Subject: American Beauty
From: Scottie Bowman (rbowman@indigo.ie)
Date: Mon Feb 21 2000 - 02:51:55 EST
My younger son spent three of his happiest years
in North Western. Although more Anglo-chauvinist
than the late Lord Nelson, to the crowd of (only very)
slightly ambivalent Americanophiles in this house,
he is America's great explainer, apologist & champion.
Last week, he & his girl - who teaches film in UCC -
very nearly walked out of 'American Beauty' in disgust.
This, they tell me, is a collection of transatlantic cliches
- the compulsive, Mary Tyler Moore-type wife,
the 'wise child', the sad middle-ager who establishes
his integrity by confessing to shower wanking -
assembled by a smart ass, luvvie Englishman (Sam Mendes)
with neither sympathy nor understanding of his subject.
History & the circumstances of life in a cosmopolitan
American city may have forced Yanks to be more
circumspect than Europeans in their social dealings.
To us, their 'niceness' is often mistaken for naivety.
And it often seems to leave them unnecessarily self-critical.
A film like 'American Beauty' plays to this masochism
& is accepted ruefully as the truth about themselves.
Rubbish, say Siobhan & Jeremy. Don't swallow
the snide mockery of someone flitting in from
London's West End & who hasn't actually grasped
the first clue of the people he's talking about.
That's what *they* say, anyway. I guess, as usual,
I'll just have to wait for the video.
Scottie B.
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