Abstract:Movies are windows into culture and certainly mirror core values of both cultures within certain social background. Therefore movies seem to be a very effective tool for contrastive study of cultural differences. This paper observes and studies the variations of the differences in China-American values through a micro angle and within a social context—movies from China and America in the 1990s. The paper centers on four movies concerning three typical themes: family, hero and comedy. Then Sino-American cultural values are closely compared by analyzing the themes, plots and important characters in the movies. After that the paper sums up the major Sino-American value differences in the light of family values, collectivism and individualism and humor. Finally, the paper draws up the conclusion and points out the significance of the study which is believed to be meaningful in enhancing the understanding of cultural differences and facilitating cross-cultural activities.
Key words: China and America，movies of the 1990s，cultural values
摘要:电影能反映一个国家在特定历史时期下的文化价值观和社会现状，因此电影也成为了了解各国文化的有效途径。本文选取中美90年代电影这一微观角度和特定时代背景旨在探讨两国价值观趋向的差异。本文选取了四部中美电影《喜福会》、《花木兰》、《楚门的世界》以及《甲方乙方》，分别表现了家庭，英雄主义和喜剧三个主题，通过对比分析电影主题，情节和主人公命运，总结出中美两国家庭价值观、伦理观（集体主义和个人主义）以及喜剧类型的不同内涵。最后，论文得出结论并指出本论文研究的成果在增强两国文化间的沟通和理解，和推动跨文化交流方面有一定的促进作用。
关键词：中国和美国；90年代电影；文化价值观
