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 The Middle East (documentary works)
- Middle Eastern cinema
- The Movies, Race, and Ethnicity: Jews
- Arabs in Film
- Adventures of Prince Achmed (Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed.) (Germany, 1927)
- Directed by Karl Koch. The earliest extant feature-length animated film. Lotte Reiniger's delicately cut silhouettes against hand-tinted backgrounds are perfect for this adaptation of tales from the Arabian nights. 64 min. DVD 5007; vhs 999:2110
Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Aladdin (Walt Disney Pictures, 1992)
- Directors: Ron Clements and John Musker. An animated musical film set in the mythical city of Agrabah, the story follows a street-smart peasant, Aladdin, and his mischievous pet monkey, Abu, through magical adventures. Credits: produced and directed by John Musker, Ron Clements; co-producer, Donald W. Ernst; songs, Howard Ashman and Alan Menken, Alan Menken and Tim Rice. Special DVD features: Deleted song "Proud of your boy" performed by Clay Aiken; filmmakers' audio commentary; animators' audio commentary; the art of 'Aladdin'; Alan Menken: musical renaissance man; pop-up fun facts; Disney song selection: sing-along to your favorite songs; "A whole new world" music videos; "A diamond in the rough: the making of 'Aladdin'"; deleted scenes; Disney's virtual DVD ride: Aladdin's Magic Carpet Adventure; Inside the Genie's lamp: never-before-seen 3-D tour; The Genie world tour: a hilarious trip around the world with the Genie; 3 Wishes Game: your fortune, revealed. 90 min. DVD 8430; vhs 999:1719
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp(1934)
- Animated short. Directed by Ub Iwerks. "Aladdin is a slave who has to clean lamps. He rubs a magic lamp, and a genie appears. Wishing himself into the palace, the lad is off to the sultan, and meets a beautiful princess. His evil master tries to steal the lamp, but Aladdin prevails." [Big Cartoon Database] DVD 2354
- Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp(1939)
- Animated short. Directed by Dave Fleischer. "Olive has a job at Surprise Pictures as a script girl when she dreams up a story of Popeye in the Aladdin tale. Popeye is a poor young man tricked by an evil magician who tries to use him to get the lamp. The plot fails, and Popeye uses the lamp to become a prince and woo the princess of old Persia (played by Olive). The magician tricks the princess into giving him the lamp, and takes her for himself. Even Aladdin/Popeye and the genie of the lamp (who looks and sounds like comedian Lew Lehr) are no match for the wicked villain until spinach defeats his evil power, allowing our hero to marry the princess. In the end, Olive's story is rejected by the movie studio, and the dream ends with Olive in a sea of scripts." [Big Cartoon Database] DVD 4860
- Aladdin, or the Marvelous Lamp(1906)
- Directed by L. Nouquet. DVD DVD 1098; vhs 999:1008
- Ali-Baba (Ali Baba et les quarante voleurs) (Ali-Baba and the 40 Thieves) (France, 1954)
- Directed by Jacques Becker. Cast: Fernandel (Ali-baba), Samia Gamal (Morgiane), Dieter Borsche (Abdul), Henri Vilbert (Cassim), Edouard Delmont (Morgiane's father). In this film adaptation of the story of Ali Baba and the forty thieves Ali Baba accidentally discovers the magic cave where Abdul and his band of thieves hide their treasure. He takes enough gold to buy a slave girl from his master to be his wife, but sinister plans are being made to spoil his wedding night. Includes belly dances by women in the marketplace and Cassim's harem. 90 min. 999:3501
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Ali Baba (1963)
- Animated short. Directed by Ub Iwerks. Ali Baba senior and his son Ali Baba live in poverty. One day they happen to see the Forty Thieves enter their cave. After the thieves leave, Ali Baba and his son enter the cave and start to fill their pockets with the treasure they find inside. Alas for them, the Forty Thieves return and they are forced to hide in large jars. But of course they are discovered... DVD 2354
- Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (Ali Baba et les quarante voleurs)(1902)
- Directed by Ferdinand Zecca. Video/C 999:1008
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- [Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves] Popeye The Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves(1937)
- Animated short. Directed by Dave Fleischer. "Popeye, Olive and Wimpy crash their airplane in the desert. After a long trek through the desert they arrive in a town which is promptly ransacked by bandit chief Abu Hassan (Bluto) and his forty thieves (Abu's men mumble as they ride and strip everything in sight as they zip by). Olive is pressed into service as a laundress, while Wimpy is tied up and forced to watch Abu Hassan eat. It's Popeye to the rescue, and Abu Hassan proves just as vulnerable to the effects of spinach as are Bluto's other incarnations." [Big Cartoon Database] DVD 4860; also on DVD 2440
- Ali Baba Bound(1940)
- Animated short. Directed by Bob Clampett. Porky finds out that Ali-Baba and his Dirty Sleeves plan to attack the fort; it's up to him to go warn the fort. He gets there to discover everyone has left for the Legion convention in Boston. Porky and his rented camel fend off the attackers themselves for a while, but when the situation gets dire, the young camel summons its mother. Momma takes care of the attacker that's menacing them. The secret weapon, who has been sitting on the bench with an artillery shell strapped to his head, now comes in, but runs right through the fort and into Ali-Baba.
