MovieChat Forums > Austenland (2013) Discussion > How many British cliches can we shove in...

How many British cliches can we shove in?

posted 9 years ago by elvisleeboy
9 replies | jump to latest

The obligatory shots of Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, red buses, black taxis etc. Isn't it insulting to Americans to assume they need these tedious cliches in order to know we're in England? Surely they're not so moronic. The other cliche is the story of the unrefined American amongst ultra well mannered English. Sorry to shatter any illusions you may have, but we are familiar with mobile phones and most of us would feel out of place in the environment that the main character of this film finds herself in.

[–] Shimmer_Me_Timbers 9 years ago

I think it was used to show how the past and the present can co-exsist because you see the long held traditions (like the soldiers marching), the tour busses going from land mark to land mark, and the woman standing next to the phone booth in a fabulous hat talking on her cell phone.

I though it was used to parallel the idea that an Austen/old fashioned romance can in fact work present day.

But maybe I was reading too far into it.

[–] LiviaMae 9 years ago

The mobile phone thing is part of the Austenland experience. Believe it or not, they did NOT have cell phones then.
The "England" stock photo shots may be generic but it reminds us that the whole Austenland experience exists within the UK.
I'm "American" (quotes do to the label of American can apply to Canada, Central America, and Southern America), yet I've traveled to the UK several times. We're not all ignorant about other cultures. My family celebrates many aspects of other cultures. Heck, I live in Southern California, nearly everyone is involved in California and Mexican culture.
If you drive 6 hours south, where do you end up? I'd be in Mexico. 16 hours east? I'd be in Texas. 16 hours north? I'd be in Seattle. West? 10 minutes I'd be well into the Pacific.
Where would you be at each turn? Still in your homeland? Yes? Then be not so certain of your perceived ignorance of a country you are only too happy to demean. We are isolated as a country, but as counties and states we are surrounded by wide variations of cultures within our own United States.
That being said...if I had citizenship in the UK, or in Scandinavia, I'd probably be living there. Coming here to visit. ?

[–] LiviaMae 9 years ago

Due*
No ? At the end.

[–] spookyrat1 8 years ago

... most of us would feel out of place in the environment that the main character of this film finds herself in.

Isn't that one of the film's main points? Most of us likely would. But Jane is an obsessed Austen fan who thinks she is going to relish the opportunity.🐭

[–] Adler-99 8 years ago

Well, when Americans visit London for the first time I assume they want to see Big Ben, the guards, etc. too. That was the point.

[–] spookyrat1 8 years ago

That was the point.

I'm not disagreeing with that.🐭

[–] ida96 7 years ago

Also, those stock sights (part of what I saw on my first visit to London) are simply shorthand for 'now we're in Great Britain', so it doesn't need to be explained in words.

[–] Moonglum9 (10699) 3 years ago

I've only been to regular, run-of-the-mill Britain. I should have gone to the great one instead.

[–] whoanelly (1558) 3 years ago

The more the merrier. Austen fans, anglophiles and romantics approve.