--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While 'Babel' is a foreign-language film…" description: "\"While 'Babel' is a foreign-language film in some countries, in others, it is a local film.\" — Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_cinema_while-babel-is-a-foreign-language-film-i_1598624.jpg" --- # While 'Babel' is a foreign-language film in some… ![“While 'Babel' is a foreign-language film in some countries, in others, it is a local film.” quote by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_cinema_while-babel-is-a-foreign-language-film-i_1598624.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_cinema_while-babel-is-a-foreign-language-film-i_1598624.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_cinema_while-babel-is-a-foreign-language-film-i_1598624.jpg) > “While 'Babel' is a foreign-language film in some countries, in others, it is a local film.” [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cultural perception varies; a work can be foreign in one place and familiar in another. **In simple terms:** Culture changes how we see art. Key Takeaway Recognize diverse perspectives. Themes culture perception globalization Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - film festivals - international marketing - education curricula Key Concepts relativism media studies Questions to Reflect On - How does your background shape your view? - Can you find common ground across cultures? A Different Perspective Universal themes may still be lost in translation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Babel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/babel/) [Babel Foreign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/babel-foreign-6075137/) [Cinema](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cinema/) [Countries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countries/) [Countries Local](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/countries-local-6075138/) [Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/film/) [Language Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-film-1123806/) [Local](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/local/) [Local Film](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/local-film-1648358/) [Others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/others/) [Some](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/some/) [While](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/while/) ## Related quotes > [But you can still find good films if you read your local film critics and are willing to drive a bit. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hunter/but-you-can-still-find-good-films-if-you-read-your-local-film-critics/) [Stephen Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hunter/) > [When you do a film in a foreign language, you know there's a cost in it, that you know, unfortunately, the audiences of foreign…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/when-you-do-a-film-in-a-foreign-language-you-know-there-s-a-cost-in/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Films like 'Babel' can transcend the one point-of-view formula that has reigned for so long.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/films-like-babel-can-transcend-the-one-point-of-view-formula-that-has/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > ['Babel' is about the point of view of others. It literally includes points of views as experienced from the other side. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/babel-is-about-the-point-of-view-of-others-it-literally-includes/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [If you take 2001: A Space Odyssey as an example of somebody who creates a new language in film by what he was able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-modine/if-you-take-2001-a-space-odyssey-as-an-example-of-somebody-who/) [Matthew Modine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-modine/) > [Imagine, there is almost no possibility for a foreign language film to be distributed in America right now. That doesn't just make the industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/imagine-there-is-almost-no-possibility-for-a-foreign-language-film-to/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [Extending the language of film sometimes starts with just trying to show one true thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-fuller/extending-the-language-of-film-sometimes-starts-with-just-trying-to/) [Samuel Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-fuller/) > [I definitely have moments in my life where I discovered a film, and the language of the film itself spoke to me in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bennett-miller/i-definitely-have-moments-in-my-life-where-i-discovered-a-film-and/) [Bennett Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bennett-miller/) > [If the entire product is good, then no matter what the language of the film is, people will love it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prosenjit-chatterjee/if-the-entire-product-is-good-then-no-matter-what-the-language-of-the/) [Prosenjit Chatterjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prosenjit-chatterjee/) > [I like language, and in film, language is diluted by the visuals and the music. Theatre is what I was trained for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-fiennes/i-like-language-and-in-film-language-is-diluted-by-the-visuals-and/) [Joseph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-fiennes/) > [Film scripts are more important for me than the language of the film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/atul-kulkarni/film-scripts-are-more-important-for-me-than-the-language-of-the-film/) [Atul Kulkarni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/atul-kulkarni/) > ['Minari' was only eligible for the best foreign language film category due to the HFPA rules on language, so the film was submitted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-isaac-chung/minari-was-only-eligible-for-the-best-foreign-language-film-category/) [Lee Isaac Chung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-isaac-chung/) > [On stage, you're not limited at all because you're free in language: language is the source of the imagination. You can travel farther in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-shepard/on-stage-you-re-not-limited-at-all-because-you-re-free-in-language/) [Sam Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-shepard/) > [I see my role as a translator, telling the story that's in the book using the more visual language of film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goldman/i-see-my-role-as-a-translator-telling-the-story-that-s-in-the-book/) [Jane Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goldman/) > [The language of film is further and further away from the language of theater, and is closer to music. It’s abstract but still narrative.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-lubezki/the-language-of-film-is-further-and-further-away-from-the-language-of/) [Emmanuel Lubezki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-lubezki/) ## More by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [My mom had very low expectations for me, and she really had a point. I was a big problem at seventeen. If I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/my-mom-had-very-low-expectations-for-me-and-she-really-had-a-point-i/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Life and death are illusions. We are in a constant state of transformation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/life-and-death-are-illusions-we-are-in-a-constant-state-of/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I think the most experimental way to a film is to tell the story the traditional way, because everyone is doing the other thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-think-the-most-experimental-way-to-a-film-is-to-tell-the-story-the/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [Time starts out as a notion. But after you turn fifty, time is not a notion anymore but a fact that you start feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/time-starts-out-as-a-notion-but-after-you-turn-fifty-time-is-not-a/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I think bad movies are made around the world, not just in Hollywood. There are as many bad art films in the whole world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-think-bad-movies-are-made-around-the-world-not-just-in-hollywood/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [ How can \[actors\] learn their lines and be honest in front of 30 people and all the lights? It makes me cry sometimes. I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/how-can-actors-learn-their-lines-and-be-honest-in-front-of-30-people/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I love the three-act theory. It works and works beautifully. But you don't necessarily have to structure a story that way: Cortazar and Borges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-love-the-three-act-theory-it-works-and-works-beautifully-but-you/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [3D is the way we experience life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/3d-is-the-way-we-experience-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I made commercials for corporations like Volkswagen and Coca-Cola, but I was always the one to write them, too, which was a very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-made-commercials-for-corporations-like-volkswagen-and-coca-cola-but/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I like to make films, but the only reason I do is because I'm a very bad musician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-like-to-make-films-but-the-only-reason-i-do-is-because-i-m-a-very/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [It's very healthy to be aware of your ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/it-s-very-healthy-to-be-aware-of-your-ego/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [I personally can't handle frivolous violence. I overreact to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-personally-can-t-handle-frivolous-violence-i-overreact-to-it/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [ I saw what I could \[in Mexico City\], but we rarely got anything other than big, mainstream American films. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-saw-what-i-could-in-mexico-city-but-we-rarely-got-anything-other/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [For the actors, the talent is to serve the demands that I ask of them, to do it with naturality and truth, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/for-the-actors-the-talent-is-to-serve-the-demands-that-i-ask-of-them/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) [Explore all 262 Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) ## More Babel quotes > [How will the Tower of Babel be undone? How will we understand each other in Heaven? Will we all speak English or Dutch or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/how-will-the-tower-of-babel-be-undone-how-will-we-understand-each/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [“Our modern era embodies both the Tower of Babel and Pentecost simultaneously. Like Babel, globalization and technological advancement have created linguistic and cultural fragmentation……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paule-patterson/our-modern-era-embodies-both-the-tower-of-babel-and-pentecost/) [Paule Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paule-patterson/) > [“An attempt to wrest from God the prerogatives of absolute freedom and infinity leads to the inversion of Pentecost and what is in effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-e-gunton/an-attempt-to-wrest-from-god-the-prerogatives-of-absolute-freedom-and/) [Colin E. Gunton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-e-gunton/) > [The students often like to talk about movies that they feel are Orientalist like 300 or Babel. They talk a lot about the possibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammad-marandi/the-students-often-like-to-talk-about-movies-that-they-feel-are/) [Mohammad Marandi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammad-marandi/) > [I firmly believe this ... that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the builders of Babel:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/i-firmly-believe-this-that-without-his-concurring-aid-we-shall/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [“The particular myth that's been organizing this talk, and in a way the whole series, is the story of the Tower of Babel in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/the-particular-myth-that-s-been-organizing-this-talk-and-in-a-way-the/) [Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/) > ["I refuse to prove that I exist" says God, "for proof denies faith, and without faith, I am nothing." "Oh," says man, "but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-refuse-to-prove-that-i-exist-says-god-for-proof-denies-faith-and/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [As a system of philosophy it is not like the Tower of Babel, so daring its high aim as to seek a shelter against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-sedgwick/as-a-system-of-philosophy-it-is-not-like-the-tower-of-babel-so-daring/) [Adam Sedgwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-sedgwick/) > [ What \[Franz\] Kafka says about the Tower of Babel: In the beginning there were actually many languages, and then as a punishment God gave… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/what-franz-kafka-says-about-the-tower-of-babel-in-the-beginning-there/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“The Babel fish is small, yellow and leech-like, and probably the oddest thing in the Universe. It feeds on brainwave energy received not from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/the-babel-fish-is-small-yellow-and-leech-like-and-probably-the-oddest/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > ['Babel' is about the point of view of others. It literally includes points of views as experienced from the other side. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/babel-is-about-the-point-of-view-of-others-it-literally-includes/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“In those days the world teemed, the people multiplied, the world bellowed like a wild bull, and the great god was aroused by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-those-days-the-world-teemed-the-people-multiplied-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Literatura e un Turn Babel de hartie;fiecare carte o treapta,fiecare biblioteca un etaj.Numai ca literatura are o tinta mai modesta,dar si mai dificila:sa ajunga…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-plesu/literatura-e-un-turn-babel-de-hartie-fiecare-carte-o-treapta-fiecare/) [Andrei Pleşu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrei-plesu/) > [“Transhumanism encapsulates a long-lived error among the headliners of science: in a world without a destination, we cannot even break ground on our Tower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/transhumanism-encapsulates-a-long-lived-error-among-the-headliners-of/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [But all this language gotten, and augmented by Adam and his posterity, was again lost at the tower of Babel , when by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/but-all-this-language-gotten-and-augmented-by-adam-and-his-posterity/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) [Browse all 60 Babel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/babel/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "While 'Babel' is a foreign-language film in some countries, in others, it is a local film.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/while-babel-is-a-foreign-language-film-in-some-countries-in-others-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Babel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/while-babel-is-a-foreign-language-film-in-some-countries-in-others-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_cinema_while-babel-is-a-foreign-language-film-i_1598624.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_cinema_while-babel-is-a-foreign-language-film-i_1598624.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cd5/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu-12_cinema_while-babel-is-a-foreign-language-film-i_1598624.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“While 'Babel' is a foreign-language film in some countries, in others, it is a local film.” — Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "While 'Babel' is a foreign-language film...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/while-babel-is-a-foreign-language-film-in-some-countries-in-others-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/while-babel-is-a-foreign-language-film-in-some-countries-in-others-it/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```