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- America, America (1963)
- Directed by Elia Kazan. Cast: Stathis Giallelis, Frank Wolff, Harry Davis, Elena Karam, Estelle Hemsley, Lou Antonio. This masterful movie chronicles the heroic journey of film director Elia Kazan's uncle from Turkey to the United States. 169 min. 999:1493
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Arab Knife Juggler(1894)
- Edison. DVD 3552
- Arabian Nights(1942)
- Directed by John Rawlins. Cast: Jon Hall, Maria Montez, Sabu.
Lavish epic of brother fighting brother to win political power and the love of a woman, mesmerizing Scheherazade, the fiery dancing girl who will prove to be one man's downfall and another's greatest reward. 87 min. DVD 8210
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Arabian Nights (Fiore delle mille e una notte) (Italy / France, 1974)
- Directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. Cast: Ninetto Davoli, Franco Citti, Margaret Clementi, Tessa Bouche, Ines Pellegrini, Franco Merli. The tale follows the adventures of a slave girl as she rises to power over a great city. Around her revolve the stories of magic and lust, mystery and fantasy that derive from three cultures (Persia, Egypt and India) and range from the ninth century to the Renaissance. 133 min. 999:2239
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Ararat (2002)
- Directed by Atom Egoyan. Cast: David Alpay, Charles Aznavour, Eric Bogosian, Brent Carver, Marie-Josee Croze, Bruce Greenwood, Arsinee Khanjian, Elias Koteas, Christopher Plummer. Edward, a veteran filmmaker of Armenian descent, is in Toronto shooting a film about the Siege of Van, which lead to the genocide of over a million Armenian people at the hands of Turkish troops. Raffi has been sent to Turkey to shoot background footage for the film. Raffi's mother Ani, an author and historian, is also involved in the project as a consultant. As Raffi attempts to re-enter Canada with cans of exposed film, he's detained by David, a suspicious customs official who has his own tenuous link to the film. 115 min. DVD 1821
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- BBQ Muslims; Death Threat
- Directed by Zarqa Nawaz. B.B.Q. Muslims (1995, 5 min.) is a satire about two Canadian Muslims' backyard barbecue mishaps, inspired by the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing that spawned a media frenzy targeted at the North American Muslim community. Death Threat (1997, 19 min.) is a satire about a Canadian muslim woman who has written a novel, and unable to sell it decides to exploit cultural stereotypes of muslims to catch a publisher's eye, but her plan eventually backfires. 999:3288
- Black Sunday (1976)
- Directed by John Frankenheimer. Cast: Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller, Fritz Weaver, Bekim Fehmiu. A Black September terrorist group attempts to blow up a Goodyear blimp hovering over the Super Bowl stadium with 80,000 people and the President of the United States in attendance. 143 min. DVD 5871
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Blood Feast (1963)
- Directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis. Cast: Thomas Wood, Mal Arnold, Connie Mason, Lyn Bolton, Scott H. Hall.
Set in Miami, police are baffled by a series of grisly murders that involve ritualistic dismemberment. A deranged Egyptian caterer name Fuad Ramses goes around hacking up beautiful young gals and brings their body parts back to his temple as an offering to the goddess Ishtar. Special features: Audio commentary by director Herschell Gordon Lewis and producer David F. Friedman ; original theatrical trailer ; rare outtakes ; actors Thomas Wood and Harvey Korman demonstrate how to slice meat in the grisly educational short subject," Carving magic" (20 min.); gallery of exploitation art. 87 min. DVD 4602
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Casting Calls
- Does Hollywood's portrayal of villains reinforce racial stereotypes or does the industry give the public what it wants? This program explores the history of film's ethnic "bad guy," looking at sociopolitical and economic forces that create, perpetuate and rehabilitate these characters. Special attention is paid to current depictions of Muslims onscreen. Originally produced in 2001 by Discovery Communications, Inc.
"Discovery Channel University". c2004. 47 min. DVD 3746
- Chu Chin Chow (UK, 1934)
- Directed by Walter Forde. Cast: George Robey (Ali Baba), Anna May Wong (Zahrat), Fritz Kortner (Abu Hasan), John Garrick (Nur-al-din). A musical retelling of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. Penniless woodcutter Ali Baba finds himself wealthy when he discovers the secret treasure cave of the Forty Thieves, but soon finds he must contend with Abu Hasan, a thief posing as a Chinese mandarin in order to steal Ali Baba's riches. Wong plays the slave girl who must help Ali Baba in his adventure. 102 min. DVD 4118
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Detroit Unleaded(2007)
- Directed by Rola Nashef. Cast: Lamar Babi, Abe Khalil, Salaam Fadlallah, Mary Assel.
