in my opinion

The More Things Change...

By Peter Carrs

Besides blowing up just about everything in his films, what else does ‘Rambo’ destroy? Will the songs of Barry Manilow soon be the only ones the whole world sings? I doubt it. The real question: Are newer forms of global media invading and destroying the world’s indigenous cultures? The real answer: Changing, yes...destroying, no. The world of film provides good examples.  

Today Bollywood produces more movies than Hollywood, the vast majority of which are for the hometown crowd. Indians are telling Indian stories to Indians in their traditional languages. Many of the story lines come from traditional folk tales and ancient Sanskrit plays. In this instance, newer forms of media like film and TV are not a destroyer, but simply a new stylist for old and revered stories and characters. This is traditional culture co-opting newer media forms for its own purposes. This is traditional culture being carried forward in newer, vivid, electronic retellings.

And so it is around the world. Newer Western forms are being adopted around the world, and yes, American and European programming is ubiquitous. But it is also clear that many, many communities around the world are producing more programming for themselves and telling stories more resonant within their own cultures. Change is life’s only constant, and cultures are living things that are constantly changing and evolving. But the stories that define and re-affirm communities are not quickly abandoned or forgotten. There have been over 250 film adaptations of Shakespeare plays, and over 70 film adaptations of the plays of the Greek playwrights Sophicles, Euripides and Aristophanes. Here, film is a newer media form prolonging the life of Western culture. These are old, rich and valued stories told differently, yet preserved. Change, yes...destruction, no.