CHAPTER 19 – INTERNATIONAL CINEMA IN THE 1990s
Multiple Choice
1. What was true about the level of success of American movies overseas in the 90s?
a. They were not as successful as British movies were.
b. They generated many new foreign-born movie stars.
c. They captured over 70% of the entertainment dollars that overseas patrons spent.
d. none of the above
2. One of the problems that foreign-born directors experienced in the 1990s was
a. language barriers.
b. constant union strikes.
c. growing censorship.
d. none of the above
3. The country that produces more movies each year than any other country in the world is
a. India.
b. Hong Kong.
c. America.
d. Great Britain.
4. The British director (actually Irish born) who was able to turn Shakespeare’s plays into fully
realized and effective movies was
a. Alan Parker
b. Iain Softley
c. Kenneth Branagh
d. Jim Sheridan
5. The country whose actors have been the envy of the world is
a. Ireland.
b. Australia.
c. Scotland.
d. Britain.
6. The following is true about Scottish director Ken Loach’s typical film in the 90s
a. unhappy ending
b. highly structured
c. rightist orientation
d. big-issue topics
7. All of the following are true about a typical Mike Leigh film except
a. realistic settings
b. strict adherence to script
c. often very unlikable characters
d. plain visual style
8. Conflict in an Irish film from the 90s was often centered on
a. class.
b. religion.
c. neither a nor b
d. both a and b
9. Which of the following is true of Irish movies in the 1990s?
a. written by Irish screenwriters
b. often produced by British television
c. often anti-authoritarian
d. all of the above
10. Irish filmmakers in the 90s tended to do all of the following except
a. use stars.
b. tell stories.
c. depend on dialogue.
d. avoid genre/narrative conventions.
11. On the continent, which national cinema probably was the healthiest in the 1990s?
a. France
b. Germany
c. Scandinavia
d. Spain
12. Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar has been compared to the off-beat American director
a. Jim Jarmusch
b. Kevin Smith
c. Tim Burton
d. John Waters
13. The biggest grossing foreign language movie ever in U.S. history in the 1990s was
a. Farewell My Concubine
b. Il Postino
c. Life Is Beautiful
d. Belle Epoque
14. Polish director Krzysztof Zanussi complained that control of Polish cinema in the 90s shifted
away from the Russians to the
a. Poles.
b. Spanish.
c. French.
d. Americans.
15. Typical traits found in Hong Kong movies of the 1990s include which of the following:
a. sophisticated humor
b. chaotic violence
c. strong sense of family
d. poetic visual style
16. A character’s tears dry and thus provide salt for the family — an example of magical realism
— is a scene from what popular Mexican movie?
a. Like Water for Chocolate
b. Alley of Miracles
c. Bravo
d. My Finance
17. Jane Campion of New Zealand made which of the following acclaimed movie set in New
Zealand with, principally, American stars.
a. Once Were Warriors
b. The Piano
c. Babe
d. Angel at My Table
True/False
(Place a T or an F in the line following the sentence.)
1. The top American grossing movie in foreign countries in 1990 was Pretty Woman.
2. Many countries tried to stem the tide of American movie domination by deregulating their
television industries, which, in turn, financed their movies.
3. British cinema has proven to be one of the least diverse or most uniform in the world in terms
of the kind(s) of movie made there.
4. Since Bill Forsyth’s Gregory’s Girl in 1981, more than 40 movies have been made in
Scotland.
5. One of the themes that the Kitchen Sink-style filmmakers take up over and over is class
satisfaction and harmony.
6. Irish films focus exclusively on “the Troubles” that have long existed between Northern
Ireland and the IRA.
7. Out of the Irish problems have emerged many world-class films producing an unprecedented
economic boom in Ireland.
8. Luc Besson’s La Femme Nikita was so American in subject and style that one critic said the
film signaled the end of true French movies.
9. Italian cinema continued its great cinema innovation and production numbers even into the
1990s.
10. Australia and New Zealand produce very different movies despite their geographical
proximity because they have very different cultures.
Matching
1) Baz Luhrman ___
2) Danny Boyle ___
3) Jim Sheridan ___
4) Michael Radford ___
5) Terry George ___
6) Iain Softley ___
7) Chris Noonan ___
8) Ang Lee ___
9) Bille August ___
10) Neil Jordan ___
a. Babe
b. Il Postino
c. The Butcher Boy
d. In the Name of the Father
e. Eat Drink Man Woman
f. Jerusalem
g. Strictly Ballroom
h. The Wings of the Dove
i. Some Mother’s Son
j. Shallow Grave
ANS:
Short Answer
1. How did America come to dominate the European film landscape in the 90s?
2. What qualities did British filmmakers possess which helped make British movie making
diverse and resurgent in the 90s?
3. What contributed to the basic health of French cinema in the 90s?
4. What led the Communist Chinese government to relax its grip somewhat on Chinese
filmmakers?
Essay Questions
1. To what extent was American film dominance worldwide a positive and/ or negative force in
the 90s?
2. What are the qualities of Irish movies that made them “Irish” in the 90s?
3. In filmmaking, which is the more ruinous to the enterprise: political oppression/ censorship or
economic impoverishment/ lack of resources?
4. Why don’t Indian movies fare well outside of India?