I am reading 'The Broker' by John Grisham, got that from my friend's collection. I am glad that I did not buy. The novel is not so great to talk about.
Subject matter is the place where the major part of the story is running. It is Bologna, Italy. When the main character of the story lands in Italy, my eyebrows raised automatically.
In my recent reads 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'The Angels & Demons' of Dan Brown, the characters go to Italy at least for sometime. I remember vaguely that small part of the storyline of Sidney Sheldon's 'The Sands of Time' runs in Sicily, Italy.
What's the 'thing' with American authors and Italy?
Similary Hollywood movies, most of them have a thing for Los Angeles. If not Los Angeles it would be New York. If the story is a family drama, plot moves to San Fransisco at the maximum.
Poor Los Angeles; when aliens attack, they attack Los Angeles first, during natural calamity Los Angeles becomes an island ("Escape from L.A" - the stupidest movie I have ever seen).
Most of the movies have their plot only in these cities. If you have not observed this before start observing now, your eyebrows will also raise when you watch movies.
When America is so big with lot of big and interesting cities, what's the 'thing' with Hollywood movies and these cities?
Subject matter is the place where the major part of the story is running. It is Bologna, Italy. When the main character of the story lands in Italy, my eyebrows raised automatically.
In my recent reads 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'The Angels & Demons' of Dan Brown, the characters go to Italy at least for sometime. I remember vaguely that small part of the storyline of Sidney Sheldon's 'The Sands of Time' runs in Sicily, Italy.
What's the 'thing' with American authors and Italy?
Similary Hollywood movies, most of them have a thing for Los Angeles. If not Los Angeles it would be New York. If the story is a family drama, plot moves to San Fransisco at the maximum.
Poor Los Angeles; when aliens attack, they attack Los Angeles first, during natural calamity Los Angeles becomes an island ("Escape from L.A" - the stupidest movie I have ever seen).
Most of the movies have their plot only in these cities. If you have not observed this before start observing now, your eyebrows will also raise when you watch movies.
When America is so big with lot of big and interesting cities, what's the 'thing' with Hollywood movies and these cities?
2 comments:
Nice catch. Italy holds an exquisite interest with the americans. Probably they always want to look at the most ancient of the civilizations which once ruled the west. Italy in its primetime resembled the present united states in a lot of ways. There was a senate which was elected by the people and also a king who is also supposed chosen by the senators. But the king always overrules the senate just as the President tries to muscle his way through the US senate for all and sundry controversial bills. Italians were also fond of talking their own glory in all publications of their age just as the americans are now. In fact, it was so powerful that even Christianity grew only after Italy adapted Christianity. Which is why we still see the church trying to woo americans in all ways, trying to spread christianity as much as possible. Throw in the vatican church, the related mysteries all through the centuries, the fight of creative people like galileo, michalengalo against the church and u get a mix which is very deceptively deeply attractive. Like a latin american beauty. One thing is clear. Americans donot appreciate people of smaller stature than them. Hence the case. And the Americans also donot have an ancient history. So they turn to Italy if they want a piece of history.
Alwa, Thanks for your insight about this topic.
'Once ruled the west' seems to be a tall claim. We can not neglect the power & history of the English, French, Greeks and Spaniards in Europe. This can not be the only factor why American authors turning to Italy to base their plot. This may be one of the factors.
I agree that the political structure of America is based on that of ancient Italy (Rome, to be precise). In fact American civil law is based on ancient law of Rome.
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