| The Dark Side of HollywoodWhy some Europeans are disgusted with the flood of Tinseltown trash. |
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If, after reading on you get the impression that I am biased for German culture, go to Kraut Bashingand find the contrary..
There are good reasons why certain national protests against the inundation of the European theatre and TV markets with second rate American serials are perfectly legitimate. As long as these protests are not meant to favour national but international productions that is!
One of the reasons is that the world market often offers better quality serials. While these films may ask more of the viewer in terms of intellectual participation, they are very often much better made. Take German mystery series. They hardly ever need shootups, car chases of fist fights to make them exciting. Their suspense is based on clever analysis of human psychology. Characters in German "Krimis" are top stage actors, not second rate Hollywood clowns. Most stories leave you with something to reflect upon, be it crime prevention or the scrutiny of our legal system.
American series, on the other hand are simplistic because of their predictability.
Suppose three persons are to enter a dangerous place.
If one of them says he forgot this or that in the car, then it is plain to see that this is not the reason why he leaves the others. You can immediately deduce that what's about to happen to the rest of the trio must require them to be alone. This spoils the book, of course.
Suppose, in another series in which you know the regular crew, a new member joins, someone you're not familiar with. Next, they all leave on a very dangerous mission. Now you can bet your bottom franc, he's the only one who's going to die. The book happens to require an expendable person on the set as well as on the cast. So you know the new guy beaming down with the standard crew of the Enterprise is doomed, because you cannot expect Data, Riker, Crusher, Worf or Troi to be sacrificed, yet the authors want you to see how dangerous is the mission!
Are American series so predictable because they are made for a public believed to be too dim to see behind this childish scheme?
With a few exceptions (Alien(s)3, The Fog, The Triffids), intelligent beings from outer space must have a human shape. The only parts of the body allowed to look distinctly alien are in the head and face. Is this to save on the budget, is it lack of imagination or is it to make these civilisations more acceptable to us?
The probability of alien DNA resulting in a human body with an inhuman face must be of a very low order indeed.
These carnival rubber masks pass the borderline of scientific probability. A borderline which may safely be installed very far away in science fiction.
Another piece of predictability:
American serials are very lean.
While the absence of fat may be quite desirable for the human body surface index or even for industrial organisation, leaving out accessory scenes automatically attributes special importance to any details shown. What I mean is that anything not following the horizontal line of the plot is of importance. For example, if the camera pans to a closeup of, say a notebook lying on the floor, you can be sure it is of the utmost importance for the development of the story. You realise immediately: that's where they're going to find the address after a while! A real spoiler.
Two more constant goofs in American films are very annoying:
Why does every tape recorder, when run on fast rewind make squealing noises?
Does the American public really need this ridiculous piece of false engineering to realise "Aha: the tape is being rewound"?
Why do speeding cars squeak when they take a curve on gravel?
The spoiled European movie public is also irritated because:
There is always a space to park - right in front of the police headquarter, the supreme court, or wherever the hero has to go in a hurry.
In the same vein, there is always a free seat in a crowded bar for the hero - right beside the heroine, of course!
Abandoning realism for the sake of the story's compactness?
Horror movies and -serials have their special idiosynchrasies, too:
Front doors and car doors must never be locked and ignition keys must always be left in place.
How else could the story develop at such breakneck speed?
Predictable and transparent? You bet!