I just saw the ad above on Yahoo TV. Click the picture for a larger view, but the tag says, "Find out Anne's stunning fate in the season finale."
Hmm. Now, granted, Americans don't need to know every detail of British history, and the series The Tudors apparently take great liberties with history. Some readers might not be familiar with the series, which of Henry VIII's wives they're up to, or that the series is about Henry VIII. Granted, although she's the most famous of Henry's wives, they might not divine Anne's last name (although somehow, I don't think they'd mix her up with the other Anne). And maybe they don't have all the billboards for the series we do out here in L.A. and also missed that movie that came out not long ago with Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, since apparently quite a few people did.
But heavens, really, what stunning fate could possibly await Anne friggin' Boleyn?
Oh, good, they helpfully supplied a clue:
(Click for a larger view.)
Yeah.
(Cross-posted at The Blue Herald)
You're talking about a country where The Madness of George III was retitled The Madness of King George, since Americans might feel they'd missed parts I and II. {I did a LOT of British history as part of my Ph.D.}
ReplyDeleteYa know, I've written about that play/movie before, and I've heard that story challenged a bit - although it wouldn't surprise me. I've never heard the parts I and II thing, although it's a good line; what I heard was that they worried Americans wouldn't know which George it referred to. Okay, but surely the trailer and the movie itself would tell them? Then, for Harry Potter, "Philosopher's Stone" becomes "Sorcerer's Stone." Overseas, the movie Ghosts of Mississippi became Ghosts of the Past. In all cases, it's Hollywood or a publishing company assuming all Americans are dumb, and while some definitely are, we ain't all that way... ;-)
ReplyDeleteReminds me of a story I heard when the Titanic was in theaters. A local news show wanted to do a tie-in piece about the real Titanic... but the show's producer feared it would spoil the movie if they revealed that the Titanic sunk!
ReplyDeleteThat's pretty funny, Kristen!
ReplyDeleteNext up, the film The Lincoln Assassination - don't give away the ending!
But the question is begging...
ReplyDeleteAre you smarter than a fifth grader?
(I know that you are Batocchio, I mean the general you.)
Deep sigh.