[HPFGU-Movie] America and Britain (was: UK School holidays)

[Morgan D.]

> > >MMCK. who would ask Brits and Euros to refrain from calling all 
> > > of us across the water "Americans". That would be like calling 
> > >Seamus "English"!

*grins* I'm not Brit or Euro, but I really think it's not that fair
from the USA citizens to "steal" America all to themselves. Since, as
GulPlum pointed out:

> > "America" is not a country, it's  a 
> > continent. The fact that residents of the USA haven't invented a 
> > name for themselves in their 200 year history is their problem. 
> > What I mean is that the confusion is in calling residents of the
> > USA "Americans", not in calling Canadians or Mexicans "Americans".

I whole-heartedly agree, although I admit there's little chance we can
change that at this point. I had to get used to having to explain all
the time which America I'm referring to. Annoying, but... 

GulPlum added:
> > Personally, I get around the problem by calling all residents of 
> > the USA "Yanks". :-)

Which many of them don't appreciate. So if we don't want to pick a
fight, the problem remains. 

Then MMCK countered:
> America is not a continent. North America is. 

*blinks* Someone should alert all the Geography teachers I ever had in
my whole life then. Not to mention all the authors of dictionaries and
encyclopaedias. Sorry, but "the American continent" means all the
countries in the "Three Americas", from Alaska/Canada to
Chile/Argentina. 

> Since I'm pretty sure "God Bless America" is not meant to 
> bless Canadians and Mexicans as well, and that waving the "American 
> Flag" means waving the stars and stipes, it would seem the Yanks 
> have indeed invented a name for themselves by referring to 
> themselves as Americans.

If we're going to judge that from a song title... You're not taking in
consideration all the anti-imperialist songs from Central and South
America who will proclaim devoted loved to America, meaning *their*
America. Those songs are clearly NOT pro-USA. Quite the contrary.

And before I make this posting completely OT: I've been wondering for
quite a while if British viewers resented any Americanisms in the
production of the movies. I've read the Bloomsbury editions of HP and I
noticed some different wordings every now and then in the movies, but
my understanding of English language isn't good enough to pick up any
regionalisms. Were there adaptations of the text to the USA audiences?
(Besides, of course, the Philosopher's Stone/Sorcerer's Stone bit --
and please, don't let me rant about that or I'll never stop.)

Personally, I believe I would have liked better if JKR had insisted on
a British studio and a British crew -- since she already insisted on a
British cast. She wouldn't have made as much money, I suspect, and that
probably had a lot to do with her decision. But thinking of the
tradition of British cinema and the talent of some of Britain's best
scriptwriters and directors, I tend to think the result would have
been, if less flashier and visually thrilling, a lot closer to my
perspective of the books. (On the other hand, I should say I haven't
seen much of European Cinema's production for kids, so maybe I'm being
completely delusional here).

However, some of you have mentioned having hopes for future remakes. I
doubt we'll see any, but I dream of a HP adaptation for TV, a British
production, in the form of a long series of one-hour-long episodes.
That would be the only way of having all our favourite characters and
all our favourite scenes on screen.

Morgan D.
Hogwarts Letters - http://www.hogwartsletters.hpg.com.br

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