It's tempting to think that you could go to a cinema anywhere in the world and be presented with the same choices, whether at a multiplex in Malaysia or an art house in America. Such is the reach and influences of US pop culture and the power of Hollywood over the medium of film, and of our imaginations. In fact nothing could be further from the truth, as almost every country has its own individual film culture, from the grimy Guy Ritchie crime flicks in Britain to the gaudy musicals of Bollywood to whatever A Serbian Film is supposed to be. That's not to say that American films don't still dominate screens across the globe, mind, or that the cinematic output of other countries gets ignored by tinsel town. In fact it's becoming more and more of a big deal as Hollywood realises that a good 70% of studio revenue comes from foreign markets. We're at a point now where movies are expressly changed for release in other countries, editing the films in question and tailoring them to different audiences. It's a big thing now, sure, but it's also nothing new. Since the early days of cinema foreign distributors have been getting their hands on the rights to films and chopping them up to make them more palatable for their local viewers, sometimes changing the films beyond all recognition. These are just ten examples of films that were totally changed for foreign markets - whether it's for language, censorship, or less naked Will Ferrell.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