Behind the bulletproof glass works Sami, a young Arab-American who believes his family's Detroit gas station will give him a chance to see his girl Naj, away from the pressures of their family and friends, while his cousin Mike is sure the station holds the key to an empire built on rolling papers and fake perfume. 20 min. DVD 9221
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Eyes of the Mummy (Die Augen der Mumie Ma: Drama in 4 Akten) (Germany, 1918)
- Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Featuring Max Laurence (Furst Hohenfels), Harry Liedtke (Albert Wendland, ein Maler), Emil Jannings (Radu, ein Araber), Pola Negri (Ma). An Egyptian girl is held hostage in an ancient Egyptian temple by an ominous Arab. After being rescued by an Englishman, she moves to Great Britain, but is soon haunted by her former nemesis. Silent with music soundtrack and German intertitles. 45 min. 999:3738
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Die Geschichte vom kleinen Muck (The Story of Little Mook) (East Germany, 1953)
- Directed by Wolfgang Staudte. Cast: Thomas Schmidt, Johannes Maus, Friedrich Richter, Trude Hesterberg, Alwin Lippisch, Silja Lesny, Charles Hans Voigt, Werner Peters, Gerhard Hansel.A little boy, Muck, is banished from his home but meets a wondrous old woman who gives him magic racing slippers and a wand with which to hunt up hidden treasures. Convinced that he has found his fortune, Muck sets out for the Sultan's court where he is soon made the chief bursar. But Muck's career evokes much envy among the courtiers, so with a bit of magic, he has their heads fitted with donkey's ears. He also helps Prince Hassan find his beloved Amarza, the Sultan's daughter. In German without titles. PAL format. 96 min. 7258
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Golden Blade(1953)
- Directed by Nathan Juran. Cast: Rock Hudson, Piper Laurie, Gene Evans, George Macready, Kathleen Hughes, Steven Geray, Edgar Barrier, Alice Kelley.
"Harum (Rock Hudson) is a fearless man of the people who comes to Bagdad to avenge the murder of his father and meets Krairuzan (Piper Laurie), a princess disguised as a commoner, working against a plot by a band of evil schemers trying to do away with her father, the Caliph. She gives Harum a golden sword which, in his hands, makes him invincible. Harum uses the sword in the name of justice and is doing quite well until a duplicate sword is placed in his scabbard during one of his off-guard moments, and he winds up in chains." [Internet Movie Database] 81 min. DVD 8144
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1973)
- Directed by Gordon Hessler. Cast: Phillip Law, Caroline Munro, Tom Baker, Douglas Wilmer, Martin Shaw. Sinbad the sailor finds a strange map and sets sail for a previously uncharted island where he crosses swords with an evil magician who brings inanimate objects to life to oppose Sinbad in his quest. 105 min. DVD 3397
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Hollywood Harems.
- This documentary examines Hollywood stereotypes of the East, with particular attention paid to the Middle East and the depiction of women of the East. Juxtaposing film clips from the 20s through the 80s, the filmmaker argues these fantasies have worked both to shape and reinforce often derogative assumptions about the peoples of the East while at the same time reinscribing the moral, spiritual, and cultural supremacy of the Anglo-European West. 1999. 25 min. Video/C 7079
- House of Sand and Fog (2003)
- Director, Vadim Perelman. With Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard, Frances Fisher, Kim Dickens, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Jonathan Ahdout, Navi Rawat, Carlos Gomez. Two strangers with conflicting pursuits of the American Dream engage in a fight for their hopes at any cost. What begins as a struggle over a rundown bungalow spirals into a clash that propels everyone involved toward a shocking resolution. 126 min. DVD 2562
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Indiana Jones
- Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). Directed by Steven Spielberg. 115 min. Video DVD 4610; also VHS 999:1284
- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Directed by Steven Spielberg.126 min. DVD 4612; also VHS 999:1286
- Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). Directed by Steven Spielberg. DVD 4611
- Featuring the indespensible, treacherous Arab hordes and villains (see notes for Lawrence of Arabia)
- Kotwal, Kaizaad. "Steven Spielberg's Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as Virtual Reality: The Orientalist and Colonial Legacies of Gunga Din." Film Journal, vol. 1, no. 12, pp. [no pagination], Spring 2005
http://www.thefilmjournal.com/issue12/templeofdoom.html
- Postone, M.; Traube, E.
"The return of the repressed."Jump Cut nr 30 (Mar 1985); p 12-14
Examines how the racist and sexist ideology of the film is produced.
