Capture the Flag (A Canadian’s Take on Americanism in Film)

As a Canadian, there are times when overtly American moments in film rub me the wrong way.

Such moments happen through other channels as well (TV, media, and the like), but for the sake of this conversation, I want to focus on film. This is not a new feeling; conversely, it’s a feeling that has come and gone for as long as I can remember. It’s a feeling that won’t be easy to explain, but my thought is, by opening a dialogue I might be able to better understand it and perhaps bring it to light for those who didn’t even know these feelings existed.

The direct culprit that rekindled this position is SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Remember? The film I love that I was praising just seven days ago? In that post I left one thing out, the detail of the film that has always bugged me: the core story of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN – one of heroism, sacrifice, duty, and honour – is a universal story. It speaks to all of us in the west who live with the freedoms that we do. However for Spielberg, the core story needed to be more direct…it had to be specifically American. Thus the film begins and ends with that faded shot of the flag, and we pause after the opening act to take the whole story back to the homefront.

While the European front of World War II was an allied operation (one that Canada was heavily involved in, including the D-Day invasion), SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is only interested in it from an American perspective. No other nations are mentioned, no other accents are heard. The efforts that Canadians put into missions like these are nowhere to be seen, and the sacrifices made are not mentioned at all. No matter how proud I am of what my country contributed to WWII, Spielberg has said to me “Sorry there hoser, but this is our story”.
Fair enough – if an American like Spielberg wants to tell an American story, why should he worry about the Canadian perspective? But here’s what’s weird; the film most often compared to SAVING PRIVATE RYAN is THE THIN RED LINE. Wanna guess how many glimpses we get of Old Glory in that film? Care to guess how many times America is mentioned?? What makes this particularly ironic is that the Pacific Theater of WWII was very much America’s war. But by withholding the nationalism from the film, Terrance Malick took specific conflict and made it more universal.

It’s just that simple. By and large, overt Americanism is unnecessary. I’m not talking about the way it plays into particularly American stories like APOLLO 13, FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, or THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT. I’m talking about the way it dots a film like MUNICH.

As a Canadian viewer, it shakes me out of the story. When I hear terms like “The American Way” and “How America Does It”, I know without question they’re not speaking to me, or even about me. However when such moments are skipped, it becomes a human story…one that does speak to me. Every now and then, a story even takes strides to stay neutral and speak to us all. Think about BLINDNESS and the way no cities or countries are named. Take the accents away from NEVER LET ME GO and it could be set anywhere. In ALIEN, the crew of The Nostromo have no allegiance, and the ship itself has no markings.

While trace amounts of Americanism might chide me, it is of course no match for unabashed flag-waving. (Sidenote: This is not to be confused with post-9/11 rah-rah, since such moments have been happening since well before 2001). I’m talking about lines, shots, and scenes that one would find in ARMAGEDDON, INDEPENDENCE DAY, or ROCKY IV. Moments that pretty much echo the sentiment of a certain film starring marionettes…”America: Fuck Yeah!”. These pieces go far beyond the exclusion that Spielberg instilled in me, and I won’t harp on them very much since I’d wager that even many Americans find them unnecessary.

That’s the “what”. Hopefully you’re still reading and I can now explain the “why”.

Canada has always had an odd relationship with our American neighbours. Our culture is very much influenced by America’s, and yet there is often an unrest that our yankee brothers are becoming too influential. So in some respects, feelings like mine come from an odd place of inadequacy…like a younger sibling who is tired of hearing Kid Rock echo out from the next bedroom for hours on end.

What’s more, is that Canadians are often apprehensive about the fact that America has so much effect on us, though we barely seem to be a blip on their radar. American films fill our multiplexes, and line our dvd shelves…but our biggest contribution to the American film scene is when our cities stand in for theirs for budgetary reasons. Oh sure we’ve given America James Cameron, Jason Reitman, and Paul Haggis…but given that they’re working within the Hollywood system, and not the Canadian film system, they don’t really count.

So one side of this relationship can’t be avoided, the other side can’t be heard, thus what we’re left with is a slight unease. When you get unease, it just takes a dab of red, white, and blue at the wrong moment and suddenly something is “So American”. What’s odd, is that I don’t dislike America. I think America needs to seriously find ways to come together, but that isn’t the same as disliking them. So this feeling I get watching these films isn’t Anti-American. If anything, it’s feeling like a Jilted Canadian.

Perhaps the weirdest thing is, this feeling isn’t fueled by the films of any other country. Hell, THE KING’S SPEECH might as well have been gift-wrapped in a Union Jack, but that causes nary a flinch. Ditto the films of France, Mexico, Italy, Japan, and any other nation you can name. It’s only when American films start getting brash and forgetting about their neighbours that this unease sets in. It leaves me feeling like a good friend has invited me over for a barbecue, but forgotten I don’t eat pork. Even though i’ve told them so. Six times.

Admittedly, much of this is on me as a Canadian. I’m a citizen of a young country, descended from a larger empire, without revolution being fought to become independent. Our identity is unclear because of our old ties to England and our proximity to The United States. I dare say that The Canadian Identity is still being forged, and that is what feels jilted in the face of such Americanism.

So that’s my take, and a take that’s been with me ever since I was seven years old playing G.I. Joe (“A Real American Hero”). There are other Canadians who don’t feel these things as strongly as I do, and there are Canadians who feel them with far more vigour. Will the American slant in film go away anytime soon? No. Is that OK? No. My hope though, is that maybe as time goes on, and people like us continue to talk and express ourselves across cultures and borders, then future generations of filmmakers and filmgoers will see these unnecessary elements of nationalism too…and perhaps make them far less common.

Note: This post was created to foster discussion: Any and all feedback is welcome. However, given the subject matter I ask that commenters please be thoughtful in their remarks and respectful of the author and of one-another. – 10/6