Korean Job Discussion Forums

[flummuxt]

There are a lot of, shall we say, unrealistic movies and TV shows out there. Sometimes I cringe when I watch them, afraid that foreigners might base their judgment on the U.S. on them.

I have the feeling this is not such a big problem with Koreans, in part because most Koreans don't seem to watch American movies. But it turns out this sort of thing is part of the problem when it comes to Islam, from what I understand. But that's another story.

What movie would you recommend Koreans watch to get an accurate, insightful picture of your home country?

I was just watching "Driving Miss Daisy" again, and felt that it would be a good one for Koreans to watch. But I think it would need a little commentary to explain that things have changed, and this portrays just one region of the country. Part of the problem is that no one movie can capture the character of a country.

"Forrest Gump" would be another good movie to watch. But again a bit of explanation would be needed, or they might take the simulated news footage a bit too seriously.

Got any other ideas?

For example, I sure liked "Quigley Down Under," and think it might provide a picture of the beauty of Australia. Don't know if it is accurate history, though.

Any movies that should be avoided as inaccurate?

[IncognitoHFX]

[flummuxt]

I'm sorry, but I have never seen such an establishment as you describe. But then I do not live anywhere near Seoul. I presume Seoul is more cosmopolitan.

My point was, what movies do you recommend they watch to get an accurate picture of your home country?

Some people teaching here are not from America.

[in_seoul_2003]

'Roots'.

[shaunew]

Canadian bacon, staring the one and only John Candy.

[pest2]

naw, they can't understand the significance of the theme in 'Roots'... it would be lost on em.

[flummuxt]

I have seen Roots for sale here, I think it was Lotte.

I remember watching it when it was on TV the first time. It struck the public consciousness like an earthquake - probably both blacks and whites. I think until then a lot of blacks had been unfamiliar with genealogy. And whites certainly didn't understand the true story of slavery.

As best I can recall, most people at the time considered it accurate, generally, though there may have been more fictionalization than originally claimed. I just looked at IMDB.com and there is some big concern here.

Actually, just about every time a Hollywood movie claims to be a non-fiction historical account, or something close to it, it turns out to be balderdash. As a general rule, don't get your history from the movies. "Mississippi Burning" is a good example. It is 99.9 percent fiction. History did not happen that way. The FBI found the culprits quite easily because they had an informer in the KKK.

So is Roots still worthwhile? I haven't seen it in a long while, but I would say yes, for the effect it has on consciousness of the issues.

But with Roots, some context and explanation is needed. I suspect this is the case with most Western movies. When you meet Koreans who have not heard of the U.S. Civil War, perhaps they are going to have trouble understanding movies like Roots.

Also, I think you need to provide some balance on the race issue.

"Radio" is a good example of a true story that has been fictionalized. It says so; it compressed about a dozen years into one. But at the end, the real Radio shows up at a football game. He is still alive. And he and the coach helped change a city in South Carolina.

Foreigners need to remember that the U.S. is a very complex country.

I don't think movies need to be non-fiction to convey an accurate sense of life in the U.S. "Field of Dreams" is a good example. Aside from the obviously fantasy element, it does a nice job of conveying the feel of place, of being in the Midwest.

It also has become an icon of American culture. Books aren't the only works of art worth studying in school, anymore. A movie like "Field of Dreams" is a work of art in its own right. And the director's comments are very interesting, and provide some good background.

It's the stuff like Terminator or Die Hard or Under Siege, or The Brady Bunch or Threes Company, stuff like that, that I don't consider a realistic portrayal of life in those United States. On the other hand, there are Americans who have gotten their definition of reality from the movies.

[Vancouver]

조폭마누라 3

[seoulsucker]

One movie my adult students really loved was "Rudy"...classic underdog story, and introduced them to the true spirit of American Football that is only found at the collegiate level.

[jkelly80]

Dazed and Confuzed, seasons 1-4 of The Wire, American Graffitti, Freaks and Geeks,

[Fishead soup]

Trailer Park Boys a pretty realistic account of rural Canadian life.

[aarontendo]

Star Wars

[Paji eh Wong]

I've had good responses for Little Miss Sunshine.

[doggyji]

[jdog2050]