- Insultin' the Sultan (1934)
- Animated short. Director, Ub Iwerks. Willie Whopper is telling his friend about the time he went to Constantinople with his girlfriend. As they approached an auction block selling dancing girls, the Sultan decided that Willie's girlfriend was the one he wanted and carried her off. The bulk of the cartoon is about Willie's efforts to rescue her and the obstacles he confronts along the way. DVD 2354
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Jewel of the Nile (1985)
- Director, Lawrence Teague. Cast: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny De Vito, Spiros Focas, Avner Eisenberg. When bored author Joan gets an offer from a certain Omar to come write up his pending coronation, she takes off for the Middle East...and winds up in prison. Meanwhile, her friend Jack decides to hunt down a jewel in Omar's neck of the desert accompanied by his old nemesis Ralph. While Joan and a Holy Man are escaping from prison, Jack and Ralph head their way, and soon all four are making a run through uncharted sands in the African desert to save their lives. 106 min. 999:2059
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
 Movie Review Query Engine
- The Kingdon (USA / Germany, 2007)
- Directed by Peter Berg. Cast: Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Ashraf Barhom, Ali Suliman, Jeremy Piven.
A terrorist bomb detonates inside a Western housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, causing an international incident to ignite. FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury quickly assembles an elite team and negotiates a secret five-day trip into Saudi Arabia to locate the madman behind the bombing. Fleury and his team discover that the Saudi authorities are suspicious and unwelcoming of the Americans into what they consider a local matter. The agents find their expertise worthless without the trust of their Saudi counterparts. Luckily, the agents find a partner in Saudi Colonel Al-Ghazi, who helps them navigate royal politics and helps unlock the secrets of the crime scene and the workings of an extremist cell bent on further destruction. Special features: Deleted scenes; character-by-character; the apartment shootout; constructing the freeway sequence; creating The Kingdom; history of The Kingdom: an interactive timeline; feature commentary with director Peter Berg. 110 min. DVD 9284
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
- Director, David Lean. Cast: Alec Guinness, Omar Sharif, Peter O'Toole, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins, Anthony Quayle, Claude Rains. The story of T.E. Lawrence (Peter O'Toole), the heroic and troubled man who organized the Arab nations to fight the Turks in World War I and then, having reached a pinnacle of power in Mideast politics, retired to postwar military obsurity. " The Arab as Unruly Child. Lawrence of Arabia (1962) remains the best-known example of the Arab as a political naif in need of tutelage from a wiser Westerner, often adorned in Arab garb -- a better Arab than the Arabs themselves (see Indiana Jones I and III). Remove that "guidance," and get the chaos of Lawrence's end: Arab leaders at one another's throats in a scene reminiscent of the depiction of black politicians in the racist Birth of a Nation." (Quinn, Michael. "Where Have You Gone, Omar Sharif?" Time v144, n6 (August 8, 1994):19) 216 min. DVD 666; VHS 999:382
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Credits and other information from Internet Movie Database
- Caton, Steven Charles. Lawrence of Arabia: a film's anthropology. Berkeley : University of California Press, c1999. (Main Stack PN1997.L353.C38 1999)
- Shaheen, Jack. "Lawrence of Arabia: Memorable For What It Is, Regrettable For What It Might Have Been." Washington Report on Middle East Affairs 11/30/1989 V.VIII; N.7 p. 15
- UC users only
- Little Drummer Girl (1984)
- Director, George Roy Hill. Cast: Diane Keaton, Yorgo Voyagis, Klaus Kinski. Charlie is a repertory actress and Palestinian sympathizer thrust into the world of international espionage. The cunning head of an Israeli counterspy group sees Charlie's politics and romantic vulnerability as the perfect trap for their quarry, the elusive Palestinian terrorist Khalil. 130 min. 999:2164
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World (2005)
- Director, Albert Brooks. Cast: Albert Brooks, John Carroll Lynch, Sheetal Sheth, Jon Tenney, Fred Dalton Thompson, Amy Ryan. In this offbeat satiric comedy, the U.S. Government sends comedian Albert Brooks to India and Pakistan to find out what makes the over 300 million Muslims in the region laugh, but Brooks' activities lead to many political and cultural misunderstandings. 130 min. DVD 1286
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Lost Command (1966)
- Director, Mark Robson. Cast: Anthony Quinn, Alain Delon, George Segal, Michele Morgan, Maurice Ronet, Claudia Cardinale. After Lieutenant Colonel Pierre Raspeguy leads his defeated and humiliated French army out of Indochina, he learns that he's been relieved of all command. A French Countess finagles a new position for him in Algeria and he persuades two wartime buddies to join him in shaping up a rag-tag unit. Raspeguy is forced to confront an Arab terrorist and launches a bloody battle against Segal's rebel forces. 130 min. DVD 1286
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Lost in a Harem (1944)
- Director, Charles Reisner. Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marilyn Maxwell, John Conte, Douglass Dumbrille, Jimmy Dorsey and his Orchestra.
