen. The genre reached its heights in the 1970s and overtook some of the most famous genres of the time. Today, Kung Fu has reached international audiences across the world. The genre is mainly produced Hong Kong, main land china japan and India. This paper looks at the genre as produced in these countries, contrasts and compares them. Characteristics of kung Fu movies in Hong Kong, main land china japan and India The Hong Kong Kung Fu films combine action, mainly as codified by Hollywood, and Chinese storytelling. This is interwoven with aesthetic traditions, which combine to create a distinctive form that has a wide transcultural appeal. However...
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...Differences of Traditional Conservative Culture and Western Culture Victor Pinto Hudson Community College Abstract In the film (Arranged, 2007), it tells a story of two women who are going through an arranged marriage. Arranged marriage is something that is seen in traditional cultures, not really seen in modern western culture. Modern western culture and traditional cultures are very different. Patriarchy is followed in the home of these families, where the father sets the rules. Dating is also done differently. In traditional cultures, women have arranged dates with men, whereas in modern western culture people can decide who to go on a date with. Touching is also different, women from traditional cultures are not used to being touched by other men. They have little contact with other humans, unlike in modern western culture people are used to being touched by their friends or just shake hands when you meet someone new. Differences of Traditional Conservative Culture and Modern Western Culture: In the United States of America there are many type of traditional cultures people follow. There is a traditional culture that was shown in the film “Arranged”. Then there is the modern western culture that the majority of people follow in the United States. The traditional cultures seen in the film are from the character Rachel, who followed an Orthodox Jewish culture and Nasira who followed a Muslim culture. These two cultures may seem completely different...
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...‘Using Films to Learn About The Nature of Cross-cultural Stereotypes in Intercultural Business Communication Courses’ written by Peter W. Cardon from the University of South Carolina has helped shed light on ways instructors can educate their students in the classroom by using multimedia to bring awareness to cultural differences, and to help promote students to interact with one another in real-life situations, either on campus or in their careers. The author has chosen the film Slumdog Millionaire as his educational tool as a prime example to introduce Indian culture to Americans. In a business world full of communication, it is inevitable that a student will be faced to communicate with an individual with a different cultural background at one time or another. Many students sometimes do not realize how similar they really are with those who have been raised in a different culture. Peter W. Cardon feels that for students to grasp these similarities it is important to introduce real-life scenarios to bring awareness to cultural differences through multimedia. Teaching a generation that has been raised by watching TV, movies, and using their computers to become educated in certain areas students may be able understand cultural differences more effectively by displaying emotionally strong images. By doing this, students are able to visually see the communication process, cultural values, and acceptable behavior in a different culture. It is also widely known deep emotion...
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.......................... 1 DECLARATION ............................................................................................. 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................... 3 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................... 4 1.1 Globalisation and hybridization explained from a cinematic perspective ...................................................................................... 4 1.2 The difference between deculturalisation, acculturalization and reculturalisation explained from a cinematic perspective.................. 6 2.1 Three theoretical approaches to the study of the digital divide explained ......................................................................................... 8 2.2.1 Culture shock explained .................................................................. 11 2.2.2 How to overcome culture shock ...................................................... 13 2.3 The role of international media in setting the news agenda of local or...
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...CULTURAL DIFFERENCES PORTRAYED IN THE FILM: ESCAPE IN A HUMAN CARGO (1998) Escape in a human cargo tells the original story of an American prefab housing engineer who goes to Saudi Arabia to close a multi-million dollar deal. When he arrives he discovers that his bargain is will not be honored. The main character in the film winds up a virtual prisoner with no guarantees for his safety once the job is completed. As the plot unfolds, we are able to experience the slow realization that he is being cheated by his Arab clients, that his chances of full payment are slim and finally that his life is in danger. What is interesting about this film is that rather than being just another action movie, it’s a very scary and true story of cultural clash and a surprisingly balanced look at the uncertain justice system of Saudi courts. The following paper will discuss certain cultural differences that were portrayed in the film. Justice System: In an early stage of the film, we see a scene of a woman publically beat with stones. The characters Arab middleman later explains that she was stoned to death as a result of being suspected to have thought about adultery. Although this seems to be the normal justice system in Saudi Arabia, brutality as a form of punishment is not tolerated in North America. The film properly portrays the Americans discomfort insight of this treatment. Business interactions In addition to the differences with regards to the justice system and the treatment...
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...If I continuously have a positive attitude towards everything life would be so much better. Although being positive in every situation doesn't help, I still try to maintain positive. From this film I have learned to care for others despite the hate towards each other. In the film the two main characters William Rogers and Kelvin Owens hated each other because they were from rival gangs. The most influential scene from the film is when Kelvin Owens saves William Rogers from one of Kelvins gang members who tries to shoot William. Kelvin overcame the fact that they were rivals and took a bullet. He did it even though he knew his own gang would hunt him down and kill him. Overcoming differences in life has been the most influential from this film. Weather we are different race, culture, or religion we must overcome diversity and treat each other with kindness....
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...Greek Wedding Analysis Our culture is a part of what makes us who we are and how we communicate with others. My Big Fat Greek Wedding does an amazing job at illustrating cultural differences and all the dilemmas that occur from them. More importantly, the film shows us that with proper communication people can find a way to get along, no matter how significant the cultural differences may be. Cultural communication barriers are seen many times throughout the film. One example of this could be when Ian’s parents were attending his wedding and mentioned they couldn’t understand anything the Greek orthodox minister was saying and were astonished at the sight of people in the audience spitting on the bride. Another example might be when Ian mentioned to Toula’s Aunt that he was a vegetarian and she insisted that lamb was not considered meat. In the film we see also many instances of misunderstandings that arise due to the differences in culture. For example, when Ian met Toula’s father for the first time, Toula’s father took it as an insult that Ian did not ask permission before attempting to date his daughter. Due to Ian’s ignorance of nurturing culture like Greek culture, Ian unintentionally angered Toula’s father by his actions. Another example is when Ian’s parents meet Toula’s family for the first time. Ian’s parents also unintentionally upset Toula’s father by acting too uptight. Greek culture is classified as a collectivistic culture, so it easy to see how acting...
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