Have you seen 'Où Se Trouvent
Le Jambon Et La Yaourt?'
KID
No.
FILMY PERSON
Really? You must have! It's
directed By Jean-Luke La Mer.
KID
Is it the one with the Jamaicans
and the bobsleigh?
FILMY PERSON
Um, no - it's the one shot in
1934 in France, it stars Mary
Une Trousse. How can you not
have seen it?
KID
I've never been able to
see films before I've watched them.
FILMY PERSON
You call yourself a film director
but you haven't seen it?. TELL ME
you've seen 'Une Bouteille D'eau Du Pain?"
KID
No.
FILMY PERSON
Then how can you call yourself a
film director, when you're watching
films about Jamaicans who bobsleigh?
KID
Because I watched the film about
Jamaicans who bobsleigh and I still
managed to direct a film.
FILMY PERSON
Yeah but how can you call
yourself a director?
KID
Because I directed a film.
FILMY PERSON
Yeah but you've never seen 'Où Se
Trouvent Le Jambon Et La Yaourt'
KID
You've never seen the one about
the Jamaicans and the bobsleigh.
FILMY PERSON
Why would I want to?
KID
I don't know, I thought we were
naming films we haven't seen.
FILMY PERSON
No I'm saying you can't call
yourself a director if you haven't
seen 'Où Se Trouvent 'Le Jambon
Et La Yaourt'
KID
But I didn't direct that one.
FILMY PERSON
I'm saying, look-- I-I I'm saying
that you can't call yourself a
director if you haven't seen 'Où Se
Trouvent Le Jambon Et La Yaourt.'
KID
But I directed a film, in fact many films,
and I've never seen that film.
The Filmy Person begins shaking, and looking completely lost. He has no idea how to feel good about himself, he's only able to do it when putting others down.
It's like that famous quote, 'No one can make you feel inferior without your consent' - by Eleanor Roosevelt. It really takes two to tango with these conversations. Being CONFIDENT with the fact that you think GHOST or JERSEY GIRL are the greatest films ever is far more impressive and amazing to me than someone who oppresses others through judgement and pretentiousness. I have more to write on this topic, and will, tomorrow. But right now I need to go and watch WILD WILD WEST and SHE'S ALL THAT.
I love Cool Runnings! Its amazing!
ReplyDeleteI like you even better now! Looking forward to more.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a phase film geeks go through. Nobody really likes half of those arthouse movies, but they act like they do so people will think they're sophisticated.
ReplyDeletelol that's hilarious, but sometimes it sucks to be like questioned like that. It drives me crazy when people expect me to know EVERY DETAIL about politics or history, just because I am a political science phd student :s it's annoying. but i like you're nonchalant responses... I'm going to try that next time.
ReplyDeleteJamaicans in a bob-sleigh? lol Cool Runnings... people like that give up on me. They quickly realise I know nothing except how the theme song goes. "I can see clearly no the rain has gone..." :)
ReplyDeleteI think the whole "people pretending to like those movies just to be cool even if they don't like half of them" is fucking bullshit. One side, you don't have to like certain movies and you surely don't have to take being put down because of that (or in this case, not having seen or heard of it), but you should also respect that, yes, people like old French movies and they're not just doing it to be cool.
ReplyDeleteThat said, my favorite one of these instances was my freshmen year of college where I got "You haven't seen Pitch Black? And you're a film major?"
Its like Madman said, its a phase. At a certain point of maturity one only pays attention to the things they sincerely like and those who remain pretentious like that are doomed to be eternal Jerks.
ReplyDeleteI must confess to being a huge film geek myself. I agree that the film geek who pushes his tastes upon others and then frowns upon them and belittles them does exist but that's not every film geek. There's a thin line in film geekdom between being a tasteful enthusiast of films and being an elitist, the elitists are the ones who like to belittle others. So hate the elitists not the enthusiasts, you'll immediately recognise the difference. Another great article Kid:-)
ReplyDeleteIn my experience, a lot of people don't grow out of this phase. Maybe it's an English thing - most Americans I know don't try to belittle you for not knowing "Le Joue Au Ping Pong" from 1943 or whatever, but in England/Europe, it happens a lot.
ReplyDeleteBrad, I agree with you. Enthusiasts don't polarize people at all, but I find them extremely rare compared with the belittling kind.
Just for the record, it's not like I am nonchalant or stupid about it - I just refuse for the scales to be tipped in a conversation making me feel less-than.
I've recently kept the line of dialogue from 'Bottle Shock' in my head. As the snooty, Alan Rickman talks down to Bull Pullman and his California wine (which at the time was not considered good enough). Pullman says, "You're a snob. It limits you."
ReplyDeleteAmen.
I think I am occasionally guilty of snobbery myself, but I always enjoyed extolling the artistic virtues of something like "Weekend at Bernie's" in pretentious company. "For haven't we all, at some point, felt like Bernie? Dead to the world, strapped to water skis and dragged behind a speed-boat, with no control over our direction or destination? Hmmmmm?"
ReplyDeletevery level-headed and cool! :) I get this a bit too. I dont get into a wonderfully confusing dialogue the way you do (which I must do the next time I get an opportunity!!) instead I go into mock apology and that leaves them a bit shell shocked :)
ReplyDeletecool runnings was hilarious, I never saw a john candy movie I didn't like!
ReplyDelete