What do you lot think of, in general, the portrayal of places or historical events in movies? For example, do you feel that, say, the UK gets picked on a lot in American movies (and vise versa, but the flames away!) or that history is often butchered for personal, patriotic, historical pride? What do you guys feel about it? Because I watch movies a lot, and I legitimatly find it difficult to dislike movies (hell, it took watching After Earth twice for me to say "Hm, nope.") but sometimes there just seems to be these most blatant stabs against people which kinda annoys me.

One example, Independence Day. Obviously, because it's an American studio and cast and everything, it's all based in America. Fine. (Although the aliens seem to love New York, for some reason ) But there was a little 20 second part near the end that was just such an obvious middle finger to the UK, where there's a British military base in the desert somewhere and they get a fax, and a really posh guy shouts "Bloody 'el, it's the Americans! They say they have a plan to stop the invasion!" to which the CO says something along the lines of "okay we'll do what they say whenever they want it because they're our American overlords." May as well have got down on all fours while he was at it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Cho9WeDBo

The last war between us was a stalemate 210 years ago. By the gods, let it go...

Now this is not just about Americans being A-holes and the British being picked on, there's this kind of crap everywhere, and everyone's guilty, and it's not just in movies, it's in general culture now, which is stupid. Honestly, the most annoying thing I keep hearing is whenever says something about France someone has to go "Huehuehue surrender 'caus you're wimps!". Like, do you even know the history at all...? Yes the military screwed up in 1939 and the nation surrendered, but the actions of the Free French were perhaps the bravest feats of courage seen in the war. Or at least the European Front. Asia got messy. But don't insult an entire nation when the people fought on without a country to back them up.

The only portrayal I agree with in media today is that Canada is a winter wonderland. Went there, was amazed. Came home, got sad. 11/10 would Canada again.

I'm probably just coming off as annoying or whatever, but this was a topic that came up briefly in a conversation I had today and I figured I'd just throw the topic at you lot to see what you had to say. (If anything)

And as a final note, no you did not save us during WWII. Joint effort, dude. It took EVERYONE to win the war.

Who cares about history? It's all over and done with now. I couldn't care less if people from hundreds of years ago are stereotyped personally.

History is a butcher job to start with as far as facts go. History is predominantly the accounting of wars, and is pretty much exclusively written by the winners.

http://www.cracked.com/video_18849_6-insane-stereotypes-that-you-still-see-in-every-movie.html

Not so muh with the national part of your topic but more in tune with movies/Hollywood stereotypes in general.

The whole "stupid american" crap has gotten old. Also about america getting everything from china. I got a new mouse. It says "designed in germany", and "made in china" on it.

I care about history as a manual to humanity, and a neatly-indexed assortment of mistakes other people made so I don't have to, with tips on how to get to the top.

Speaking for England, we don't get half the stick I suppose we could've done, but we still get too much, and most of it comes from our own Islington ivory tower types who think mocking 'Englishness' (or their strawman-esque interpretation of it) makes them hip and smart.

Speaking for the Gael, pretty much all their actual history has been thoroughly gutted. Seriously. It's either kilts and bagpipes or glossy erotic novels.

Actually, I thought that scene was hilarious. Especially the accents. It was just a big dumb Hollywood blockbuster, don't take it too seriously.

Now what does piss me off a little is when Hollywood actually rewrites history as in U571 where an American submarine crew are depicted as the first to capture an Enigma machine when in reality it was a British crew that managed that feat (with intelligence from the Polish Free Army), one of the key turning points in the war against Nazism.

Just don't get me started on certain Mel Gibson films...

I can't understand this thread's point. Is this one of your thinly veiled 'Those damned Yanks' thread?

Anyway, history in general gets butchered all the time. Look at Oliver Cromwell, he's a hero and yet oh so controversial. There's a reason the phrase 'History is written by the victor' exists. Why do you think Nazis are frowned on by history? Because the guys who beat them wrote the history books. Why is the US South looked at as failed rebels? Because the North one. So yeah.

