TimR

Hello rjd:

DVDs, videos and cable television are available to everyone. The supply is endless.

TCM makes non-US film available to everyone - especially British films, which are shown every month.

I don't know where you are in the states, but there are film retrospectives in every major US city - and that has been true since the 1930s.

Public television has been showing classic films - American, British, French, Italian, Russian, German and others - since the late 1960s. I saw many of these films when I was growing up on channel 13 (WNET), broadcast from NJ and including the NYC and the tri-state area, and on Channel 2 (WGBH) from Boston.

In the tri-state area, Million Dollar Movie showed classic films several times a week beginning in the 1950s, until cable took over in the late 80s.

The opportunities are almost without limit

As for your (understandable) response to the "observation" that Americans are lazy, lacking this and lacking that - I try not to dignify those insults with a response. It only adds fuel to the fire, and that is what those who make such comments are looking (hoping?) for.

I hope you understand my forthright response, as a fellow American addressing a mutual area of interest.

billy bentley

Tim R I did not label Amercans lazy, I asked a question. There are frequent commentsin the US media about a lack of interest in foreign affairs and culture. Of course that doesn't mean everyone in America isn't interested. Both of my son's go to good public schools (i.e.state run) here in NYC where I am an active particpant and I find many of the parents uninterested in foreign culture. Many of my personal friends have a considerable interest in it, but I am not certain they are reflective of the mass culture. I don't consider the Brit Movie contributors to be reflective of British mass culture, but perhaps i'm wrong on that front too ?

Fellwanderer

I'd be very surprised indeed if the British contributors to BritMovie were typical of British mass culture. If we were, we'd be waxing, unlyrically, about the latest soap sensation, non-entity z-list celebrity or [horror of horrors] the trash that goes by the name of Big Brother.

MB

My local 'arthouse' has developed a reputation for being cliquey and pretentious, unfortunately. It puts off the ordinary punters because they have to wade their way through the local trendy artcrowd. I am absolutely ripe for this crowd as I have been involved in the 'arts', wear 'funny' clothes and sometimes have a weird haircut. This is all that is required to alienate us from the rest of the community and so we can give the general public snooty looks as they wander in - but, sadly, I cannot watch films where someone turns a lightbulb on and of for twenty minutes without sniggering...so..I genuinely think that is part of the answer..'arthouses' are - more often than I would like (which is why I was impressed with the Film Forum blurb) run by the narrowminded pretentious.

I would like them to be populated more by people with a genuine love of film rather than what it says about them..but it is oten not the case.

We don't have a local cinema any more so people go to the huge multiplex in the city.

The other day I saw an ad offering money towards someone setting up a mobile cinema for rural areas and if I can fit in around my work and the kids - I'd love to do it. I would probably have to show a mix of popular and less well known - but I think my main criteria would be something that people can relate to.

*Tries not so sound all virtuous...!*

MB

Crikey I must not post when trying to do something else..even I don't fully understand that..

I was going to mention that in the UK - Odeon cinemas have 'Directors chair' - special listings of interesting films from around the world. I don't know if this is the same in the US - but, from memory, they tend to be on sunday mornings..that kind of time...but yes, with a little effort you can do it..essentially though - if people aren't exposed to world cinema in a favourable context at some point..they are unlikely to seek it out...

I got in to more unusual film/world cinema mainly through Channel 4 starting and either bunking off or during the teachers strikes in the eighties - hanging around the west end..but not everyone has these golden opportunities, I suppose