The image of Arabs on the West Screen: the wealthy, and the dancers, bombs and bombers

The image of Arabs on the West Screen: the wealthy, and the dancers, bombs and bombers

A new Moroccan film a lot of controversy after choosing skin eggs representatives to embody 

Egyptian figures. Press Arwa Haider dealing with the way the Arabs portray on the screen in the Western drama.

When broadcast the film propaganda short of the new action epic "Gdz Of IGBT" (the gods of Egypt), summoned the angry reaction by the viewers an apology by the company produced "Lions Gate", and director Alex Buyas, having been assigned the roles of the Egyptian characters in the whole movie almost exclusively representatives skinned whites.

This became the latest action film has courted controversy for those who support it change the ethnic character of his characters, through assigned to representatives of other ethnic origin. This came in a month in which the various communication and media interest in the controversy about the ethnic diversity of the candidates to win Oscars.

While the omission of the existence of black actors and directors seem the skin at the awards ceremony, provided by the Academy of Sciences of American cinema and the arts, it is unfair incredibly, there are "minorities" Others still suffer from marginalization in the world of celebrities and lights.

With the tyranny of the situation in the Middle East in the international arena news, there seemed to be a trend in the last period to address Arab issues in the Western business, whether it be through films achieved great success, such as "American Sniper" (US sniper), which was nominated for several awards Oscar 2015, or an American television series such as radiant and attractive "Taarant" (tyrant) who speaks for tyrannical dynasty in one of the fictional Arab countries.

(Will present the third part of this work this year, which is produced by the same company producing the series Homeland, or 'homeland').

In fact, this trend is only attached to patients has become obsolete: Since the earliest days for "Hollywood", depicts the Arabs on cinema and television screens in the West on the figures they give rise to fear, or holiness are excessive and irrational.

Even the silent film is still able to "talked" at length about it, the beginning of the deadly gravity that has taken on the character actress Theodoja Barr Goodman (which was named artistic Theda Bara, who represents Latin letters rearrange to Mfirdta "Arab Death" (or Arab death) , leading to Rudolph Valentino, who personified the Orientalist fantasies in the film "the Sheik" (Sheikh) in 1921.

The emergence of speaking movies to install this stereotype virtually forever. In a book published in 1984 entitled "The Arabs on the TV screen," summarizes the author Jack Shaheen - the author of "bad Arabs on the movie screen: How Hollywood maim people" - prevailing image of Arabs on Western screens, as Thzarethm in the roles of "billionaires, dancers, bombers bombs. "

In the film and television business, which suffered in the atheist and the twentieth century, there is no Arab personalities still suffer from exclusion and harshly, although they are heavily in this business.

Unmasking

As an Iraqi girl by birth, grew up in Britain during the eighties and nineties of the last century, I was conscious of that bigotry which prevail in the popular culture to those around me, but I'm not sure the best way that I have to follow to deal with it.

I kept looking for figures represent me on the screens even in commercials (Once upon a time I felt full Baltmahe with the advertising slogan appeared in a TV ad for Turkish chocolates bearing the name "Trkic Delight", he would say that this product is "full of eastern promise"). I was a fan of films that achieve significant revenue, such as "Back To a Future" (Back to the Future); production in 1985.

But I felt confused and perplexed to see that "the Libyans" criminals heavily armed, who provoked panic in the heart of two of the action figures, they were screaming the words are not understood, and leads their representatives skin eggs, it seems even from South Asia, not from the Middle East.

But while it does not seem Arab men who embody their characters on the screen hooded, the assets of Arab women is almost there originally, they are Mkhvaat faces and silent; that is far removed cry from the gags are strong women, who Oarafhn family of my background.

So I did not find only identify with any "external or foreign," the on-screen characters, which includes the time it was all non-European characters, even if those figures were not from foreign backgrounds already.

In an article published by The New York Times in 2015 for the representative of the American and comedian Aziz Ansari under the title of "representation, race and Hollywood," recalled Ansari view of the film "Short Circuit 2" production in 1988, which featured one of the main characters personal Indian man (a scientist named Benjamin Garvey ), in the former it is the first film from the production of large film company.

And for me, like watching a small age, like me like Ansari, I was fascinated by this Indian hero, before you feel puzzled later, after learning that his role was assigned to the representative of white skin.

Exaggerating the figures

Meanwhile, filming continues exaggerated to the Arabs or put them in stereotypes: whether to show them in the form of elders; obsessed with sex, or wealthy because of oil, terrorists or fools. And it appeared in films such as "The Adventures of Indiana Jones," and "Harem," and "Jewel of the Nile" and "True Lies," as well as the comedy a little boring, "Abu Bride 2".

