How do you feel when your country or state is negatively portrayed by cinema?

Question

Yesterday I watched the old movie "Zulu" on TV. It's a heartwarming family war movie about how about 150 welsh soldiers who went there to build a bridge were attacked by 4000 ungrateful Zulus. Naturally the Welsh still won.

There were a few historical inaccuracies, in reality, they were a mix of English, Welsh and Irish soldiers and they probably didn't stop for a nice singsong halfway through the battle. That just plays on racist stereotypes of Welsh people.

But it did give me an idea for a question. How do you feel when your country/state is negatively portrayed by cinema? When you are the bad guys in the movie like the Zulus were?

For example, there are loads of old war movies that cast Germany in a bad light.

StormChaser838 · Accepted Answer

Yes, my little cuddle buddy, you are so right. The story goes Shaka Zulu and his gang of desperados were stoned on magic mushrooms kind of stuff. However, all cinema is cleverly managed to play to the majority audience and also push the perspective of the powers that be. Like we never usually see black and hispanic soldiers, but they were a major part of the US forces in World War II. But the absolute biggest inaccuracy is the plain fact that the absolute biggest percentage of the allied effort whether in Europe or the eastern sectors were the British Indian forces sailors and soldiers. ( just google it on wiki) The fucking full allied effort could have been called the "Curry Gang". Movies like Dunkirk, and the whole Normandy invasion was carried out, and manned by a majority of British Indian army dudes, all the cannon fodder included. However, you never see one brown soldier ever in the movies.

The back of the Nazi effort was broken by the Red army at Stalingrad, that was the battle that changed the course of the full war and after that the Russki bastards just steamrolled their way to Berlin. In fact the Russian bastards did the same on the other side, butt-fucking the Imperial Jap army in just days. But you have never seen a Hollywood War movie with a Russian Red army hero. It's like they just did not exist. And let's not even start about all the other poor cunts who also died along with the poor Jews in the concentration camps like the Gypsies and the gay bastards, the handicapped etc, etc... You should always remember, there is a reason why the past is called HIS - STORY, it really is only HIS story, NOT THE REAL STORY.

But then again if you want your story to be told, you got to be " AT " the table , not " ON " or " UNDER " the table. As for the German bastards, they created all the trouble, so now they got to bend over and just stick their butts up in the air and enjoy the butt fucking for just a little longer. I guess they can make their own movies and show them beating up the Allied fuckers. It's all a scam Pop's, the sad part is only weirdos like me are the few cunts who know what the shit, is really going on.

" In a tree by the brook, / There's a songbird who sings / Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven". Hey little Pops, I'm coming to cuddle you...

molonski2 · Accepted Answer

Well for the most part Australians are shown as ocker piss pots , with ridicoulous voice tones , or if you go to the wonderful US of A , all they know is Croc Dundee , and " Thats not a knife , this is a knife " .

If its a nice story , the outback idiot , kills the deadly snake ( or whatever ) and saves the day. Even these gambling adverts on FOX , make us look like backward fools , keep chucking the same mud and of course it sticks.

If the State / Country is portrayed negatively , and we deserve it , I have no problem with that , the stupid stereotypes , Americans doing " Aussie " accents , then that gives me the shts.

Part of all of this is the fact that we are still under UK rule , and " King Charles " and started as a penal colony. Surely its time to get off our collective arses , and vote YES to a republic. The best Aussie films are made by Aussies , the problem is these days not enough of them are made.

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

I am Native American, Creek to be precise... and we have an entire genre of films where we are almost always included and nearly always negatively portrayed... sometimes we are presented as "noble savages", this is the best case scenario, but usually we are portrayed as either ruthless enemies or monsters who are just another obstacle on the colonizers march west.

We were almost never portrayed by actual natives, but instead by colonizers in red face (black face but for native folk instead of black folk)

The reality of Native Americans is that we are not a monolith any more than Europeans are. Europe and the United States are roughly the same size, there are 50 countries in Europe, each with their own, or multiple cultures that have developed over hundreds, even thousands of years. Native Americans didn't just appear when the colonizers came.

Someone from my tribe, the Creek, would have had nearly nothing in common with tribes if the southwest, such as the Apache, Comanche, Navajo, or Hopi, they were in a desert climate and where we were in the eastern US. While the natives of the plains were nomadic hunters, we were able to settle down and were very agrarian based. We had a democratic system of government before America was a even a dream, and we had vast trade networks with other tribes in the Muskogee Confederacy.

But these things are forgotten to history because it's not exciting, and doesn't make the majority of the audience feel good when they see people who look like them attacking and slaughtering women and children of a society considered advanced by the standards of the time... instead we have to be monsters so the audience has its villain.

gothbxtch · Accepted Answer

i agree with it for my country, as i’m an American and really hate my country

Lynx122 · Answer

Switzerland is not really portrayed negatively in movies well at least not the ones I see. Most of the time they just go in a Swiss bank to get whatever billions they need and that's it. In the first Bourne movie there's a lot of scenes in Zürich which is where I live and that was cool to see :). A lot of Indian movies were shot in Switzerland and there's also a popular K-Drama that had a flashback backstory in Switzerland :). When they want a villain they usually just take a German guy in Hollywood because it's easier.

Avicenna · Answer

For those wondering why it's Germans and Russians who are often portrayed as villains in Hollywood movies, it's because villains usually have to be white and, furthermore, CCP-funded movies will surely not show Chinese Communists as villains. Much like the German media has to portray the US negatively. North Korean, Russian, and CCP propaganda portrays Americans negatively. And so on.