Peter Johnson and Harvey Garvey, bumbling magicians stranded in the desert domain of Barabeeha, are asked by handsome prince Ramo to help him regain his throne from wicked Uncle Nimativ. This perilous task takes them deep inside the sultan's inner sanctum, where the madcap adventure really begins. 89 min. DVD 7449
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Lost Patrol (1934)
- Directed by John Ford. Cast: Victor McLaglen, Boris Karloff, Wallace Ford, Reginald Denny, Alan Hale, J.M. Kerrigan, Billy Bevan. A tense drama about British cavalryman lost in the Mesopotamian desert during World War I who are pursued constantly by Arab sharpshooters ("sneaky Arabs, those dirty, filthy swine"). When the leader of the patrol is killed, McLaglen takes charge of the eleven ragged survivors. This film established John Ford's reputation as a director internationally. 72 min. DVD 5643
- Credit and other information from Internet Movie Database
- Mickey In Arabia (1932)
- Director, Walt Disney Studios; directed by Wilfred Jackson. Animated short featuring characters Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pegleg Pete. While on vacation in Arabia, Sultan Pete kidnaps Minnie for his harem. Included in anthology Mickey Mouse in Black and White DVD 3287
- The Mummy (1932)
- Directed by Karl Freund. Cast: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Bramwell Fletcher, Arthur Byron, Edward Van Sloan. A mummy is accidentally revived after 3,700 years by a British archeology team. Dressed in the garb of a modern-day Egyptian, he sets out to find his lost love, terrorizing the members of the expedition who must find a way to stop him. 74 min. DVD 520; VHS 999:2860
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
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- Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation (1939)
- Director, Norman Foster. Cast: Peter Lorre, Joseph Schildkraut, Lionel Atwill, Virginia Field, John King, Iva Stewart.
Chinese-American detective Mr. Moto heads to Egypt to thwart a criminal mastermind determined to steal the priceless crown of the Queen of Sheba. 63 min. DVD 7543
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Mummy (1999)
- Director, Stephen Sommers. Cast: Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz, John Hannah, Arnold Vosloo, Jonathan Hyde, Kevin J. O'Connor. As punishment for killing Pharaoh Seti and sleeping with his mistress, Egyptian priest Imhotep was mummified alive and cursed. But in 1923 he is inadvertently resurrected by treasure hunters and must be stopped before he can wreak his final vengeance on the world. 125 min. DVD 2095
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Kearly, Peter. "Could "Mummy" be funny without the Arab stereotypes?"
Michigan Citizen 5/22/1999 V.XXI; N.25 p. B2
UC Berkeley users only
- Shaheen, Jack G. "The Mummy Returns"--Along With the Usual Despicable Stereotypes of Arabs." Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, July 2001 v20 i5 p105UC Berkeley users only
- A Night in Casablanca (1946)
- Directed by Michael Winterbottom & Mat Whitecross. Cast: The Marx Brothers, Charles Drake, Lois Collier, Lisette Verea, Sig Ruman. Its the Nazis vs. the nutsies as The Marx Brothers ferret out Nazi spies in a Casablanca hotel. 85 min. DVD 2663
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- One Arabian Night (Sumurun) (Germany, 1920)
- Directed by Ernst Lubitsch. Cast: Pola Negri, Ernst Lubitsch. "The richness of Max Reinhardt's stage direction of Friedrich Feska's play, THE ARABIAN NIGHTS, is transferred and adapted to the screen by Reinhardt's protege Ernst Lubitsch who, in his final acting performance, as the hunchback clown Buckliger, heads a sterling internationally flavored cast which he directs with his customary vigor in this German production, one of the last films made by Lubitsch in Europe. Upon the stage a masque, SUMURUN is remedied by Lubitsch of its static quality as he prescribes a non-stop folly of exuberance which the polyglot players are quite capable of providing, in particular Paul Wegener (Germany), Pola Negri (Poland), Aud Egede Nissen (Norway) and Jenny Hasselqvist (Sweden), each of whom performs strongly and adds lagniappes of interpretation to the scenario of Hans Kraly. Lubitsch, a veteran of the Yiddish stage, generally as Meyer the Jew, is a clear guide to his actors in this melodramatic tale of a sheikh (Wegener) who desires to add an itinerant dancing girl (Negri) to his harem because of his dissatisfaction with his principal houri (Hasselqvist) who in turn desires a young wandering merchant with whom she shares a strong physical attraction. Buckliger is in love with the gypsy dancer, but the mulatta role portrayed by the diminuitive Negri is one who has learned to trust only the adornments of wealth and is therefore most willing to become a harem resident, a prospect which she finds most cordial although, of course, many complications come about involving, among others, the son of the sheikh. Lubitsch's unique style, which incorporates the frequent use of innuendo, found favor in Hollywood, principally with Mary Pickford who, because of her viewing of SUMURUN, was able to entice the director to the United States, bringing Negri with him, as they had shared many Continental successes, and after her career was macerated by her emotional excess and strong accent, the director continued on to great acclaim, praised for his "Lubitsch touch". This touch is in evidence in this silent German film as it continued to be in his subsequent English language efforts and is essentially the conjugating of the lashes of one eye." [Internet Movie Database] 85 min. Video/C 999:290
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Popeye Meets Sinbad (1936)
- Animated short. Directed by Dave Fleischer. After sending his giant bird, Rokh, to wreck Popeye's boat and kidnap Olive Oyl, Sindbad forces Olive to dance for him by firing buckshot at her feet with a pea-shooter. Popeye attempts to rescue her while J. Wellington Wimpy follows a duck around with a meat-grinder. After Popeye disposes of Rokh and Sindbad's two-headed, Yiddish-accented giant, Boola, it's a battle to the "finich" between the two legendary sailors. DVD 4860
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Reel Bad Arabs: How Hollywood Vilifies a People
- Throughout its history Hollywood has portrayed Arabs as buffoons or bandits. This documentary seeks to rectify this sterotyping by comparing it to other forms of racist imagery in motion pictures and mass media by suggesting alternative narratives that treat the Arabs as human beings, not demons. Based on the book of the same title by Jack Shaheen (MAIN: PN1995.9.A68 S54 2001; PFA : PN1995.9.A68 S54 2001). Directed by Sut Jhally. 2006. 50 min. DVD 6553
- Description from Media Education Foundation catalog
- The Road to Guantanamo (1942)
- Directed by Michael Winterbottom & Mat Whitecross. Cast: Ruhel Ahmed, Asif Iqbal, Shafiq Rasul, Riz Ahmed, Farhad Harun, Waqar Siddqui, Arfan Usman.
