MovieChat Forums > Marathon Man (1976) Discussion > This film is insulting

This film is insulting

posted 16 years ago by Skylab23
162 replies | jump to latest

As someone who is from Uruguay I must say this film is completely disrespectful. I was watching this film and enjoying it up until the part where they show Szell's hideout in Uruguay. I was like: 'WHAT?', because apparently we have jungles here and I didn't even notice. I know most of you people don't even know where Uruguay is and don't care about this, but I ask you: if they depicted your country in a film in a completely wrong way, wouldn't you be pissed off?. Filmmakers should do a little research if they are going to put something in a film they know nothing about.
Luckily this mistake is shown in the goofs section for this movie:
"Errors in geography: Dr. Szell is supposed to be living in Uruguay before going to New York. We see shots of what is supposed to be Uruguay which show people traveling in canoes through the jungle, but in Uruguay there is no jungle."

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EDIT (7 years later): Hey guys, good news: I'm over it now.
Calling the film insulting was too much, I admit; I do remember being pretty irritated when I wrote the message above. Of course, that it inaccurately depicts Uruguay's geography is undeniable.
I would delete this post, but hey, many of your responses are pretty funny!

It's not the years, honey, it's the mileage.
Indiana Jones, "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

[–] tmalpeli 15 years ago

Americans always portray places outside of america as strange and backward. Thats just the way they are, it sells well to they're moron public .. Im a Brit and in every war movie the Americans make its always them who win the war without any mention of the Brits or the Russians ..
Anything the Americans do, take with a pinch of salt and dont be so sensitive. The world doesnt take them very serious in any movie/historical purpose ..

[–] steeler33 15 years ago

"Thats just the way they are, it sells well to they're moron public"

Who is a moron?

[–] jajceboy 15 years ago

You feel insulted?

Sweden has always been confused with Switzerland. One instance im thinking of is in the movie Boat Trip. There we have a group of girls from Sweden who all speak with German accents. And later when a character goes to visit Sweden its apparently somewhere in the Alps, which is funny, since Sweden is totaly flat and have no high mountains.
And thats just one instance...

[–] palermo2222 15 years ago

Actually I do know where Uruguay is: I lived in Buenos Aires for five years and took the ferry to Montevideo and traveled to Punta del Este all the time. Anyone making fun of Uruguay only need to go to Punta to see the jet-set beach hardly anyone outside of the Southern Cone has heard of!!!

[–] Dr_RoButtnik 15 years ago

I'm more insulted that you actually watched the movie "Boat Trip"

"Weirdness was all he cared about. Weirdness and sex and plenty to drink."

[–] jajceboy 15 years ago

Hahha, agree with you there..

[–] davjhmcr 15 years ago

I thought it was Paraguay?

"3 bottles of White Lightning and the Van Damm movies are over there."

[–] radonner 15 years ago

Ignorance is not disrespectful; it's simply ignorant. But I think the filmmaker was trying to convey the isolation in which Szell lived, rather than anything factual about Uruguay. Clearly he was filming something more like Peru; but to call him insulting for that transposition is a little oversensitive.

As for the guy who thought Costa Rica was landlocked, well - there's more ignorance for you.

Uruguay, for those who are wondering, rests south of Brazil and east of Argentina; it gets very cold in the winter, and harbored a number of Nazi war criminals after WWII, as did much of South America. It is also the country of Punto del Este, said to be one of the world's most beautiful beaches, and there is no shortage of beautiful women there. This review is brought to you by an American, who according to the rest of the world should be completely ignorant of history, geography, and quality. Thus I can also state that MY country gets portrayed in film in a completely wrong way, but I don't bitch about it.

[–] pedrollerena2 15 years ago

What did you expect? Americans doesn't have a clue about what is going on in the rest of the world, and THEY ARE PROUD OF IT.

[–] taylor88 15 years ago

Welcome to American cinemas skewed portrayal of every foreign country

[–] Moon_and_New_York_City 15 years ago

Hollywood doesn't depict Southerners accurately in films, why should we expect them to be more respectful of foreigners?!?

"the best that you can do is fall in love"

[–] taylor88 15 years ago

Well said Moon

[–] razorbak-4 15 years ago

You go Ur-uguay, I'll go mine.

[–] Prismark10 15 years ago

Happens all the time in the movies.

Kubricks, Vietnam war movie, Full Metal Jacket was shot in London.

Its that man again!!

[–] gmmatt 15 years ago

This thread rocks!!! Best of all time.

[–] rave195 8 years ago

Indeed gmmatt!

Check out my recent post on here.

Best
LadyDi

[–] naturboy99 15 years ago

I'm formerly from Burkittsville Md. I'm highly offended that the mockumentary the Blair Witch Project was filmed using people and scenes from the neighboring towns of Middletown and Brunswick instead of any of our native hundred and sixty Burkitsvillians.

I think the OP and I should get some flamethrowers and nuclear weapons together and put those aholes in Hollywood in their places!

I know the OP was 2 years ago, but seriously Dude, you're bitching about a movie that was made in 1976. Cut the producers a break, they didn't have the internet back then, they probably thought Yuragay was just a made up country name!

Pleasuring a man with a socked foot one time does not make a person gay - Peter Griffin