Independent French Romance Films

Do Americans and other Europeans watch Italian and/or French movies?

I don't know about what Europeans watch.Most Americans do not watch French and/or Italian films.  Very few are even shown in most American theaters (some are shown in "Arthouse" theaters). I think there is, however, a significant number of movie enthusiasts who do, and they can watch these movies online on, for example, Netflix.  Also, once a movie wins an award, naturally, more people tend to watch it, especially an Academy Award.  For example, Brie Larson won best actress for "Room" this year, and I'm sure it's prompting people to take a look.I know "Room" is Irish, but it is an example of a foreign film that is garnering attention.Horror enthusiasts are particularly interested in the French "New Wave" of horror (e.g. "Frontiers.")I like movies that explore different topics and push boundaries.   I am tired of the steady American theater diet of superheroes and robots blowing things up, and sequel after sequel of whatever worked the first time they did it.So, in order to do so, I watch a lot of American independent films and a lot of foreign films, including French and Italian (but more French movies seem to be available and of interest to me).

What are the major differences between European and American cinema?

The main difference, when referring to the ‘studio’ system of American cinema, vs. European cinema are many and varied. I point out the studio system, because the American ‘indie’ film scene is very large and successful, and often has many auteur directors with what we refer to as having European sensibilities.With that said, the main differences between The American Studio System and European Cinema are as follows;American cinema generally has big action, and typically CUTS on action.European films—particularly ‘French’ films, have less action, and more drama, more dialogue, and typically do NOT cut on action.Studio System films tend to have bigger budgets, big special effects, more fx make up, and major, world famous blockbuster stars. European films are often lower budget, have less special effects, less fx make up, and often have no major stars, or stars that are only well known in their specific country of origin.European films often are slower paced, focused more on dialogue rather than big action, and often reference philosophy, fine art, poetry, culture, or political theory more, whereas American film does this far less.European cinema is often influenced heavily by German Expressionism and the French New Wave, whereas The Studio Systems’ proclivities in regard to these aesthetic choices often fall in to the more obscure genre category of what is referred to as Films Noir.European films also tend to have more sensuality and nudity (particularly French and Sweedish), yet not as a device for shock, but art and aesthetics, whereas Studio System films tend to have sex and nudity more for shocking or gratuitous reasons.Without expounding further due to lack of time, these are some of the basic differences. To learn more, simply find out yourself by watching and observing films from both areas, and be sure to check out some of my favorite European auteur directors if you have not, including; Jean Luc Godard, Francois Truffaut, Alain Resnais, Krzysztof Kieślowski, and Federico Fellini, among many more.the Official Bruce Edwin WebsitePublisher, http://www.HollywoodSentinel.com

Why do they say "fin" and not "finish" at the end of some films? Where'd it come from?

“Fin” is French for “End”. The earliest motion pictures were French, and a few films from other countries during the next couple of decades used “Fin” in order to imitate them, it eventually became the standard custom for a while. Nowadays, it’s mostly done in order to sound retro, nostalgic, or deliberately dated (depending on the film), especially with films set in and around the era where use of the custom was most common.