Four British muslims travel to Pakistan for a holiday and a wedding but become involved with the American forces fighting terrorism. This is the true story of the plight of a group of friends who later became known as the Tipton Three, who experienced first hand the conditions in Guantanamo Bay after being held for two years until they were released without charge. 95 min. DVD 6477
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Road to Morocco (1942)
- Directed by David Butler. Cast: Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour, Anthony Quinn. The lone survivors of a ship wrecked in the Mediterranean, our heroes find themselves in the company of a Moroccan Princess Shalimar (Lamour), who has purchased Bob and plans to make him her husband. This would be swell except for the jealousy of nasty Sheik Mullay Kassim. This is the third "Road" picture of the Hope and Crosby comedy team. 82 min. 999:2039
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Rules of Engagement (2000)
- Directed by William Friedkin. Cast: Tommy Lee Jones; Samuel L Jackson; Guy Pearce. Colonel Terry Childers is a patriot and war hero. But when a peacekeeping mission he leads in Yemen goes terribly wrong, he finds himself facing a court martial. Accused of breaking the rules of engagement by killing unarmed civilians, Childers, only hope of vindication rests with comrade-in-arms Hays Hodges a military lawyer of questionable abilities.... 127 min. DVD 2390
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
Movie Review Query Engine
- Deep, Kim
"Deconstructing Hollywood: negative stereotyping in film." (media section)Women in Action, Dec 2002 i3 p57(3)
UC users only
- Glidden, Kim. "Arab Stereotypes in American Cinema: An Examination of Hollywood's Racial Injustice in 'Rules of Engagement'."
Xchanges, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. [no pagination], September 2004.
- "Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. Speaks out Against Racial Stereotyping: "The Film Rules of Engagement Defames Arabs and Muslims," Says Jackson." Chicago Citizen 5/4/2000 V.35; N.4 p. 3 See Ethnic NewsWatch
- "Yemenis 'slandered' by new movie." (Brief Article) MEED Middle East Economic Digest May 12, 2000 v44 i19 p24 (201 words)
- Sahara (1943)
- Directed by Zoltan Korda. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Bruce Bennett, J. Carrol Naish, Lloyd Bridges, Dan Duryea, Rex Ingram. An explosive war story about a ragtag battalion stranded in the great African desert, after the fall of Tobruk during World War II. 98 min. DVD 5875
- Credits and other information from Internet Movie Database
- The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad (1958)
- Directed by Nathan Juran. Cast: Kerwin Mathews, Kathryn Grant, Torin Thatcher, Richard Eyer. Sinbad a bold sailor and prince of Baghdad, sets out for the mysterious island of Colossa where he hopes to obtain the egg of a roc--a fierce, giant bird. The egg will help restore to normal size the Princess Parisa who has been reduced to the size of a man's thumb by the evil magician, Sokurah. On Colossa, Parisa liberates the Genie of the magic lamp and together, Sinbad, Parisa and the Genie battle a man-eating cyclops, a two-headed roc, a fire-breathing dragon and a skeleton brought to life by Sokurah. All of these creatures must be defeated before Parisa can be restored. 94 min. DVD 3395; vhs 999:3632
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Sheik(1921)
- Directed by George Melford. Cast: Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, Adolph Menjou. A desert sheik kidnaps an English girl and holds her captive. Later an evil Arab abducts her. When the sheik rescues her, she admits that she loves him and they are married. Based on the novel by Edith M. Hull; adaptation by Monte M. Katterjohn. 79 min. DVD 1283; vhs 999:1969
- Credits and other information from Internet Movie Database
- Alarcon, Daniel Cooper. "Deadly Desires: Cinema, Seduction, and Racialized Masculinity." In: Sharpened edge : women of color, resistance, and writing / edited by Stephanie Athey.
Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2003. (Main Stack HQ1190.S423 2003)
- Hansen, Miriam. "Pleasure, Ambivalence, Identification: Valentino and Female Spectatorship"
Cinema Journal, Vol. 25, No. 4. (Summer, 1986), pp. 6-32. UC users only
- Leider, Emily Wortis. Dark lover : the life and death of Rudolph Valentino New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003.
(MAIN: PN2287.V3 L45 2003; PFA : PN2287.V3 L45 2003)
- Shohat, Ella. "Gender in Hollywood's Orient."
Middle East Report, No. 162, Lebanon's War. (Jan. - Feb., 1990), pp. 40-42. UC users only
- Studlar, Gaylyn. "Discourses of Gender and Ethnicity: The Construction and De(con)struction of Rudolph Valentino as Other."
Film Criticism, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 18-35, Winter 1989
- Studlar, Gaylyn. ""'The Perfect Lover'?: Valentino and Ethnic Masculinity in the
1920s." In: The silent cinema reader London ; New York : Routledge, 2004.
(MAIN: PN1995.75 .S547 2004; PFA : PN1995.75 .S547 2004)
- The Son of the Sheik (1926)
- Directed by George Fitzmaurice. Cast: Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres, Vilma Banky, George Fawcett, Montague Love, Karl Dane, Bull Montana, Binunsky Hyman. A sheik's son is lured into a thieves' trap by a beautiful girl. When he escapes, he kidnaps the girl, they fall in love, and ride off into the sunset together. 68 min. DVD 1283
-
Credits and other information from Internet Movie Database
- Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
- Directed by Sam Wanamaker. Cast: Patrick Wayne, Taryn Power, Margaret Whiting, Jane Seymour, Patrick Troughton. Sinbad, daring sailor and Prince of Baghdad, sets out to do battle with a Minaton, a bronze colossus, a giant troglodyte and other assorted creatures in a quest designed to win the hand of a beautiful princess. 114 min. DVD 3396
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Sinbad the Sailor (1935)
- Animated short. Directed by Ub Iwerks. Sinbad battles a band of pirates at sea and on a tropical isle. A giant bird rescues him, and he ends up back on his ship with the pirates' treasure. DVD 2354; also on vhs 999:2856
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Siege (1998)
- Directed by Edward Zwick. Cast: Denzel Washington, Annette Bening, Bruce Willis, Tony Shalhoub, Sami Bouajila, David Proval. The United States government abduction of a suspected terrorist leads to a wave of terrorist attacks in New York that lead to the declaration of martial law. Now it's up to FBI agent Hubbard and U.S. Army General Devereaux to find out who's responsible and to put an end to the destruction. Together, they face explosive danger at every turn in an all out war against ruthless terrorists. 116 min. DVD 1206
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Deep, Kim
"Deconstructing Hollywood: negative stereotyping in film." (media section)
Women in Action, Dec 2002 i3 p57(3)UC users only
- Hall, Alice. "Film Reviews and the Public's Perceptions of Stereotypes: Movie Critics' Discourse about the Siege." Communication Quarterly, Vol. 49, Iss. 4; p. 399 (25 pages)
UC users only
- Jones, Arthur "Stereotyping and double standards in 'Hollywood Islam'."
National Catholic Reporter. Nov 20, 1998. Vol. 35, Iss. 5; p. 17 (1 page)
- Muravchik, Joshua. "Terrorism at the Multiplex." Commentary Jan 1999 v107 i1 p57(1) (2743 words) UC users only
- Shehadeh, Michel. "Movie prompts outcry at stereotypes." Arab American News 9/11/1998 V.XIV; N.668/669 p. 4
- Wilkins, Karin and Downing, John. "Mediating terrorism: Text and protest in interpretations of The Siege."
Critical Studies in Media Communication. Dec 2002. Vol. 19, Iss. 4; p. 419
UC users only
- Syriana (2005)
- Directed by Stephen Gaghan. Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Cooper, William Hurt, Mazhar Munir, Tim Blake Nelson, Amanda Peet, Christopher Plummer, Alexander Siddig.
