Posted on 11/16/2006 11:36:37 AM PST by SirJohnBarleycorn
In his only interview as himself, Sacha Baron Cohen talks about growing up kosher in London, inventing a new kind of comedy with Ali G and conquering Hollywood with Borat
(snip)
Since reaching star status in Britain in 1998 with his other alter ego, the wangsta jester Ali G, Baron Cohen has never done an interview in his home country as himself and has never done an interview this extensive anywhere.
(snip)
When Baron Cohen first heard that the Kazakh government was thinking of suing him and placing a full-page ad promoting the country in The New York Times, he was editing his movie in Los Angeles. His reaction: "I was surprised, because I always had faith in the audience that they would realize that this was a fictitious country and the mere purpose of it was to allow people to bring out their own prejudices. And the reason we chose Kazakhstan was because it was a country that no one had heard anything about, so we could essentially play on stereotypes they might have about this ex-Soviet backwater. The joke is not on Kazakhstan. I think the joke is on people who can believe that the Kazakhstan that I describe can exist --who believe that there's a country where homosexuals wear blue hats and the women live in cages and they drink fermented horse urine and the age of consent has been raised to nine years old."
In actuality, it turns out that Borat is a far more damning critique of America than it is of Kazakhstan. The jokes that Baron Cohen mentions above -- and all the rest about beating gypsies, throwing Jews down wells, exporting pubic hair and making monkey porn -- are clearly parody. But the America that Borat discovers on his cross-country trek here -- rife with homophobia, xenophobia, racism, classism and anti-Semitism -- is all too real.
"I think part of the movie shows the absurdity of holding any form of racial prejudice, whether it's hatred of African-Americans or of Jews," Baron Cohen says.
(snip)
It soon becomes clear that he is not merely curious or vegetarian or allergic to peanuts. He keeps kosher and is making sure that there is no shellfish, pork or other forbidden food or food combination in the dish. A devout Jew, Baron Cohen also keeps the Sabbath when he can, which means that he doesn't work from Friday evening to Saturday evening.
I discovered him on TV and LOVE him in his 3 characters. He is side-splittingly funny.
Oh please- he's mocked women and lefties too.
I realize that the persons' behavior with Cohen are open to interpretation. But what is most often related in reviews of this latest film: It is a window into the persons' real personalities. Their prejudices, flaws, etc.
I can't help but think that this may be something of a backdoor documentary.
I'de laugh my head off .
You might have it cut off though. Civil words, civil words.
I think you give him credit for about 11 jokes too many :)
Sorry my rudeness.
No, HE, Cohen would have HIS head cut off- else kneel five time east every day.
I am American. I saw Borat. I thought it was very funny.
No, my friend.
We here in the UK have had all our stereotypes 'done' by Ali G years ago, using just the same techniques.
A confident people can take a joke at their own expense...
If I had a dollar for every crack on FR about Englishmen's bad teeth... :-)
Pam was a good sport to go along with it. Gave a very convincing performance!
Really, can't we just judge a movie for what it is (i.e. a comedy), instead of having to analyse whether it conforms to a correct conservative worldview? Otherwise we're just indulging in a right wing version of PC.
Is that his way of apologizing? Regardless, he delights in acting like a foolish s.o.b., then declaring those around him to be apologists and closet anti-semites because they don't punch him in the face (in a public bar in Tuscon, Arizona). Therefore, he concludes woefully, the people are either anti-semites themselves or "indifferent to anti-semitism." Just utter tripe.
I don't have a wedding sack, but I got one of these!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270056355191&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:11
"Imagine the sheer delight!"
uggghh
LOL! I know this is old but do you realize you wrote that to a European?
Not of all us are arrogant bastards.
Off course, I am an arrogant bastard, but legends tells of some people that are not :-)
That said, the blatant blant anti-Europeanism that seems to have an ever increasing influence on freerepuclic is regrettable.
You see the same thing in Europe. That is, blanket anti-American bigotry seems to be on the increase. The fronts are hardening within Europe. Between those that want a united Western Civ fighting this barbarian scourge, and between those who consider the West in general and American in particular to BE the barbarian threat.
Europe is worth preserving. Who knows? Western Civiliazation as we know it might not even survice without its Europen birthplace.
My wish is that Europeans and Americans of good will unite to face this common threat against civilization, our way of life, and our very existance.
Cheers.
So are you, if you use "imminently" when you mean "eminently"
Does Borat ever "send up" Jews - - or is his whole "schtick" an attempt to mock hapless gentiles as "antisemites"? That's what it looks like to me (Krauthammer made the same observation in a column): Borat is going around trying to goad American gentiles into laughing at his anti-semitic comments, so he can put them on film and say, "see, Americans are antisemites!" If he looked hard enough, he could probably find some Jews who would laugh at anti-Christian comments, but he doesn't do that. He only tries to make gentiles look like bigots.
I heard excerpts of Cohen being himself on the radio last week. His British accent is so thick I could hardly understand him. Amazing that he can so completely remove himself from that. Same with Hugh Laurie of the TV show "House". You'd never know he was a Brit with a thick British accent on that show.
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