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I guess I'd have to see it to have an opinion on that. Legolas Send a noteboard - 27/01/2011 08:00:53 PM
Jean-Luc thought much the movie's humour often relied heavily on obscure Belgian (or occasionally European) references.

He's right we missed a level of humour (at least all those he explained we had missed), but I suspect foreigners just saw a more universal level to the movie where Belgian saw a more Belgium-centric "commentary" (much as happened with Les Invasions Barbares. There are full of Québec-centric elements in it that foreigners miss - eg: all the health system details it targets - but not distracted by the specific shots Arcand took at this and that they see the universal resonance of the movie's situations better than us)

Yeah, makes sense. Rather like Asterix, or really anything that's a bit layered - people with different cultural backgrounds will appreciate different jokes and references.
Jean-Luc was also weirdly claiming Belgian humour doesn't export well, but we were quoting him back all the examples of Belgian humour we appreciate (from BD to stand up comics and so on) to show him how wrong he was on that!

I think that's a sentiment you'd hear from a lot of Belgians, from both sides of the language divide, but considering that Flemish comedians are also all the rage in the Netherlands these days, it seems to be wrong in both cases.
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A few thoughts on my Classic challenge book. Well, books, as it turns out. Rebekah - 22/01/2011 11:48:21 PM 1753 Views
This month is just making me hate classics. ? - 23/01/2011 12:06:08 AM 1592 Views
Aw. That's a shame. Rebekah - 23/01/2011 12:21:10 AM 1489 Views
Re: Aw. That's a shame. ? - 23/01/2011 12:55:44 PM 1549 Views
Hrm... a high fantasy classic... ranagrande - 23/01/2011 01:15:05 PM 1358 Views
Yeah? Okay... *NM* ? - 23/01/2011 01:16:15 PM 696 Views
Yes. Rebekah - 23/01/2011 01:17:18 PM 1494 Views
Dunsany is good. And Grimm, but Camilla - 23/01/2011 01:25:40 PM 1374 Views
There's really only one high fantasy classic, no? Or two, if you count the Silm separately. *NM* Legolas - 23/01/2011 01:35:03 PM 703 Views
Perhaps Gormenghast? Camilla - 23/01/2011 01:58:50 PM 1549 Views
Perhaps, haven't read either Dunsany or Peake. Legolas - 23/01/2011 02:02:51 PM 1513 Views
Re: Perhaps, haven't read either Dunsany or Peake. Camilla - 23/01/2011 02:05:31 PM 1662 Views
Maybe Alice's Adventures in Wonderland? *NM* ranagrande - 23/01/2011 02:20:49 PM 722 Views
Re: Dunsany is good. And Grimm, but Rebekah - 23/01/2011 01:37:56 PM 1382 Views
Re: Dunsany is good. And Grimm, but Camilla - 23/01/2011 01:59:18 PM 1537 Views
H. Rider Haggard. Rebekah - 23/01/2011 01:24:01 PM 1491 Views
Sounds interesting. ? - 23/01/2011 01:34:45 PM 1495 Views
Re: Sounds interesting. Rebekah - 23/01/2011 01:39:34 PM 1558 Views
King Solomon's Mines is also awesome. nossy - 23/01/2011 03:52:04 PM 1312 Views
You can't love all of the classics, but it's not like it's a genre of its own that you can dislike. Legolas - 23/01/2011 12:32:01 AM 1537 Views
Precisely Camilla - 23/01/2011 09:40:26 AM 1739 Views
True true... ? - 23/01/2011 12:58:42 PM 1509 Views
Fortunately, that's precisely what this site aims to do! *NM* Legolas - 23/01/2011 01:34:16 PM 734 Views
You just aren't reading the right books (and reviews), it seems Larry - 23/01/2011 12:41:07 AM 1593 Views