As a career CIA operative, Bob Barnes begins to uncover the disturbing truth about the work he has devoted his life to. An up-and-coming oil broker, Bryan Woodman faces an unimaginable family tragedy and finds redemption in his partnership with idealistic Gulf Prince Nasir al-Subaai. Corporate lawyer, Bennett Holiday faces a moral dilemma as he finesses the questionable merger of two powerful U.S. oil companies. Across the globe, a disenfranchised Wasim Khan, a Pakistani teenager, falls prey to the recruiting efforts of a charismatic cleric. Each plays their small part in the vast and complex system that powers the industry, unaware of the explosive impact their lives will have upon the world. Based on the book entitled "See no evil," by Robert Baer. 138 min. DVD 5765
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Gilbey, Ryan. "Syriana." Sight & Sound v. ns16 no. 4 (April 2006) p. 72, 74-5UC users only
- Hamid, R. "Lord of War; Syriana." Cineaste v. 31 no. 2 (Spring 2006) p. 52-5UC users only
- Jaafar, A. "Interview: Ali Jaafar talks to Stephen Gaghan." Sight & Sound v. ns16 no. 3 (March 2006) p. 18-20 UC users only
- The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
- Directed by Raoul Walsh. Cast: Douglas Fairbanks, Sr., Julanne Johnston, Sojin, Snitz Edwards, Anna May Wong. Silent with musical accompaniment. A carefree pickpocket meets and falls in love with a beautiful princess, and competes with the most wealthy and eligible princes of the the Orient for her hand. There's magic in many of the effects that were created for this film, a milestone for its day. 138 min. DVD 114; VHS 999:1721
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Cornell, Daniell. "Stealing the spectacle: gay audiences and the queering of Douglas Fairbanks's body." Velvet Light Trap nr 42 (Fall 1998); p 76-90
- Irwin, Robert. "A Thousand and One Nights at the Movies." Middle Eastern Literatures Volume 7, Number 2 / July 2004 Pages: 223 - 233 UC users only
- The Thief of Bagdad (UK, 1940)
- Directed by Ludwig Berger, Michael Powell, Tim Whelan. Cast: Sabu, Conrad Veidt, June Duprez, John Justin, Rex Ingram, Miles Malleson, Morton Selten. When the mischievous scoundrel Abu helps the rightful King of Bagdad escape from prison, he finds himself involved in an incredible series of adventures.106 min. 999:1720
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Three Kings (1999)
- Directed by David O. Russell. Cast: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, Spike Jonze, Nora Dunn, Jamie Kennedy, Mykelti Williamson, Cliff Curtis, Said Taghmaoui. Absurdly comic high kinetic tale set after the end of the Gulf War, when three American soldiers go off into the Iraqi desert to find millions in stolen Kuwait bullion and become involved in a democratic uprising. 115 min. DVD 573
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
Movie Review Query Engine
- Touch of Pink (2003)
- Directed by Ian Iqbal Rashid. Cast: Jimi Mistry, Kyle MacLachlan, Suleka Mathew, Kristen Holden-Reid, Veena Sood, Brian George, Liisa Repo-Martell, Raoul Bhaneja. Alim seems to have it all: a great career, a handsome boyfriend, and a personal guide in the spirit of Cary Grant. Living thousands of miles from his mother Nuru and his Indian family in Toronto, he can keep his lifestyle hidden. But when Alim's conservative mom decides to pay an impromptu visit, with the intention of dragging her son to a big fat monsoon wedding and getting him matched up with a "nice girl," the spirit of Cary Grant suddenly becomes indispensable. 91 min. DVD 3430
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- True Lies (1994)
- Directed by James Cameron, Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Bill Paxton, Tia Carrere. Marital problems arise for an international spy, who works for a top-secret government agency while pretending to be a computer salesman. Together he, his wife and their daughter foil the nefarious schemes of Middle Eastern nuclear terrorists and rescue their marriage.141 min. 999:1929
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Movie Review Query Engine
- "James Cameron." (Arab-Americans demonstrated against the director's film 'True Lies' because of its negative portrayal of Arabs) (Brief Article) Facts on File v54, n2822 (Dec 31, 1994):1015.
- Hanania, Ray. "One of the Bad Guys?" (November 2, 1998), p. 14
UC users only
- T.V.'s Promised Land
- Presentes a collage gleaned from TV footage appearing between September 2000 and the middle of 2003 showing how Western media depicts Arabs and Muslims. Includes excerpts from Hollywood movies, cartoons, cable news networks, and European news broadcasts. Asserts that Western media has boosted the "good vs. evil" rhetoric of politicans and pundits such as George W. Bush and Colin Powell concerning the Arab/Muslim world. 2003. 75 min. DVD 3380
- The War Within (2005)
- Directed by Joseph Castelo. Cast: Ayad Akhtar, Firdous Bamji, Nandana Sen, Sarita Choudhury, Charles Daniel Sandoval, John Ventimiglia. Hassan, a Pakistani engineering student in Paris is imprisoned and interrogated by Western intelligence services for suspected terrorist activities. Innocent of the charges, by the time he is released, his attitudes about the West have changed and in time he begins to identify with terrorists with whom he had been unwittingly associated. He renounces his old life, joins a radical group and illegally slips into New York with the aim of staging a major terrorist action. What unfolds is a profound human and political drama as we tensely observe the state of mind of a suicide bomber. 93 min. DVD 5120
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Wind and the Lion (1975)
- Directed by John Milius. Cast: Sean Connery, Candice Bergen, Brian Keith, John Huston, Geoffrey Lewis, Steve Kanaly, Nadim Sawalha. Loosely based on a true historical incident in turn-of-the century Morocco. Sheik Ahmad Raysuni kidnaps a feisty American woman and her children, holding them hostage until President Roosevelt sends in the troops to free them. 119 min. DVD 5876
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
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