Metropolitan: Mildy Conservative By Temperament, Or Arch-Conservative Thesis

A small debate is going on about this film, prompted by a major DVD release of the movie and a Slate article in which a liberal who enjoys the film admits yes, it's pretty darned conservative.

I haven't seen it yet -- heard and read about it for years, but haven't seen it, largely because I don't think there was a DVD available of it until now -- but I have seen Barcelona a bunch of times. And I don't think there's any doubt where that movie comes down politically.

When the villains are a bunch of idiotic leftist Europeans who arrogantly spout off ridiculously false facts about America (the biggest labor union in America is apparently the "NFL-CIA," some sort of clandestine-service/sports league), and the hero is a businessman with a passion for marketing and a jingoistic junior Naval officer, well, that's a damned conservative movie, isn't it?

As one of the two Americans tries to explain American foreign policy, he notices red ants and black ants fighting, and notes that America is just trying to keep the ants from killing each other. The European douchebag objects, stupidly, that that's how Americans "see the world," with everyone as ants. The Naval officer just asks -- "Which of these are the foreign ants?" -- and then takes a brick and smashes them.

Later, his friend counsels him against doing things like that. "You just confirmed their worst assumptions."

The Naval officer just says, "I am their worst assumption."

That's just funny, no matter what your politics are.

Bonus: When a Spanish girl claims that America is very violent, because of all the shooting deaths, the Naval officer explains, "That doesn't mean we're more violent. It just means we're better shots."

Very conservative. Frankly, I'm surprised there's really much of a debate over this. Again, I haven't seen Metropolitan, but it would seem that his later film pretty much resolves the intent behind the former one.

posted by Ace at 11:53 AM

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