In the work of countless Hollywood films dealing with wars, Arabic characters appear as an easy target to fire weapons, which in particular highlights in a scene guaranteed by the movie "rules of engagement" of production in 2000, and the back of the crowd of Arabs - including women and children - kill shot by soldiers from the US Marines; enthusiastic about the insane.

The series "tyrant", all was set in a fictional Middle Eastern country, dubbed "Oboden." Although the major Arab figures in the work assigned to representatives skinned whites, the working group includes representatives from Arab backgrounds.

Among them; Egyptian actor / Sudanese Walid al-Qadi, who is considered the series "The tyrant is trying a marketing profile of the Middle East in the middle of America. You can go to say that whitens image of the Arab world. Of confusing and puzzling fact that there is very little of the roles performed by the with representatives of Arab descent. although he at the same time, it is certain that the successful offer is always the result of diversity in the stories. "

Among the participants in the series of "tyrant" Also, a British representative of Arab origin (coming soon will appear on the screens in the drama production of "BBC" called "night manager"). Representative meant called the Prince of Egypt (25 years) and his family's name refers to the Egyptian roots.

He does not care about this actor, who began his career in the youth theater, so much the question of the image of Arabs "that could not be identified" on the screen, because they are not performed with representatives of those assets or Arab cultural backgrounds.

The big chance and he came up through a meeting by chance with the famous late Egyptian actor Omar Sharif. Masri said that Sharif told him that he has to start his career from Egypt if it is to be respected Westerners.

Thus, the young actor got a major role in the Egyptian movie "Ramadan Mabrouk Abu El Alamein Hamouda" which was produced in 2008, which won him a prestigious film award.

Masri says: "I did not see myself ever different until I started to participate in the sessions that the selection of representatives of candidates which are to participate in an action."

Young actor was recently rejected a role in the "great movie" Hollywood production. According to his account, he was informed that the role will be available for personal remain silent - although it will appear throughout the event - before the outbreak of the same in the end. Masri says: "the midst of this area I'd never easy to earn money, but to go into a long journey."

Occur Kalmsrien

Walid judge agrees with the view that the roles available to Arab representatives are limited. Just happen to start his training on the dramatic representation after one week of September atheist / September 2001 attacks.

Egyptian actor / Sudanese and tells what happened to him at the time, saying: "There was a daredevil and a knee-jerk reaction to what is happening in the world. The Mlamehi formalism on the latest trend. Honestly; I have embodied all the terrorists patterns that can you Tejelhm., As well as the Arab Sufis' personal that the man who sees the desert fresh in his eyes. ' "

Ironically, the judge, who speaks fluent Arabic, he found who can tell him that he did not express an Arab enough, while recording a voice dialogue to do what, in one of the designated sessions, which usually take place after the end of filming.

Sometimes it occurs - and surprisingly - the subtle and ingenious transformations. Fmma Interestingly, one of the most positive images that have appeared so far on the screen, an Arab family an American contemporary, epitomized in the work belongs to the animation template.

In one series of seminars for the American cartoon "The Simpsons" (Simpson) family, which offered in 2008, befriends Bart, a boy from the Simpson family, at work, boy, a Jordanian named Bashir, and make fun of his father Homer fears that "terrorists have infiltrated into the neighborhood." .

between lines

It could be argued that the biggest success can be achieved when the Arab perception of the characters on the screen, which is dealing with the issues that the public can recognize the nature without trouble and a sense of being close to his life and details.

Among the interesting examples in this regard, the first film of the Egyptian writer and director Sally Welsh Husseini "brother devil" which was produced in 2013, and won a lot of awards, each of the Berlin Festival, and Sundance and (PF Which London).

The two dignitaries in the main work are the "Mo" and "rational"; Chaban to Ndnaan of Egyptian origin, which include the issues they face after they arrived at the age of puberty and adolescence, linked to gang issues, and masculine identity, as well as homosexuality.

Explains Husseini selected in this regard by saying that she is fed up of surface imaging and stereotypical caricature of the Arabs. She added: "One of my motivations to make a film 'My brother devil' represents in providing Arabs as people with complex and contradictory figures of multiple dimensions."

In any case, such a desire to make a creative change and the opportunity to represent the largest Arabic characters on the screen, fueling both those who are behind the camera or in front of them; either by directors and writers or by the representatives themselves.

Maybe this will be a gradual process, but even major film production companies may recognize in the end, that would be devoted to stereotypes of lazy, exciting alienated minorities with a significant size among its viewers.

Masri says he was "confident, but without raising a lot of noise" that more of the main characters dramas that depict Arabs, will appear in the work of broadcast at peak times. He adds: "A lot of talented actors and directors shows who happen to have an Arab cultural background."

Egyptian and relieved to say that everyone says that one must act as unusual and unexpected and required by those in charge of the film industry, but adds that one has confidence that "he has other options, too."

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