American culture was developed through the constant interactions of Americans with each other. There are interesting cultural manifestations in America which we may find interesting such as the fact that it is the land of the free and the home of the brave and including the tendency to compete with each other to develop one’s potential in all aspects in life, as well as the ability to work and produce in order to improve the economy (American Family Traditions 1).
In connection, it is more interesting to view American culture through the comparison and contrast of two films. In this paper, the film entitled Band of Brothers and Modern Times will be compared and contrasted in relation to American culture. Both films Modern Times and Band of Brothers are American films which depict American culture. The first film entitled Modern Times is a film which was released in the year 1936 for film viewers and enthusiasts.
The film was directed by Charles Chaplin and top-billed by him also (The Internet Movie Database 1). The second one entitled Band of Brothers is a film that was based on the Second World War when America seized power over Adolf Hitler. The film was directed by Tom Hanks and top-billed by Damian Lewis (The Internet Movie Database 1). The first film is about a factory worker who was literally trapped in a machine. This is a comic invention which puts the protagonist to an automatic feeding machine introduced by his employers to save time and energy.
The second film is about Easy Company whose members served as paratroopers during the Second World War. In other words, both films involved fighting and gaining power from formidable enemies. Aside from that, both films are shown to inform the movie viewers about the importance of employment and dedication to it despite the dangers that surrounds the work. Besides, the two films differ in source because Band of Brothers is based on a true account of the war while Modern Times is fiction story.
In the earlier part of the paper, American culture involving the affirmation that America is the land of the free and the home of the brave and as well as the tendency to compete with each other, as well as the ability to work and produce in order to improve the economy is very much related to the films Modern Times and Band of Brothers. In the movie Band of Brothers, the main theme of the story is the struggles and subsequent success of the soldiers who are members of the Easy Company and courageous front liners during the Second World War.
Each member of the Easy Company showed extraordinary courage for the defeat of the enemies. It is the culture of the Americans to show courage in order to fight for freedom and power. In addition, there is also an internal struggle between and among soldiers and officers of the American forces at that time. A solid tactician paratrooper named Dick Winters and Captain Sobel were fighting over the right to command its own members of the group and to gain support from other soldiers.
The storyline only shows that Americans are competitive enough in all aspects of life. The film also showed success by means of true brotherhood and cooperation which toppled down the finest troops of Adolf Hitler. In the second film entitled Modern Times, the story is done via quasi-silent way. In other words, this is a pantomime film wherein the voice of the protagonist was covered by sounds of machines and other sound tracks. Since the film was set during the Depression era, the value of work equated with the economy is shown with relevance.
The main theme of the movie Modern Times is to disclose the oppression of the people who are suffering from unemployment, poverty, and even lack of food. The culture of the Americans includes hard work and ability to produce more goods and services in order to improve the economy. Simply put, Americans are not indolent just like the protagonist of the film who works alternately as a shipyard worker, department store night watchman, overstressed singing waiter, or an occupant in jail (Dirks 1). In conclusion, American culture was inherently shown in the two films mentioned in this paper.
There is no doubt that Americans are hard working, courageous, brave, and responsible enough for the achievement of freedom, economic progress, peace and cooperation, as well as being competitive.
Works Cited
“American Culture Page”. 2009. American Family Traditions Website. May 13, 2009 <http://www. americanfamilytraditions. com/american_culture. htm>. “Band of Brothers”. 2009. The Internet Movie Database. May 13, 2009 < http://www. imdb. com/title/tt0185906/ >. “Modern Times”. 2009. Film Site Website. May 14, 2009 < http://www. imdb. com/ title/tt1098327/http://www. imdb. com/title/tt1098327/ >.