Gerard Depardieu
You
already know it, we French are different. No, seriously. I mean it. Right now
my home country is torn because Gerard Depardieu, one of the most famous French
actors, has left France to avoid paying punitive taxes. I have never seen
France so polarised into two opposing factions: those who support his move, and
the others who can not find words that are harsh enough to blame him. It is a
good thing that we don't have any guillotine left, because I am darn sure that
some rich and famous would be sent to it.
That's
not the end. We French have what we call a 'cultural exception'. We are
special. Different. We have our own film stars and our own movies. What I
didn't know (how naive of me!) is that we pay a hefty price for this. Most
French movies are heavily subsidised by the government and our (internationally
unknown) actors are paid more than global superstars. Here is a comparison:
Philippe Lioret, a French director (have you heard of him? No? Well, me neither)
earns twice as much as Steven Soderbergh (I am pretty sure that you have heard
of him). Basically, the gravy train that benefits some happy few is financed by
French taxpayers. Don't get me wrong, there are good French movies, but the sad
fact of the matter is that most French movies loose money, whereas an acting
elite is getting paid a lot more than their anglo-Saxon colleagues in the
process. (You can see the article explaining it all -in French if you click n this link: http://www.lemonde.fr/a-la-une/article/2012/12/28/les-acteurs-francais-sont-trop-payes_1811151_3208.html)
This got
me thinking: is there such a thing as a cultural exception? What exactly does
it mean?
Look:
this is my British face:
And this
is my French face.
Which one
do you prefer?
Look
closer: this is Marion Cotillard' (well-known French actress) arm.
This is
Angelina Jolie's.
Which one
is better? Which one should be paid more? I am not so sure.
Come to
think of it, it is unbelievable to see how many people believe that they are
different. The French are, in this instance, no exception!
And let
me also tell you that I recently got into Bollywood movies and I love them. I
highly recommend 'like stars on earth' with Aamir Khan, about a dyslexic boy.
The movie cost 2.20 Millions dollars, or less than a fourth of a medium-sized
French production and is simply fantastic. Here is the trailer:
In short,
I think that we French need to realise that there is a world out there, and
that it is high time not to hide behind the walls of our cultural exception.
On this
note, I wish you all very good festive season.
I hear that the 75% tax rate may be declared illegal by the courts so all this fuss could be for nothing.
ReplyDeleteI find it bizarre, this 'French exception' in everything from health to culture to economics. Why do the French think they are so different that they need to declare to be an exception in everything? Is it because they don't follow the "Anglo-Saxon" systems and yet do very nicely thank you? Is it part of a French 'up yours' to the rest of the world (since the long past high days when French diplomacy was central to world order)?
Whatever it is, they are very proud of it, and I dread to think what would happen to national pride if it all came tumbling down.
We are special. Just don't ask me why. I have a British passport now and I have to admit that I am struggling with a certain sense of entitlement in France...Maybe I am more British than I thought...
ReplyDeleteJust love the originality of French films; fortunately Maori TV screen a few.
ReplyDeleteI love the Bollywood movie you are talking about. I love Indian movie. As long as they convey meaning and are entertaining. But the whole point is I don't see what and how the budget matters. I have seen small budget films do really well and some big budget movies fall flat.
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