H/W & Reading: National Cinema vs Hollywood

• Summarise 5 points the article makes about National vs Hollywood cinema:

1. Language barriers affect how universal a film can be
2. Globalisation is dominated by Hollywood
3. Avant-garde cinema superior to Hollywood
4. Hollywood transformed cinema into an industry
5. National cinema will survive if it keeps getting public funding

• What are the traditional associations with Global Cinema/Art Cinema and what was it's reaction to Hollywood?

Often people prefer to watch Hollywood films because they feel that they are better funded, produced and edited. However many question why Hollywood has become more popular than art cinema in the first place as independent films allow directors to be more creative.

• Why do Nations fund their own cinema, what should they reflect or re-enforce? 

Public funding promotes the nation and the art culture which draws in locals and tourists. They should re-inforce a country's unity and often the cinemas will promote films that promote their nations, such as Guillermo Del Toro's 'Pan's Labyrinth' which bases its story around the Spanish Civil War.

• What is the resistance to Hollywood cinema and it's dominance in European countries?

Most European countries have a resistance to Hollywood cinema because cinema originally started in Europe but was taken over by invested in Hollywood who funded more and more films, turning filmmaking into an industry and making films more generic. Hollywood cinema is now becoming more popular in European countries as Hollywood films are more globalised in order to make a larger profit.

• Why have some European films been less reactive to Hollywood? 

European films are less popular to Hollywood films because they have less money invested in them which can mean that they may not be directed, produced and edited as well as Hollywood films. This means that often people will choose Hollywood films over European films because they'd get more for their money. European films are often watched to support the art culture and the fact that original and creative ideas are still being produced.

People are now getting bored of the generic formula and looking to art cinemas for interesting films to watch. European films can reflect on real events that give the viewers something to think about whereas Hollywood films are often scared to take risks for fear that they won't get the money back from big production costs. However people still prefer Hollywood films because they often produce satisfying endings and stock characters.

• What is the balance audience want from Global Cinema? 

Most audiences would want European films to have more fundings in order to allow better production which gives them a wider audience and better appeal. However, this could de-value small productions films and how this actually makes them be more creative. These films should get more funding to be shown in multiplex's which gives audiences a chance to choose between films rather than just choosing Hollywood films.

• How can you apply this to the messages and themes in your film?

'Pan's Labyrinth', is a take on the Alice in Wonderland tale with Spanish beliefs. The director Guillermo Del Toro ties his story to the Spanish Civil War, post-war and the role of woman in society. Guillermo applies the genre of horror to the fantasy tale as the little girl finds  refuge in an imaginary world. This related to the grown-ups in the modern day world who often want to escape, and watching 'Pan's Labyrinth' is almost like an escape from the real world.

'Pan's Labyrinth' expresses messages and themes through the fantasy characters that the girl escapes in, for example, the Pale Man, is a monster who lures children to his feast, then eats them. The irony is that he has this luxurious feast in front of him yet he cannot eat any of it because he only eats children. This relates back to the Captain who is hoarding food and medicine to make the rebels come to him, and he has most of the food and medicine yet the rebels still won't come to him. In the film, the Captain also uses a banquet to host the other men. Which shows that there must be something false about his intentions with the rebels.