Movies are quite often part of a propaganda apparatus. Maybe that should encourage us to read books and consult other secondary as well as primary historical sources instead.

goaded · Answer

Are there any new war movies that cast WWII Germany in a good light? Actually, the way things are going, I wouldn't be all that surprised.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/uK-kWRAVmRU

I expect there are some Indian movies that don't show the British as wonderful bringers of civilisation!

I don't think it bothers me, even if it's totally historically inaccurate.

My father was scathing of an Australian actor playing an American soldier in Burma, a British theatre of war. I understand the Enigma machine taken from a U-boot was really captured by a British crew, not Americans like in a recent (for someone my age!) movie.

"Artistic licence."

safricanluke · Answer

I am South African and I feel that the situation in my country has never really been portrayed accurately in any media. The problem is that South Africa has a very complex history, it can't just easily be put into a good or bad light, there's too much gray area. For example, people of other countries tend to see a white South African and immediately assume they are a racist (something I've dealt with a lot), or they'll only think of Nelson Mandela as an innocent martyr, sent to prison because he spoke out against a terrible and unfair regime, and while the regime was deplorable, Mandela did plant bombs to blow up buildings which resulted in the deaths of a handful of people.

PeteA380 · Answer

My feeling is that (especially pale eye) whites got made to be the 'guilty people' for just about anything there is wrong in the world, even if all others rely on our industrialised (and monogamist) ways of living to achieve their compared-to-agricultural-society rather high standard of living.

Having lived amongst some of such people (against my will) when I was young (toddlerhood to late teenage years) I can confirm they are just as dreadful, mysantropic, abusive, violent, destructive and toxic as one's worst nightmare can make them seem to be. Apart from bullying and crime as their job, thefts, extorsion and fraud, all they ever do is bum around, complain and guilt-trip anyone they can get involved with a conversation.

The worst of it is such people are in _Europe_ and, for the most part, themselves white.

Kaneki05 · Answer

I like them longs if it's accurate like the Purge films about America. Though I haven't watched much that represents England badly because accurately it's not unless they decide to make a movie on Brexit but that would be one of the most boring films ever.

Count_de_Monte_Volo · Answer

Depends if it’s deserved or not. I really like when Jeremy Clarkson makes fun of Americans 99% of the time (and he cuts deep). Also the oil thing, yeah I get it. I see the humor :9. Some of those memes are hilarious.

As long as it’s in good taste it’s all good.

If it’s not an insult and just factual negativity I am ashamed, but mostly blame the politicians.

MysticDevice · Answer

If its done correctly and is a genuine critique then it can really put things in perspective.

If its done as if a toddler is throwing a temper tantrum I just laugh and think "ha, you'll still call us for help the next time a dictator looks at you funny"

zero444440000 · Answer

i would not care because att the end of the day its just fiction, that begin said it is annoying when people take cinema or any type of fiction as hard cold facts, also germany is "as u pointed out" a good example of this and really just goes to show that people really really don't read enough history books.

Lliam · Answer

I'm fine with truthful portrayals of my country's involvement in historical events.
It actually disgusts me when Americans are always portrayed as the good guys.
By the way, I'm not anti-American at all. I just don't like propaganda.

jshm2 · Answer

Yeah, if only those Welsh soldiers were to speak English instead, the natives would have got along... Joking aside, I only need to mention my country and people get up in arms. Yep: Scotland

Anonymous · Answer

I think it's comical. Because my country is rich and powerful. I'm not saying my country does know wrong. But there has been no greater force for good in the history of mankind than my country. So 95% of it is just pure New Jersey style jealousy.

I never worry too much about whatever another country thinks about my country because I know whatever they say they'll always be right there when they need us. 🤣

DryGermanGuy · Answer

Ho-ho-hooo! As a German, it’s business as usual, doesn’t faze me one bit. 🙄🤷‍♂️

AviatorTom · Answer

The US has had many negative movies about Vietnam. It's history, let's put it behind us.

Red_Arrow · Answer

I have just lived through Trump's "I can do anything I want (including shooting someone) and you can't do anything to me. Really shows the suck side of America.

Phoenix98 · Answer

I don't really care personally cinema hardly ever gets anything right as far as accuracy goes. And if your stupid enough to believe what you see in a movie as fact without doing your own research on the subject then that's on you.

Ali4Sy · Answer

Actually I think I get used to that... Of course thay doesn't mean that what I see is right but just It doesn't matter anymore...

nolabels · Answer

I don't feel great about it, but it occurs here and there. What can you do?

exitseven · Answer

I have just lived through Obama's apology tour and it made me a little embarrassed.

noohair · Answer

You have a Eurocentric view of the world. The Zulu people did not want strangers in their country. Try thinking about people roving through you homeland and doing things you do not like.

SpaceGalaxy · Answer

heartwarming family war movie? LOL Lets get the whole family watch this great heartwarming family WAR movie!!!

riverrat3 · Answer

I know it is not true, but some that are not to bright believe things like that, so it sheds a bad light

Iwillnot · Answer

For example, there are loads of old war movies that cast Germany in a bad light. Lol

Anonymous · Answer

If you are talking about the 1964 movie "Zulu" directed by Cy Endfield it’s actually based on the

strateguy632 · Answer

misuse of entertainment instead of entertainment

CuriousMufuxka · Answer

I don't care. It's cinema, not real life!

Amur8711 · Answer

Because Germany deserves it duh!

The_Big_Jay · Answer

I don't care. I'm not a jingoist.

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