I love some Helen Mirren, but the bitch says dumb sh-t all the time. If you ever want to hear someone you admire say something really stupid, just ask Dame Helen about hookers, nursing or rape. So, with that in mind, Dame Helen has decided to give her views on humor – specifically, how much she hates “British humor”. Basically, Helen hates her own country’s particular brand of humor, which she calls “harsher, more scathing, more cruel and more surreal”. She said this all to a French publication, probably not thinking that it would be picked up by the British press, who likely want her head at this very moment.
The actress told a French magazine that the tradition of British decency is in decline.
“I’m under the impression that this notion is disappearing from our society, where conflicts are made worse on cinema and on television, where people are nasty and cruel on the internet and where, in general terms, everybody seems to me to be very angry.
“This causes me a lot of pain,” she said.
She singled out British comedy as an example. “I prefer the finesse of French humour. English humour is harsher, more scathing, more cruel and more surreal too, as illustrated by Monty Python and the TV series Little Britain, where situations are far-fetched and over-the-top.”
The 65-year-old actress, who won an Oscar for her role in The Queen, said her home country had become too Americanised.
“England is constantly threatened by a savage assimilation. This isn’t the case with France which remains furiously protective of its culture.”
Dame Helen lives in Los Angeles with her American husband, Taylor Hackford.
Asked if she took an active interest in British politics, she replied: “Less and less. I see the wheel turn and turn without essential change. I don’t see myself as a political person but above all as a humanist, and I have the same positive attitude towards the future as my parents did. But the violence of the past can return, and I fear it.”
A love for the French way of life goes back to Dame Helen’s teens. She told Paris Match magazine: “I read Rimbaud and Verlaine, whom I found extremely romantic. I smoked Gitanes to appear cool, and I dreamed of being French. But not just any French woman – I wanted to be an elegant bourgeoisie or an artist just like Juliette Greco.
“From the age of 15, I desperately wanted to be Brigitte Bardot and to go and live in St Tropez. But I was just a small and plump English girl with spots. Then I had a French boyfriend called Jean-Louis with whom I’m still friends.”
[From The Telegraph]
Granted, I’m an American who likes British humor as an outsider looking in – Helen probably has to deal with “British humor” in a whole different way. Also: I really think Helen was trying to suck up to the French, and didn’t think her comments would be picked up. She thought she was gossiping behind Britain’s back. But… is Helen right? Is “British humor” getting more scatological, eccentric, cruel and nasty? Or does Helen just not get it? Or is she just tired of being the butt of so many jokes after she says crazy sh-t?
Ok, so is this the same Helen Mirren who doesn’t like women or am I thinking of someone else. Because if this is the one who made nasty comments about women as friends then I don’t think anyone would be surprised by this.
British humor can definitely be cruel and scathing. As an American living in England I’ve been offended on many occasions when the Brit was just ‘taking the piss.’ I get it now, but it’s not the same British humor that we see on American television.
@ Po – well, women DO make nasty friends, to be honest.
So Helen was Carrie Mulligan’s character in “An Education”?
Something new and different. According to Helen, it’s all America’s fault.
Such a mindblowing absence of logic. So France is great because it clings to it’s traditional culture.
But, Helen is undoubtably among the elitists who support every multi-culti scheme that the progressive, social engineering class foists upon the great unwashed masses.
I know nothing about French humor but I’ll agree with her on the British humor thing. Didn’t find it cruel, just not very funny. Bring out yer dead…bring out yer dead… Yep, never got any of that.
Yep, British humour is usually dry and slightly more acerbic, but scatological? On behalf of my countrymen, I think not.
Helen Mirren, like David Beckham is appealing, when silent.
I have to disagree with you Kaiser, I never liked HM, and her attitude and comments just make it worse. How could she not think that this wouldn’t be picked up by the Brits?
As an American, I will be re-watching the best of Michael Palin tonight.
Too Americanized? Um, Monty Python isn’t exactly recent. Little Britain basically flopped in the US because that kind of satire and cultural lampooning doesn’t transfer to the land of PC. Just ask Borat, if he’s settled all those lawsuits that came about in his cultural learnings in America.
Rasputin, I’m going to have to respectfully disagree with you on that comment. Women don’t make nasty friends, nasty people make nasty friends. It doesn’t matter if you come built with a vagina or a penis. An a**hole is an a**hole.
I like her acting, but have often thought Helen needs to learn to keep her mouth shut.
She must’ve known her comments were going to be picked up. The English press finds out everything. It’s like the saying, “If you want to know what’s going on in your own country, ask the BBC.”
The British definitely have a more “tits and bum”, off-the-wall mentality when it comes to a national sense of humour. Besides Monty Python, remember Benny Hill? The Two Ronnies? On the Buses? So, disagreeing with HM, I don’t think it’s a case of the British becoming Americanized at all. Having spent a lot of time in the UK though, they do have a cruel way of being funny, and although they don’t do it intentionally, it comes off as mean-spirited if you’re not used to it. To them it’s just ‘taking the piss’ or ‘taking the mickey’ out of someone but it took a bit of getting used to.
