Selected short clips from movies such as "Black Rain" with Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia, "Rising Sun'" with Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes, and "Gung Ho" with Michael Keaton might be used for various dimensions. The former two have profanity, which some might find offensive. These contrast American and Japanese cultures. You might also consider "A Year in Provence", which contrasts English and French cultures, in a general way.
If you're looking for general 2-4min long clips, how about:
Stargate - where the sociologist has to learn how to communicate with another race entirely, and do so despite their fear of writing
Indiana Jones & Temple of Doom - where they are invited to eat a meal involving Monkey's Brains and a mysterious soup with the Maharaja...
> I have used clips from "A Walk In the Clouds" for Mexican American culture colliding with Anglo culture - the scene where the son returns home from Berkeley for the annual grape harvest also depicts younger generation/older generation issues of cultural assimilation>
>
> "Joy Luck Club" is great for Chinese/Chinese American culture colliding with Anglo culture; the scene where the daughter Waverly brings home her Anglo fiancé to her mother's house for the first time and they all have supper together is great for this. The debrief needs to address the Anglo's cultural frame and intentions for his actions, not only his obliviousness to the Chinese cultural norms.
>
To get a good laugh from my students before I begun my discussion, I used clip from the Office (the one Michael conducts cross cultural training).
I sent a couple of suggestions earlier, but I don't really use long movies anymore. Students don't seem to appreciate the 100 o 120 minute movies. I rely more on shorter clips and my main source is CBS's newsmagazine 60 Minutes (There are some other programs too). Some of the titles I have are: Out of India (2005); Imported from India (about the Indian Institute of Technology's graduates – 2003); The New French Revolution Summer 2004, is about the Muslim's population in France); Top Ten % (Spring 2005, about the Texas's college admissions rule); Echo Boomers (good analysis of this generation – October 2004); Sir Howard (about the British Sony CEO, who does not know the culture very well and doesn't speak the language either – January 2006 –A student gave me this one); The Look (about Abercrombie & Fitch's discrimination problems - December 2003); Working 24/7 (about being connected and working longer hors as a result of new developments in IT – April 2006); The Millenials are Coming (The challenge for business to incorporate members of this generation into the process and making them productive – Nov 2007).
"The Gods Must Be Crazy" has several scenes that illustrate cross-cultural differences. I use one where a bushman kills a goat, and is subsequently imprisoned for it. He tries to explain to the policeman that he is willing to share the meat with him, but the policeman doesn't understand and takes the goat for evidence. The bushman thinks the policeman is very rude and that he wants the meat all to himself. The bushman jogs off to kill another goat, and the policeman, thinking the bushman is running away, shoots the bushman in the leg. The clip illustrates difficulties in cross-cultural interactions due to language and norms.
I also use a clip from "Behind Enemy Lines" that illustrates cultural convergence. Owen Wilson's character is in Bosnia, where he hitches a ride with some Bosnian youth. One is wearing a t-shirt featuring a rap musician, and he talks about all the American rap groups he likes and imitates one of them.
If anyone is interested in either clip, I have posted them at http://faculty.washington.edu/mdj3/gods.wmv and http://faculty.washington.edu/mdj3/behind%20enemy%20lines.mpg. Thy are both large files (49mb and 26mb, respectively).
• Harry Potter & The goblet of fire – the scene where Hogwarts' students first meet and ridicule Beauxbatons and Durmstrangs.;
• James Bond – You only live twice – his reactions and interactions with Japanese and Chinese culture. For example, you can see his unease about marrying Mie Hama, and his unease about the whole ceremony, but he manages quite well – simply by imitating others and listening to all advice he could get.;
• Crash: won the best film academy award. It explains how the USA is not a homogeneous culture.;
Lost in translation
Brave Heart
Flight of the Phoenix (the original, with Jimmy Steward and Richard Attenborough)
Apollo 13
Dead Poets Society
Crimson Tide
The Bridge on the River Kwai
It's a Wonderful Life
Twelve O-Clock High
Elizabeth
A movie that might be to some extent illustrative of cultural differences is The Spanish Apartment (USA) (L'auberge espagnole is the original title). It is centered around a group of international students in the Erasmus program who share a flat in Barcelona. There is a very stereotypical scene showing a room shared by two men, an Italian and a German. The half that belongs to the German is in tip-toe condition whereas the Italian's half looks like a combat zone. There are a few more scenes like this so it can be worthy a look.
In my classes I like to contrast Mexican culture with other cultures and use a movie called "La ley de Herodes" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0221344/ in the movie the exercise of power and corruption are blatant and comic.
I have students analyze the impression management strategies used by each of the performers and relate them to Hofstede's cultural dimensions. I use the movie for a Power and Influence session on cultural differences. The exercise of power in the movie has a high power distance component.
There is another interesting approach when looking at cross-cultural differences in films. Instead of looking at clips, why not compare whole films where one film is a copy in another culture of an original film?
Several obvious examples stand out:
Infernal Affairs
Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven (and Tampopo and A Bug's Life)
Ring
Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars
Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos) and Vanilla Sky
La Cage aux Folles
The list is almost endless, especially when you consider less-tight conversions such as adaptations of Shakespeare in different cultures.
This strikes me as an interesting avenue for research as the choices (especially the changes) made by directors and producers inform us about the different societies.
