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Although the United States may play a dominant role within the phenomenon of cultural globalization, it is important to keep in mind that this is not an entirely one-way street. Many other countries also contribute to global culture, including American culture itself. Just as American popular culture influences foreign countries, other national cultures are influential within the United States and also increase their presence worldwide.
Hollywood is a good example of an industry that integrates elements from more than one culture. Most people would think of Hollywood as something entirely American. However, while Hollywood dominates world cinema, American movies are subject to foreign influence. According to The Economist, “one reason for Hollywood’s success is that from the earliest days it was open to foreign talent and foreign money.” Many American movies are remakes of foreign films. The Hollywood movies Three Men and a Baby and Just Visiting are both remakes of older French films.
Another example is the recent explosion of American remakes of Japanese films, especially those belonging to the horror genre. Just two examples are the wildly successful “The Ring” (originally ‘Ringu’), raking in early $130-million at the U.S. box office alone, and “The Grudge” (based on ‘Ju-On: The Grudge’), which almost paralleled “The Ring” in terms of box office numbers, earning $110-million solely in American movie theaters.
Many film-making companies, producers, and actors in Hollywood are not even American. Columbia Tristar and Fox are owned by Japan’s Sony and Australia’s News Corporation, respectively, two foreign media conglomerates. James Cameron, producer of the movie Titanic, is Canadian. Moreover, many of Hollywood’s most famous actors are not Americans. Arnold Schwarzenegger is from Austria, and Nicole Kidman grew up in Australia. From this perspective, one may argue that Hollywood is a typically global institution.
However, one may also note that actors such as Nicole Kidman and Mel Gibson, upon arriving in Hollywood, were given language lessons to help them lose their foreign accents. Hollywood producers had them do this largely over sensitivities that American audiences might perceive them negatively if they appeared to be foreign. So while Hollywood may incorporate many foreign elements into its craft—especially behind the scenes—its public face is distinctly American.
Click here for an article on how the movie “Monsoon Wedding” demonstrates the impact of globalization.
Click here to learn about the blending of cultures in world music.
* Picture Source: www.picapp.com