Excuse me? What do you mean "one of your..." I'm not anti-American what so ever. So what if there's patriotism in a fraction of my discussions, I never show disdain for anyone else. (Well... Australia... ) I've not made a single genuinelly anti-American thread. Are you fabricating, or something?

Don't label me, all right?

If this was meant to be anti-American in any way, it's very very thickly-veiled.

Good thing it isn't then...

My word, you use one example and apparently it represents every single one of my opinions and thoughts...

I used I-Day as an example because it's just one glaring example of the topic as a whole, not just aimed at the US of A. I even say, first "and vise versa" and "everyone's guilty of it". See that? Everyone.

I just got done posting about how there is more to Canada than the whole winter wonderland thing in another thread, then this topic comes up. With Canada being the only acceptable stereotype. Great, just great. Did I ever tell you the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_C5hdndk40?

But that video was clearly made by someone with a stick up their bum. That line isn't some 'YAY FOR OUR AMERICAN OVERLORDS!', that's what the dude who made the video said, the line in is mildly taken out of context since it wasnt a hopeless 'About time!' it was a tone like they were sick of the aliens and glad someone found the answer.

Having sort of swallowed up British television and films, I can honestly say the Brits are just as if not way worse about generalising cultures/nations.

Vaaaaaas! Best character ever!

And I was on your side, Anglo...

I was expecting the clip from Con Air. I'm disappointed.

heh, I was trying to be ironic!

That video was made by Cinema Sins, one of my favourite (and on of the most pessimistic) YouTubers! I used him as an example because that's just how people see that scene. Not all people, mind you. Otherwise there wouldn't be a discussion.

Yes, as said

No, I know that. I see that my reply suggested otherwise. Sorry 'bout that, old boy.

Oh God, Mel Gibson war flicks. I feel you, man.

We all know they're just the silly old Hollywood blockbusters and we shouldn't pay much attention to them, but what really bothers me about such portrayals is when people are stupid enough (and there are people stupid enough) to actually see them as a realistic interpretation. Makes people think conflicts have a 'good guy' and a 'bad guy', or "freedom fighting revolutionaries" against the "evil tyrannical empire". But of course, that's not how it was written for the rebels during the American Civil War or any other unsuccessful rebellion.

No worries, mush* It's tip-top.

_{*I've been watching Snatch.}

Two quotes come to mind here:

History is written by the victor.

Terrorists are rebels who lose.

And for Anglo's inspirational Tumblr quote of the day (visualise an old man looking out at the sea during the sunset while reading):

War not good. People not good either.

OP tends to be really patriotic for some reason. There's something I'll never understand personally. We should just get rid of culture and stuff altogether. I don't like being acknowledged as anything other than me. I'm not English, I'm not working-class, I'm not anything.. I'm just Josh. I don't want to be English or anything else. We should just get rid of nations, flags, regional cultures, and merge the whole of Europe into one big plot of land where everyone is the same with no national identity. Except me. I'll probably be dead, if I'm lucky. Okay, I need to go to sleep.

I don't worry about it, movies are exactly that. Movies. Not a historical documentary but a.......movie. So no, I never get irritated or upset by stereotyping in movies.

What gets me is when people pick apart a work of fiction and try to dictate what the producer or author should write in their novel or screenplay. For example, when The Phantom Menace came out people were calling George Lucas racist because Jar Jar had dreadlocks and a Jamaican sounding accent. Or the flying merchant on Tatooine was an insult against Jews because he had whiskers and was a merchant. My big pet peeve is people calling Tolkien sixist and racist because the Fellowship was male and white.

My point is that these are just works of fiction and not worth getting aggravated over. So what if a Mel Gibson movie isn't anywhere near historically accurate. He made the movie so he should be able to do whatever he wants with it.

Independence Day is a little different. It was made as a flag waving "I'm proud to be an American" movie, and it never pretended to be anything else. I saw it on opening day on July 4th for crying out loud.

Okay at least you realized the irony of your post. Whew. You would be very surprised how many people don't know how to actually use irony.

Edit

Col can I get a link to the clip you were thinking of?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XL6Bve-NhbM.

Why is Nick Cage trying to be Sideshow Bob...?

He's not. He's a southerner.