There is a documentary called "The Japanese Version" which depicts how Japanese interpret American culture -- I especially use the scene in which the American western and cowboy is seen through an entirely different lens. It is available from Center for New American Media. (www.cnam.com). They also have some wonderful videos on class differences ("People Like Us") and on the vast array of American cultures ("American Tongues"). In general their work has lots of good cultural insights. Sim Sitkin
If you'd like a humorous look at it, I recommend "Gung Ho" with Michael Keaton from the mid-1980's.
I have used the film 'Bend it like Beckham' (2002) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286499/ in my UG Cross Cultural Class (as a basis for a short paper assignment). It depicts nicely multicultural issues within the British society. Students seem to have responded well to that. Black Rain (1989, by Ridley Scott) has some good scenes about American – Japanese differences in the context of police work. And, if you wan to go a bit back in history, the series Shogun (from 1980; I recently bought the DVD set) has neat descriptions of European vs. Japanese cultural differences; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080274/.
There a lot of good resources for cross-cultural differences. Here are a few that deal with blatant cross-cultural differences. I tried to pick some showing different times (past, present and future) and places:
• Local Hero
• The Namesake
• Anna and the King
• The Last Samurai
• Outsourced
• Many episodes from the Star Trek series and its offshoots - "Star Trek" "Star Trek Next Generation" "Deep Space 9" "Babylon 5" (the space station set up for cross-cultural/species interaction). These usually depict crew members from different cultures (or species) as well as encounters between the crew and inhabitants of different worlds.
Then there are the more subtle approaches to culture and cross-cultural differences:
• Upstairs, Downstairs (TV)
• The Sopranos (TV)
• Remains of the Day
A summary of videos, movies, and documentaries reflecting cross cultural issues
Documentary
"Mondovino"-A documentary on the impact of globalization on the world's different wine regions http://www.mondovinofilm.com/
"The Japanese Version" - It depicts how Japanese interpret American. It is available from Center for New American Media www.cnam.com/. They also have some wonderful videos on class differences ("People Like Us") and on the vast array of American cultures ("American Tongues"). In general their work has lots of good cultural insights.
The other side of outsourcing (Thomas Friedman)
The year of the Yao
CBS's newsmagazine 60 Minutes (There are some other programs too). http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?source=nav_video
"Out of India" (2005), Imported from India about the Indian Institute of Technology's graduates.
"The New French Revolution Summer" (2004), It is about the Muslim's population in France.
"Top Ten %" (Spring 2005), It is about the Texas's college admissions rule.
"Echo Boomers" (October 2004), Good analysis of this generation.
"Sir Howard" (January 2006), It is about the British Sony CEO, who does not know the culture very well and doesn't speak the language either.
"The Look" (December 2003), About `Abercrombie & Fitch's` discrimination problems.
"Working 24/7" (April 2006), It is about being connected and working longer hors as a result of new developments in it.
"The Millenials are coming" (Nov 2007). The challenge for business to incorporate members of this generation into the process and making them productive.
The following are commercial training videos:
"At the heart of the Bull"- Cultural diversity:
"Making a good impression"
"Globally speaking: Skills & strategies for success in Asia"
Movies
"Gung Ho"- A movie with Michael Keaton and Japanese Business. Best rating between the senders.
"Black Rain" (1989, by Ridley Scott) with Michael Douglas and Andy Garcia, has some good scenes about American – Japanese differences in the context of police work.
"Hotel Rwanda" - has some very powerful scenes as the hotel operator tries to keep the hotel open to tourists despite the tragedies occurring in the streets.
"The Interpreter" - with Nicole Kidman has all kinds of trust and communication opportunities across not only cultures, but political orientations.
"Erin Brokovich" -If you want to look at "social class" as a difference starring Julia Roberts.
"GI Jane" -If you want to look at "gender".
"Good Company"- If you want to look at "age".
"Twister", "The Perfect Storm", "Raising Helen"- If you want to look at work/family conflict.
"Ray"- There, as Ray's band meets more demanding markets Ray hires for higher pay a more suave collaborator. His long time aide asks why is the newcomer paid more than he is, illustrating a clash of pay cultures within the USA. The more modern culture will pay as much as needed to hire and retain the collaborator, the older- more African American one - will privilege seniority.
"Rising Sun" with Sean Connery and Wesley Snipes, These contrast American and Japanese cultures.
"A Year in Province", which contrasts English and French cultures, in a general way.
"Bend it like Beckham" (2002) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0286499/.It depicts nicely multicultural issues within the British society.
"Ring"
"Lost in translation"
"Local Hero"
"The Namesake"
"Anna and the King"
"Outsourced"
"Brave Heart"
"Flight of the Phoenix" (the original, with Jimmy Steward and Richard Attenborough)
"Dead Poets Society"
"Crimson Tide"
"The Bridge on the River Kwai"
"It's a Wonderful Life"
"Twelve O-Clock High"
"Elizabeth"
"Seven Samurai and The Magnificent Seven" (and Tampopo and A
Bug's Life)
"Yojimbo and A Fistful of Dollars"
TV and Movie series.
"Shogun" (from 1980) has neat descriptions of European vs. Japanese cultural differences; http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080274/ .
"Star Trek"- series and its offshoots - "Star Trek" "Star Trek Next Generation" "Deep Space 9" "Babylon 5" (the space station set up for cross-cultural/species interaction). These usually depict crew members from different cultures (or species) as well as encounters between the crew and inhabitants of different worlds.
Another list of video resources http://ciber.msu.edu/Research/Video_Library_Catalog.pdf