Essay Let's go to the movies! By Kip Cates	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
外国に行ったら映画を見に行こう！ 初めての国を訪れる際、筆者は必ず映画を見に行くという。なぜなら映画館は、その国の文化の一面を垣間見せてくれる場所だからである。さて、世界各国を旅した筆者が、最も面白かったと思う映画館の一つがどの国にあるのかというと・・・

Whenever I visit a new country, I always go to a movie theater. Watching a film in a foreign country can teach you a lot about the people, their culture and customs. Just as interesting as the films, however, are the movie theaters themselves.

Now, you'd think that movie theaters around the world would all be the same. After all, going to the movies involves the same basic process: You choose a movie, purchase a ticket, buy some popcorn, then sit down and watch the film. Surprisingly, however, movie-going can be quite different depending on the country.

I grew up in North America in the 1960s. That was the golden age of drive-in movies. The United States alone had over 4,000 drive-in theaters. To see a film, people drove to the theater, parked in front of a giant outdoor screen, then enjoyed the movie from the comfort of their cars.

I still remember my first movie theater in England. I was settled in my seat waiting for the film to start when suddenly everybody stood up. "What's going on?" I wondered. I soon found out when everyone started singing God Save the Queen. At that time, it was a custom to play the national anthem in British cinemas, something we never did in Canada. This is still done in countries such as Thailand and the Philippines.

Seeing a movie in the Middle East can also be interesting. In many countries, mixing of the sexes is a cultural taboo. In some Islamic nations, the theater is divided into three sections: one for single women, one for families and one for single men. This gender segregation can be quite strict. Qatar even has a women-only movie theater!

India is famous for Bollywood movies with their colorful costumes, romantic stories and energetic dancing. Indian movie theaters are also quite unique. I once went to see a movie in Madras. The summer heat was unbearable so it was a relief to come into the cool lobby of the theater. In the corner, I saw a glass case full of trophies. It turned out they were trophies for "best air-conditioned movie theater"!

One of my most interesting movie experiences was in Taiwan back in the 1980s. I was in a theater full of Taiwanese people watching a Chinese drama. Suddenly, in the middle of the movie, a loud "cock-a-doodle-doo" rang out from the row in front. Everyone laughed! It seems a local farmer had brought a rooster into the theater and wanted to see a movie before heading back to the countryside.

If you have a chance to travel, make sure to see a movie in the countries you visit. I'm sure you'll learn something interesting about the people and their culture!

Shukan ST: MARCH 2, 2012

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