Floyd and I found ourselves in the city overnight because it was too late to drive the rest of the way home, so we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and see a movie. We chose The Legend of Tarzan. When we've seen a movie in Uganda in the past, it's usually around mid-day in the middle of the week, so there is not much of a crowd. Sometimes we're even the only ones in the theater.
Well, this was a Monday, but it was the later showing. The theater was pretty full. Throughout the movie, we found ourselves in an odd situation - note, it was not bad, it was just a unique experience. As you probably know, much of the movie is set in the African Congo, which actually borders Uganda. It is also set back in the past, so the Africans are all in tribal clothing, speaking their tribal language, and living in remote villages. Even though we were seeing the movie in the city, we could certainly relate to some of the village specifics.
Obviously, seeing a movie about a foreign setting is different when you're actually familiar with the setting. That alone could make our experience unique, but it got even more interesting. At various times, the theater would be filled with laughter or other reactions to different moments in the movie. Some of these moments were universal and we laughed or reacted as well. However, sometimes we were left trying to decipher why the Ugandan movie-goers were laughing or reacting to a particular scene.
I did find myself wondering how they felt about the portrayal of Africans in this movie. Did they feel it was accurate to their ancestry? Did they find it offensive? Sadly, in America, it seems that people spend a lot more time getting offended, even when things are not meant to be personal - they're just entertainment. (Imagine how the comedy industry would be if comedians could only tell jokes that didn't offend anyone. Stand up comedy seems to be the only place that someone can say just about anything and just be met with laughter or fun instead of offense.)
Anyway, it seemed that everyone enjoyed the movie. We did notice that they were frequently brought to laughter when the black man from America (Samuel L. Jackson) struggled with things like jumping from a cliff, swinging from a vine, and other native skills. They especially laughed when it was time to run and this guy thought he could keep up with the native Africans running through the jungle. Of course, these are funny parts in the movie to all of us, but their reaction was a little more boisterous than I might expect in America.
Anyway, there isn't really anything real insightful here. It is definitely a good experience at looking at a movie from a perspective that is different than your own, so I just wanted to put it down for memory's sake. :)
Well, this was a Monday, but it was the later showing. The theater was pretty full. Throughout the movie, we found ourselves in an odd situation - note, it was not bad, it was just a unique experience. As you probably know, much of the movie is set in the African Congo, which actually borders Uganda. It is also set back in the past, so the Africans are all in tribal clothing, speaking their tribal language, and living in remote villages. Even though we were seeing the movie in the city, we could certainly relate to some of the village specifics.
Obviously, seeing a movie about a foreign setting is different when you're actually familiar with the setting. That alone could make our experience unique, but it got even more interesting. At various times, the theater would be filled with laughter or other reactions to different moments in the movie. Some of these moments were universal and we laughed or reacted as well. However, sometimes we were left trying to decipher why the Ugandan movie-goers were laughing or reacting to a particular scene.
I did find myself wondering how they felt about the portrayal of Africans in this movie. Did they feel it was accurate to their ancestry? Did they find it offensive? Sadly, in America, it seems that people spend a lot more time getting offended, even when things are not meant to be personal - they're just entertainment. (Imagine how the comedy industry would be if comedians could only tell jokes that didn't offend anyone. Stand up comedy seems to be the only place that someone can say just about anything and just be met with laughter or fun instead of offense.)
Anyway, it seemed that everyone enjoyed the movie. We did notice that they were frequently brought to laughter when the black man from America (Samuel L. Jackson) struggled with things like jumping from a cliff, swinging from a vine, and other native skills. They especially laughed when it was time to run and this guy thought he could keep up with the native Africans running through the jungle. Of course, these are funny parts in the movie to all of us, but their reaction was a little more boisterous than I might expect in America.
Anyway, there isn't really anything real insightful here. It is definitely a good experience at looking at a movie from a perspective that is different than your own, so I just wanted to put it down for memory's sake. :)
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