As Western audiences stray away from Hollywood, efforts are made to help them understand ‘foreign’ films in their own terms.
As Hollywood is pushed aside to make room for emerging film industries developing in increasingly digitised nations, it is an opportune moment to take an introspective look at what a Western audience demands of a ‘foreign’ movie.
British Director Danny Boyle’s 2008 box-office smash, Slumdog Millionaire, despite criticism regarding its manipulation of the image of Indian culture, remains a figurehead in the world of ‘foreign film’ – it is a soft introduction for Western audiences to the new world emerging in – amongst other centres – Indian cinema.
Dubbed ‘Bollywood’ Indian film production is growing ever more prominent on the global stage.
Incorporating aspects of Bollywood style – such as dance and singing – as well as setting the film in the streets of Mumbai , Slumdog is a perfect meld of hybridity for Western audiences.
Despite critique of the divergence from traditional Indian cinematic styles, the trend in Western cinema to replicate characteristics of Indian culture should not be considered wholly detrimental.
Audiences must learn to adapt to new styles, and productions such as this will enable such an evolution to occur.
A more recent example – again British – of meshing Western and Indian film styles is the 2012 production The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.
Starring Dev Patel, of Slumdog fame, and featuring a cast of notable Brits, including Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith, this film offers a lighter entry into the Indian culture for Western audiences.
Schaefer and Karan (Problematizing Chindia: Hybridity and Bollywoodisation of popular Indian cinema in global film flows), suggest the misconception by Western audiences that Slumdog was in fact an Indian production, along with the recent transformation of Hindi cinema to incorporate more Westernised aspects, has led to an increased interest in the genre.
This view is central to the argument of this post, as it demonstrates hybridity is important in helping Western audiences to understand and enjoy non-Hollywood films.
Therefore, this is what Western audiences are looking for in ‘foreign’ films – the opportunity to softly be introduced to new genres in order to appreciate them as their tastes broaden.
P.s. Thankyou anandkumarrs for the image.
P.p.s. Thankyou FoxSearchlight for the video.
P.p.p.s. Thankyou Yousif Anwar for the video.
P.p.p.p.s. Thankyou Clevver Movies for the video.
