MovieChat Forums > Waiting for God (1990) Discussion > Why the American references?

Why the American references?

posted 16 years ago by intimidating-sheep
14 replies | jump to latest

I am born and raised in the USA, and have never been accross the pond. I am wondering why Tom makes so many references to American history? I havn't noticed a single refence to English history (though I may be quite oblivious having very little education in that matter).

Examples:
Meeting Peggie Sue ( a Californian) in Hawaii
Quoting Nixon speaches
Going to the Whitehouse to address the court about aging
"Disneyland for the simple minded" (not sure if EuroDisney is also called Disneyland, nor when it opened)
Countless refernces to knowing former US presidents

[–] inamourada_flux 16 years ago

Maybe it's because Tom likes to "travel" in his fantasy world. I really have no idea to be honest :D

But EuroDisney is now officially called Disneyland Resort Paris :)

--
"If only life could be a little more tender and art a little more robust." - Alan Rickman

[–] IridescentTranquility 16 years ago

Perhaps also because Tom's fantasy world is also largely populated by Hollywood stars from the 1940s and 1950s? I think that was a bit of a "golden age" of cinema - judging by the age Tom is, he was probably courting his wife Maggie, getting married and raising Geoffrey at that time. (I'm guessing Geoffrey must have been around 40 for the purposes of the programme, with Tom in his very late 60s or early 70s.)

I could be wrong but I think Hollywood would have been seen as a bit more glamorous than any British films in that era, and also perhaps it accentuates the contrast between Tom's real life as a working adult (I think Diana once got it out of him that he was, in her words "a humble accountant", which might be seen by some - maybe even Tom - as a "boring" life, so he developed this fantasy world because his mind could wander.)

"If we go on like this, you're going to turn into an Alsatian again."

[–] catrionalowe84 15 years ago

Yeah, I'd agree with all that. I loved all Tom's fantasies: surfing with Peggy Sue, climbing Everest, tunnelling out of Auschwitz - so good!

Catriona x

"...a babe with a bob cut & a magnificent bosom" - Geraldine, "The Vicar of Dibley"

[–] tremas-1 14 years ago

You mean "tunneling out of Colditz." Auschwitz was an extermination camp.

[–] keanerocks111691 15 years ago

Yeah, he was an accountant, haha. In the first episode, I think, he tells her that when they first meet. I definitely dig Tom and his fantasy world. It cracks me up when someone asks, "Where is he?" and Diana responds, "What's today? Oh, he's...." depending on what day it is. Oh goodness. :)

[–] ilpr 15 years ago

And there was a scene where the guests are drinking at a wake and Jane tells Harvey, "It's okay, they're all over 21." 21 is the drinking age in America, 18 is the drinking age in the UK.

[–] IridescentTranquility 15 years ago

I remember that, too - it didn't seem strange at the time but it does now. Mind you, 21 used to be the age of majority - it wasn't till the 1960s, I think, that 18 year olds could vote so maybe Diana's generation thought of 21 being grown-up.

But it does sound odd when you think about it in the British context . . .

"If we go on like this, you're going to turn into an Alsatian again."

[–] intimidating-sheep 15 years ago

I didn't notice that! I also notice they reference miles here and there. I know they officially use SI units (kilometers) over there, but I don't know if older people would still use English units in conversation.

[–] IridescentTranquility 12 years ago

They probably would, actually - maybe not just older people. Basically all motorway signs/road signs giving distances in Britain are still written in miles (other than sometimes when you get temporary ones for roadworks showing that, for instance, the right hand lane is off-limits, they will say the lane closure is in 400 metres etc) and certainly on normal A-roads and country roads, distances to various towns are given in miles.

Actually, if you go to really rural, off-the-beaten-track areas, you even find them giving figures like "2 3/4 miles"!

"If we go on like this, you're going to turn into an Alsatian again."

[–] Melm 15 years ago

Maybe you missed some of the british references, there are quite a few about the war, also I think somewhere he claimed to be off scaling Everest with Hillary but it's been so long I can't really remember. But I'm sure he was an equal opportunity fantasist - Tom's fantasies usually involved travel which would make it likely that he would find US appealing :)

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] intimidating-sheep 15 years ago

Makes sense. I know The Full Monty was looped here and there for American audiances. I wonder if there are references that were reshot for the US distribution.

[–] Tess-tastic 13 years ago

Melm, Hillary was a Kiwi, not a Brit.

[–] macpro75 14 years ago

I hadn't noticed. I did notice that Diana mentioned Felix Unger (from The Odd Couple). I noticed that the name got a few laughs from the audience but got more once the Felix Unger reference was explained in the next sentence.

"It's a real burden being right so often." Captain Malcolm Reynolds, Firefly