You are being deprived by over protections....

I was thinking about how much I miss by being a fat and happy American, not that I am really missing anything, but the world is so much bigger than my government will allow me to be touched by. For the protection of my culture and values and safety. German film making produces Das Boot and it with subtitles or dubbing makes it to America, and I can and do own a copy so I can enjoy a real story well done about something from long ago and far away. Although there was a time I could almost understand most of the German, it has faded but I don't have subtitle problems unless the translation is very poor.

It came to mind because I like historic Korean dramas, and I am currently watching Slave Catchers (on my cablevision), (The Slave Hunters for the commercial world). Now I will have to confess to really liking the characters, even as they get killed off one by one, and as the episodes go by I learn more and become deeply attached, two of the heroines are on my list of must save, get the rifle out and the time machine... of course that will never happen. Still I can cheer the heroes as they plod on against the evil Second Minister, the cultural bias, the lack of support for change in the society, the fear they will die before they succeed. From the King (minor player) to the lowest slave all interesting characters and plots within plots and always great acting, action, and suspence. Thank you Korean entertainment industry. I will be watching. Although I do warn anyone that doesn't know, it is possible for the director/writer to kill off all your favorite folks before the end of the story - life happens. Only twenty-four episodes, sigh. Never enough of a good thing.

My point about protection, it that there are lots of great films out there, we know a little about the Japanese, Chinese, and some European, but there are lots of countries doing good work - and they don't get a lot of airing in the United States. Now if someone can make enough money on the film, you will see it here in America, but otherwise you might never get the chance. Same with books, stories about other countries and how they see the world, those have always interested me. I guess I had best get out more and cross borders. If Legends of the Fall was about a family in Canada - was it really? Nope...

But I would love to have a list of movies done during the last three years, so you could see how many of them I would never watch - and that is a large number of expensive productions that never got my money - sorry Hollywood, you just don't tell great stories often enough nor well enough or I am just not your audience.... yep.