What have you learned about a country from its movies
Movies are an important part of the culture of a country where they are made. Watching a film, like listening to music or reading a book can tell one a lot about things that people value and the way they interact. In this essay I would like to share my perception about the United States that I gained by watching American movies.
My first observation is that the USA is a very rich country. This is reflected in the types of average people shown in the movies, most of whom are homeowners with a car and a full-time job. They usually can afford to dine in fine restaurants and travel around the world. For example, in the recent movie “Just Married”, a young couple from America stayed in nice hotels and traveled all around Europe for their honeymoon.
US movies are also high-budget movies with a lot of special effects and excellent sound and picture quality. This is another reflection of the amount of wealth in the country that can produce movies such as “Troy”, “Titanic” or “Gladiator” that featured both multi-million budgets and collections from the theaters around the world.
Another observation is that Americans are very individualistic and independent people. Children leave the family after the high school, since when they often do not receive support from their parents and have to rely on themselves to maintain their living. Many young movie characters (such as in the movie “Bartender” have to support themselves or their education by low-prestige jobs such as waiting even if their parents are very wealthy.)
The last feature of America that I observed from US movies is that Americans are very direct in dealing with other people. They quickly speak their mind regardless of the other person’s title or the social status.
I am well aware that movies may exaggerate some of the features characteristic of the country they were made in. Nevertheless I believe that in general they give a fairly good picture of the country’s traditions, norms and values. I think that by watching American movies I gained a good understanding of the Unites States, its society and its people.
