Westernization and modernization

J.Y.Lee has a rather interesting view on the marketing mechanism shared by Korean films, particularly by the blockbusters.

“The industry practice that combines blockbuster movie production with multiplex cinema exhibition is not a uniquely Korean or de-Westernized one. Neither does it work solely in the interests of the domestic film industry Building and extending multiplex chains internationally is one means by which Hollywood secures international revenue: in the 1990s, for example, the US film industry expanded its international market by building multiplex cinemas in European countries in an attempt to boost revenue streams in the face of falling domestic theatrical admissions.'*' In this respect, the contemporary exhibition environment centered on multiplex cinema chains is one outcome of the South Korean film industry's localization of Hollywood's global distribution practices.”

I have a rather different stance on this issue: surely multiplex cinema and blockbuster have a correlational relation as the special techniques employed in the blockbusters are best exhibited in modern cinemas. However, it does not mean that adopting such practice is the embrace of westernization per se, because this marketing technique is purely based on the promise of modernization – evidently, modernization and westernization are not the same thing.

When westernization more focuses on the political/cultural influence, modernization has a profound preference of maximum profit with minimum human input .  It does not mean, surely, that they are exclusive in nature– on the contrary, they mutually facilitate the pace of each other. However, back to the marketing of Korean films, building such advanced cinema chains do not necessarily hinder the intention( if there is any) of de-Westernization – it only fastens the speed of mass distribution and content means little. For example, publishing houses, national banks, multi-national co-operations all have been graduating adopting a “global distribution practice” yet if they had developed in such a scale that every street of the world would have a franchise, say Kimchi House, wouldn’t some people claim it is a de-westernization manifestation as well?

Therefore, promoting/practicing modernization does not equal to  pro-westernization; also, if anything, Hollywood can not be treated as the Western civilizations/values are all about.