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"

[–] emil-storeulv 13 years ago

Take a chill-pill...

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Phydeaux50 13 years ago

It's positively unUruguayan.

[–] ceci_bet21 12 years ago

I'm from Argentina and yes, that part was terrible.

Same happened when in "X-Men: First Class", Villa Gesell looks like Bariloche.

It bothers me that being Marathon Man, X-Men FC and many others, films with a lot of money to at least make a research about locations, they don't do it and don't even care. That's, obviously, because a minimun part of people from USA might know about geography.

Anyway, I liked both films. Those details are irritating, though.

It is in our idleness, in our dreams, that the submerged truth sometimes comes to the top.

[–] rhz 12 years ago

The guy has a point. I´m not sure if that scene was filmed in Xochimilco (which isn´t a jungle by the way) but they were mexicans with the clear mexican accents. Stuff like that is definitely unacceptable and it runis movie. Although this is a small film but if you have seen Salvador, that movie is ruined to any spanish speaker since all the actors spoke with mexican accents and thus you knew it was always Mexico and not El Salvador.

[–] polsixe 12 years ago

So what is Uruguay like? Looks like the Black Forest that's why the Chermans moved there? That scene in Uruguay showed it rains there, is that true? I could wiki it by why bother. Anyways, it is like Canada portrayed as ice and snow.

[–] Balok-2 12 years ago

I'm surprised that in all this time, no one has suggested that they picked Uruguay at random as a country where the real Mengele almost certainly was *not* to be found.

I'm less surprised that no one has thought to put the blame on Mame.

[–] alvink 12 years ago

actually, since it is the scientists from uruguay that botched the mayan calender prophecy, i have heard that several other film projects originally set to filmed in uruguay have been cancelled.

[–] BertramWilberforceWooster 12 years ago

One of the stupidest complaints I've yet read. I live in Indianapolis, IN, USA. It's the capitol of the state I live in. For the film Eagle Eye, there's a scene that takes place in a metropolitan area of Indy. People who live here would know the street and address are in a residential area and that there is no mall anywhere near. I didn't find it insulting because (and here's the kicker) IT'S JUST A MOVIE!

--
Once upon a time, we had a love affair with fire.
http://athinkersblog.com/

[–] Themanwithnoname222 11 years ago

So, you are telling us that there aren't any cluster of trees anywhere in Uruguay? Sweet.

Had I charged 2 cents for every opinion of mine, I would be a millionaire.

[–] JackHammer69 11 years ago

I understand where you're coming from. I'm from Australia and Hollywood is arrogant enough to hire non-Australians (then masquerade them as Australians) almost all the time. It is VERY insulting.

[–] avnrulz 11 years ago

So, by your logic, I should be insulted by all the Australians being passed off as Americans (see 'Longmire', 'The Glades', 'Seven Days', etc) not to mention Brits ('The Walking Dead').

BOHICA America!

[–] JackHammer69 11 years ago

I should have made my thoughts a little clearer. You can feel insulted if Aussies/Brits can't do a convincing American accent! Americans cannot emulate the Australian accent for sh**. A lot of Brits have trouble with it too. Pacific Rim is the most recent example of Aussie accent butchering from American/Brit actors. Then you have Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder and Natural Born Killers - absolutely horrible attempts at the Aussie accent (even though his acting is usually brilliant). Jude Law in Contagion - terrible. We do not sound like Englishmen who have spent a great portion of our lives in New Zealand and South Africa. Hollywood should hire real Australians for Australian parts.

[–] avnrulz 11 years ago

Actually, I don't, I was simply pointing out that it is done on both sides of the pond. If you want to hear a really bad Aussie accent, watch James Coburn in 'The Great Escape.'

Ironically, an American actor couldn't get work until he passed himself off as an Aussie; unfortunately, he committed suicide in the end when he career didn't carry over from JAG and people found out he wasn't truly Australian.

BTW, I have family in Perth, been there and Freemantle, and enjoy a lot of the movies from Australia, and the 'Underbelly' series; Kasey Chambers rocks, but I wonder about her choice in men! LOL

BOHICA America!