Sigh - Does it have subtitles?

A tale of Distributors, Foreign Film and Sophia Loren's boobies in this article in Salon... While there are worse power struggles in the world, I think we should all realize how much power distributors hold...
It still amazes me that people can't get past the FORIEGN = OTHER = BAD paradigm. How frekkin 1950's can you be, Jack Valenti???
I recall meeting the director Alex Cox and how he explained how he got railroaded by the distributors for his film Highway Patrolman. Because it was a) entirely in Spanish b) filmed with unknowns and c) took place in Mexico (all of this a decade before Amores Perros finally broke the barrier)...
However - maybe distributors are just the voice of the complacent middle American public - the megaplex goers who think Soderbergh is difficult. Another amusing anecdote relayed by a coworker who lived in nameless-southern state: apparently, mainstream theaters had to publish in bold print that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon does contain subtitles and you will be required to read".
While we continue to hold onto our prejudices, I can only feel bad for poor Sophia who bared it all... (she looks great, btw!)

"In many ways, we are viewed as the rich guy living on the hill"

Hmmm... Interesting, this article.
I can't help but think this something that is always felt by someone at a party, but you're not quite sure -- am I uncouth, uncultured, loud, bourgoise? Or am I indeed adored? America and it's vanities... I think we're always asking people from other countries what they think of us. We know our limits, but we also know our compassion... but we never are told them to our face. We're the rich guy living on the hill. No one would dare say something... Perhaps we're the rich guy on the hill - Of rich guys on the hill - perhaps we're kind of like a shade paler of Jay Gatsby (we can't all look like Robert Redford), but we're a shade nicer than Tony Soprano (sometimes - depending on what our foriegn policy is)...
But America is never about asking how we look. We're over that. We know we look good. We've got money. We've got talent. We're gonna be somebody. Oh - we already are somebody? Why thank you, you are too kind! Who are you, again?