看英文電影，學(xué)英美文化(四)

2.3 Freedom and equality　

As a country with lots immigrants, the United States has become a world power deeply influenced by the free and equal culture.The so-called freedom is to insist on the self while not forcing others to agree with it, not to inculcate oneself in others. The British and American rarely impose their will on others, while the British and American are known for their notions of fairness and equality. For example, in "Pride and Prejudice", Bennett's parents respect their daughters' choice of marriage. On the other hands, daughters ask their parents for advice. The relationship between parents and their children is equal, and they are free as individual. Parents and children do not interfere each other, but respect each other. Such as Jane and Rochester's love in" Jane Eyre", although they do not match according to the status but love and marriage is free. Although Jane eyre was born humble, bullied from childhood and she is just an ordinary family teacher, but she is independent and she has equal right to make her own choice. So in the end they get together because of love. It is enough to prove that Britain and the United States pursue the idea of free equality.

3. The British and American culture in British and American films

3.1 The British and American customs in British and American films

    Chinese customs and traditions differ from those of Britain and the United States. Therefore, Chinese people are inevitably troubled by the customs and cultural traditions of British and American cultures. Film is the most direct and vivid reflection of the culture, lifestyle, customs, history and thinking mode of a country and nation. Learning about the customs and habits of Britain and the United States allows us to truly understand the charm of the language and moral as well as to understand the culture of British and American countries better. Such as one line in the movie "Forrest Gump", "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get". The phrase: "Life is like a box of chocolates' is very famous. But why does it use chocolate instead of other things? This requires us to understand American customs. Because there are twelve or twenty-four pieces chocolates in a box in the United States and each chocolate has different packaging, taste, shape and color. Back in old days, there was no sign on the outer package of chocolate. We could only open the package and put it in our mouth, and only after tasting it, we can finally know what flavor it is. 

3.2 The British and American way of thinking in British and American films

Film is the communicator of culture, whether it is the narrative of the story or the development of the plot and the change of the relationship of the characters, the British and American films have a lot of aspects that are different from Chinese ones. For example, in "Sleepless in Seattle", Sam lived a melancholy life after losing his wife. And once he had a chance to speak out the anguished words of his heart to the radio announcer Martha. Dr. Marsha said: “people who truly loved once are far more likely to love again. Sam, do you think there's someone out there you could love as much as your wife? " Martha's words succinctly embody the American view of love in this film. They think that passion is a sign of love. After losing a love, we should not cherish the memory, but take up the spirit to pursue another beautiful love. This is the opposite way of Chinese view of love. Chinese people believe that love represents responsibility. When losing a love, the most pressing task is not to find new love but to take responsibility for the family. This is also the specific thinking and culture of the Britain and America.

3.3 Religious belief in British and American films

    On the contrary of the Chinese , the British and American people have their own religious beliefs, which are deeply reflected in the film. Many of the names in the movie "The Matrix" have a religious significance. The central character is Neo "the One". His life was designed according to the story of Jesus Christ. Like Jesus, Neo was chosen as the savior of mankind. In the film "Seven Deadly Sins", Christianity uses the image of devil to describe seven deadly sins that endanger human existence, pride, envy, rage, sloth, gluttony and greed. In Christianity, one of the seven deadly sins is unforgivable, because it will cause irreversible damage to the sublimation of human soul. In the Christian, "Seven" is a very mysterious number, which is shown in the movie the dripping head. Such as seven deadly sins, seven penalty, seven days for the story, the criminal was tried at seven on the seventh day and so on. In some movies, human beings show great devotion to religion, while religion gives the hero the main spiritual support. All this reflects the important position of religious belief in British and American culture.

3.4 The manifestation of ideology in British and American movies

Ideology can be understood as "the expression of a fantasy relationship between the individual and the real environment in which they live". The same ideology can be reflected in the small details of the movie. The interpretation of Forrest Gump's name by Gump's mother in "Forrest Gump" reveals the existence of the discriminated blacks in the United States. In the film, the black struggle was attributed to the kindness of the white people rather than the revolt of the black people. "Forrest Gump" has an ideological reappearance to American history. Forrest Gump’s mother told him that the name she gave is to remind him: "Sometimes we all do things that, Well, that just don 't make no sense." The implication is that racial discrimination in the south of the United States is not a deep-rooted historical issue, but because of the stupidity and occasional mistakes of human nature. And the Ku Klux Klan party in the film portrayed as "a little silly, but not evil" organization. What the film tells us is that the development of human rights is attributed to the "good white man", which is, in fact, the result of a generation of black Americans. At the same time, the "Hotel Rwanda" also hints at the racial rivalry between whites and blacks, the deeply rooted history. There is a detail in this film, a reporter asked two women around him that there was no difference between the two nations. But the rebels still will kill some of the nations, because they only accept the identity and they will slaughter as long as people with different blood donation. Therefore, It is very important to understand the culture, consciousness and ideas of British and American countries by watching British and American films.

4.Conclusion

The British and American films have been around for many years, producing countless classic films. British and American cultures have become a powerful guarantee for the success of films. The expression of theme of British and American films is inseparable from their culture, history and thought, and the openness of thought has made British and American films, which are different from others. The advantages of British and American films combined with its fascinating ideas, can help audiences understand different emotions and different values in the film.

A film director once said in an interview that he thinks that British and American films are very different because of the approaching to popular art. They also have a belief that film is a kind of works that can be deeply rooted in the hearts of the audiences and can express their views in reality. The film also has the ability to change the audience's thoughts and attitudes. British and American filmmakers always get idea from the audience, from their life and serve the public to educate the public. Therefore, British and American films have an indelible meaning for learning British and American culture.

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