Shaheen, J. G. (2001). Reel bad Arabs: How Hollywood vilifies a people. Interlink Publishing Group.
Shaheen (mass communication, Southern Illinois Univ.; Arab and Muslim Stereotypes in American Popular Culture) has written a meticulous, passionate, and very articulate description of the persistent and prolonged vilification of Arab peoples in mainstream Western movies. Offering primarily reviews of the 900 films he has seen or researched over 20 years, he documents a century of offensive stereotypes and shows how the image of the "dirty Arab" has reemerged over the last 30 years, even as other groups have more or less successfully fought to eliminate the use of racist stereotypes. The appendixes include lists of the best and worst depictions of Arabs in popular films, alternate titles, a list of epithets thrown at Arabs in films, and a list of the fictional locations used in films. Although the work is aimed at a college-level audience, the clear writing and lack of jargon make it accessible to a much wider readership. Highly recommended for academic and large public libraries, as well as for other libraries with collections dealing with racism or Arab culture.
Under this post I will list movies that will help me explore the opposing viewpoints about Arabs in the United States and develop my own critique about the way Hollywood present the Arab culture in the US.
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Munich (2005)
Plot Synopsis: Munich DVD .
With the creative and masterful direction of Steven Speilberg, the Munich DVD is a though-provoking thriller with an amazing cast. On the surface, the Munich DVD is an examintaion of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the Israeli Olympic team at the 1972 Munich Olympics. But beneath the surface, the Munich DVD explores the toll that hatred and murder can take on the human soul. In the Munich DVD, after the hostage situation in Munich , we go to Israel and meet we meet the handsome and charming Avner, deeply in love with his beautiful, pregnant wife. Domestic bliss is short-lived however; immediately following these "Black September" attacks, Avner (Eric Bana), the son of an Israeli hero, is summoned by his country's famed secret service agency, the Mossad, to carry out violent retaliations against those Palestinian terrorists allegedly behind the Munich massacre. Commanded from afar by prickly government agent Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush), Avner and his team of handpicked men--pugnacious South African Steve (Daniel Craig), goofy ex-toy maker Robert (French actor Matthieu Kassovitz), morally conflicted Carl (Ciaran Hinds), and terse professional Hans (Hanns Zischler)--must deal with some shady, nefarious international figures as they track down their Palestinian prey. Their mission takes them everywhere, from the villas of Rome to a seedy hotel in Cyprus , and with each successful kill, Avner's iron will begins to dissolve, and guilt and doubt begin to take hold of his conscience. Strong performances, gripping action, moral complexity, and a political urgency make the film not only entertaining, but enormously important.
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