@Stronzilla: Little Britain flopped here because no one here could really understand it. American PC I don’t think had much to do with it, and British press had problems with it too. And MP is hardly comparable to Borat.
i’m french and we like the jokes about sex! 😀
@Oi: but that’s kind of my point. Little Britain revolves around these two guys and their decidedly unPC satire of just about every British stereo-type there is, as well as many other multicultural stereo-types found in Britain today. It was such a hit in the UK that they tried to transfer the format to the US, without success, because that type of humor just doesn’t fly in America. Americans have never liked a laugh at the expense of putting down someone else or because of a slur, whether it be racist, cultural or sexual, and that says a lot for the US. You’re right, there is no comparision to MP. Or the original SNL for that matter.
British humour can be cruel but that’s what makes it so bloody funny!!! And it’s not all cruel, some of it is boring.
I find a lot of european humour (not that I find a lot of it) to be a little on the cheesy side.
I love Little Britain, even if some makes me cringe while I laugh. I think it comes from a very clever place which I think is why it flopped here. I don’t think “Americans have never liked a laugh at the expense of putting down someone else or because of a slur, whether it be racist, cultural or sexual, and that says a lot for the US.” is true at all. Brit comics say what a lot of people privately think, main-stream US comedy is too scared to do that. A lot of American comedy is safe and boring.
Silly mare. Has she read Voltaire?
British humour is heavily satirical; we don’t mind pointing out our own flaws and laughing at them. Elitist snobs like her always find something to whinge about.
I think she’s kind of right. Have any of you Americans ever seen Little Britain? It’s incredibly mean-hearted. Same with Borat and Bruno. Millennium humor, deffo v. different from Monty Python and Fawlty Towers and even Ab Fab. Then there’s cheesy dancehall humor of the kind you’ll see on variety programs on Saturday night. That’s more Benny Hill type stuff, but to my eyes and ears, not very funny either. French humor can be cheesy and slapstick, but it too can be cruel – that’s where she’s not accurate, in my opinion.
I love British humour although I do find Little Britain a little over the top at times. But I’ll take Ab Fab and the original version of The Office over most American sitcoms any day of the week.
As for the French they have great romantic and esoteric films but as for their humour I am not familiar with it but isn’t Jerry Lewis one of their favorite American performers???
Oh one exception is a great french film called Mamma there’s a man in your bed its really over-the-top hilarious.
In defense of a particularly boorish brand of British humor, I think those old Benny Hill TV shows were hilarious!
In defense of a particularly boorish brand of British humor, those old Benny Hill TV shows were hilarious!
In fairness, French comedy films are usually way funnier than British ones. Of course I’m “undoubtably among the elitists who support every multi-culti scheme that the progressive, social engineering class foists upon the great unwashed masses.” 😉
Although the “Taxi” films were pretty bawdy. And not very PC. Hilarious though. “Niiiiinjaaaaaa” 😆
I’ve never watched a French comedy series, but the British ones can be very broad or very challenging. I dunno about scatalogical though – mind you, there was that one scene with Bernard and the toilet in “Black Books”.
Nevermind Little Britain – do some research on “Brass Eye”, that is the ultimate in challenging British satire. Everyone should watch “Paedogeddon” at least once.
ITA with Helen Mirren re: British humour. Now, it’s my favourite kind of humour, in that it makes me laugh the most but it’s also true that no one does cruel laughs like the Brits. I lived there for 3+ years and have spent loads of time there throughout my life and it STILL takes some getting used to whenever I’m there – that piss-taking culture. You have to grow a thicker skin.
Also this?
“do some research on “Brass Eye”, that is the ultimate in challenging British satire. Everyone should watch “Paedogeddon” at least once.”
is 100% correct!
the french love jerry lewis.
’nuff said!
in america were too afraid of upsetting someone, getting sued.
there is plenty of racist/un-pc humor in america. like chapelle show.
Why would she think she was “going behind Britain’s back” with her comments? That makes no sense. She’s obviously aware of the way information is disseminated in today’s virtual world.
Or why would saying she prefers French humour be “sucking up” to the French? That’s really ridiculous. So she tells a French publication stuff she loves about France, big deal. Being complimentary isn’t “sucking up” if you’re being sincere. It’s making polite conversation and building rapport with an audience. Savvy.
She is right that Brit humour is very, very cutting. It can get downright mean (and forget about “PC”). She is also right that things have become much less polite and classy (look at Brit reality shows/tabloid culture, and look at any comment section on the internet on any subject! Vicious!! [this, however, goes beyond Britain, it’s all over the www]) .
I’m pretty sure she’s allowed to prefer one brand of humour to another without it suddenly reflecting on her intelligence.
I would give almost anything to actually work on a set with this woman. I adore her.
I totally agree with Helen. I am an Indian aristocrat living in London and hate it now – I do not like UK as a country at all. The British “class” politeness, manners and sophistication are all gone. Modern Brits are a Vulgar Americanized version who hate every foreigner – rich or poor… they are racist to the core and angry, hateful, miserable people in their own lives. I too love France and will be making a move very soon to live in Paris and the south of France where people are still well behaved, decent and civilized. At least the French are not so angry and hateful no wonder France has the lowest rate of crime in Europe while UK has the highest.
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