The Swiss Family Robinson is hardly a "classic", unless by "classic" you mean "old". Tom - 23/01/2011 06:55:30 AM 1353 Views
Fine then. ? - 23/01/2011 01:02:48 PM 1396 Views
Re: This month is just making me hate classics. Camilla - 23/01/2011 09:05:52 AM 1574 Views
A lot of "classics" need proper context to be appreciated DomA - 23/01/2011 12:22:44 PM 1763 Views
Well said. Rebekah - 23/01/2011 12:46:35 PM 1550 Views
Re: Well said. DomA - 24/01/2011 02:33:10 AM 1609 Views
That reminds me I need to get back to the Mémoires of Marguerite de Valois. Legolas - 24/01/2011 10:17:17 PM 1318 Views
Very true Camilla - 23/01/2011 01:04:56 PM 1497 Views
Speaking of Dumas... DomA - 24/01/2011 02:45:02 AM 1341 Views
ooooh Camilla - 24/01/2011 08:51:46 AM 1687 Views
The Molière movie is called... wait for it... Legolas - 24/01/2011 10:21:48 PM 1526 Views
oooh Camilla - 24/01/2011 10:24:19 PM 1521 Views
Re: oooh Legolas - 24/01/2011 10:29:23 PM 1397 Views
Re: oooh DomA - 25/01/2011 01:15:39 AM 1502 Views
I really should watch that movie. Legolas - 25/01/2011 09:43:35 PM 1453 Views
Re: I really should watch that movie. DomA - 25/01/2011 11:15:10 PM 1604 Views
Why not? We liked Le Déclin de l'Empire Américain and Les Invasions Barbares. *NM* Legolas - 26/01/2011 06:45:26 PM 703 Views
Re: Why not? We liked Le Déclin de l'Empire Américain and Les Invasions Barbares. DomA - 27/01/2011 12:26:48 PM 1721 Views
I guess I'd have to see it to have an opinion on that. Legolas - 27/01/2011 08:00:53 PM 1677 Views
Re: oooh DomA - 25/01/2011 01:50:04 AM 1422 Views
Re: oooh Camilla - 25/01/2011 10:22:21 AM 1678 Views
Re: oooh DomA - 25/01/2011 12:46:30 PM 1641 Views
That's it! Camilla - 25/01/2011 12:50:18 PM 1624 Views
Re: A few thoughts on my Classic challenge book. Well, books, as it turns out. everynametaken - 23/01/2011 06:25:50 AM 1490 Views
The big problem with Dracula is that it's an epistolary novel. Tom - 23/01/2011 06:58:25 AM 1476 Views
Yeah, agreed. Legolas - 23/01/2011 09:46:57 AM 1463 Views
But Frankenstein doesn't even have good writing to recommend it. Rebekah - 23/01/2011 10:09:58 AM 1419 Views
Dracula is the book I hope to review (properly) today. I love it. So very much. Rebekah - 23/01/2011 10:08:34 AM 1300 Views
The challenge is making me wish I hadn't already read Frankenstein Brian - 23/01/2011 07:38:49 AM 2195 Views
Really? ranagrande - 23/01/2011 07:52:24 AM 1466 Views
I didn't mind The Importance of Being Earnest too much Brian - 23/01/2011 08:38:14 AM 2193 Views
Frankenstein ranagrande - 23/01/2011 09:05:10 AM 1532 Views
... Camilla - 23/01/2011 09:08:03 AM 1383 Views
Thank you. *NM* Rebekah - 23/01/2011 10:10:34 AM 689 Views
For, as usual, being my wonderful, divine self and bringing light to the world? *NM* Camilla - 23/01/2011 10:12:30 AM 724 Views
Something like that. *NM* Rebekah - 23/01/2011 10:15:37 AM 647 Views
There's a reason why they include Wilde among the "decadents". Legolas - 23/01/2011 10:16:33 AM 1408 Views
Re: A few thoughts on my Classic challenge book. Well, books, as it turns out. Camilla - 23/01/2011 08:53:01 AM 1476 Views
Yes. Rebekah - 23/01/2011 10:15:04 AM 1451 Views
Re: Yes. Camilla - 23/01/2011 10:18:02 AM 1464 Views
I just read A Christmas Carol as well. It's very short, alright. Legolas - 02/02/2011 08:46:16 PM 1496 Views
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