American and Arabic films are fundamentally different as espoused in Lina Khatib’s article. In movies containing American and Arabic characters, American characters appear superior to their Arabic counterparts in the manner in which they are presented. This is clearly evident in the movie Lawrence of Arabia.
Lina Khatib’s categorically states that the outdoors scenes are masculine especially on the scenes from the desert and the harsh terrain which is more masculine (Khatib 24). The film scenes in Lawrence of Arabia are mostly shot in a harsh desert environment. A point to note though is that the Arabs feature consistently in the harsh environment while the British soldiers are in plush and magnificent buildings built in British architectural designs ironically in the Arab world.
There is a scene in which the Arabs attack Aqaba port with an intention of overcoming the Turks. In this scene one of Lawrence tribesman, Gassim dies when they are crossing the desert at night, and no one notices. In the morning, Lawrence returns to the desert to look for him and brings him back. This scene is set in a desert where they attack from the desert thought to be impassable and since the guns were pointed towards the ocean, Sheriff Ali, Lawrence and the men conquer the city easily. In this scene, the city is portrayed from above in the film. The city seems organized but defenseless considering that it failed to defend itself from its rear. This attack portrays the weakness inherent with the city’s occupants and Lawrence’s superiority. Lawrence is a British soldier.
Lina emphasizes the importance of linking space to the social and historical background of a film’s theme (Khatib 20). She claims that the geographical setting of a film brings out the identity as well as objectivity of the film and the plot of the film. The landscape brings out the objective of the film, for example, a desert brings out the wilderness and primitive and brings out fear and excitement at the same time. The wilderness landscape also represents the identity of people who live there where she says that a space comprises socially produced system in which people interact and live. The desert scenes in the film are in tandem with Lina’s sentiments. The desert, in which this film mostly features brings both scary and exciting. The scene in which one of the two young Arab men travelling with Lawrence to find the Suez Canal sinks in quick sand is very scary. There are scenes, however, that give hope to Lawrence contingent. An example of such a scene is the beautiful desert landscape of Aqaba port.
There are many scenes in the film that support Lina Khatib’s claims. These include the claims that space in films is dynamic and represent the culture and political structure of the people (Khatib 16). In this case the Arabic films for example Lawrence of Arabia film are set in a desert since Arabic countries are located in desert areas. That films background (space) brings out the identities of people portrayed in the film as well as their different cultures. It is used to differentiate people in their physical setting.
The landscape portrays the state native versus civilization where people behave in a savage way despite coming from and possessing highly technological objects like guns, therefore, landscapes also changes people culture and beliefs. For example, Lawrence attempts to go back to the British army after suffering a trauma in the hands of Turks and vows to avoid going back to the desert but fails to fit in consequently returning to the desert.
The desert is therefore, seen as a source of misery with its rough terrain and rough dressed soldiers. There is a scene that showcases the experience of the British soldier in a foreign territory that later becomes familiar how he learns and adapts to it such that he is unable to go back to his previous life.
The film Lawrence of Arabia brings out Lawrence’s emotional and personality struggles especially when he questions his personality upon committing various killings as well as struggling to maintain his identity of a British soldier which he is unable to. His acceptance by his new found friends in the desert the Arabs assists him to adapt to the desert life which sees him. He participates in the massacre of the Turks as a revenge on the killing of one of his men.
Lina claims that Hollywood portrays Arab films background as feminine while American as masculine. This claim is in the manner in which the different characters representing the superior western side and the inferior Arab side Hollywood portrays in in its movies. In the film, British soldiers are only seen in the desert shooting from warplanes while the Arabs scatter in confusion. The only non-Arab seen in this movie among the confusion is Lawrence, but who is at this point an Arab, albeit an assimilated one.
Lina claims the space in the Arab films represents the conflicts within Middle East while the American films represent the history and culture (Khatib 28). These claims are wrong since scenes from Lawrence of Arabia utilize the desert space which represents their culture and their history. The use of camels for travelling that represents the culture of the Arabs is more eminent in this film.
Lina Khatib portrays Arab films as dramas confined indoors while American films as action based outdoors. This contradicts the film Lawrence of Arabia that is an outdoor film and is more of action instead of drama. From the scenes in Lawrence of Arabia, war is the most prominent in all scenes.
According to Khatib, the use of space in American films depicts it as a platform in which conflicts take place such that space has secondary significance in the films while the Arab films use space as a source of conflict is evident in this film. This is seen in the scene where the Bedouins want to claim the Turkish port Aqaba. The port is the source of conflict that sparks the war.
She brings out British as superior and powerful while the Arabs are shown as victims and helpless. This is in contrast with the scenes in Lawrence of Arabia where the Arabs are powerful overcome all obstacles in their way especially when they capture the Turkish port. A scene from the film courage under fire brings out American as heroes and Khatib glorifies them showcasing the Arabs as insignificant.
Khatib relates the desert landscape in Arabian films with fear and primitiveness for example she quotes a scene from the film the Three Kings where American soldiers in a mission to rescue civilians in Iraq they encounter People hiding in desert caves since they are afraid of Saddam. Landscape in this case is seen as a source of misery to the people. In the Film Lawrence of Arabia, desert is also brought out as inflicting fear as well as misery especially when Lawrence is accompanied by other Arabs travelling across the desert looking for water. One of the people succumbs and is left behind due to the harsh landscape composed of very hot temperatures, cyclones and sand storms. Therefore the desert landscape, as brought out by Khatib depicts fear and as a war to defeat.
Khatib objectifies space in the film where she argues that the capture of a territory through acts of violence by other people alters the landscape appears as civilization and brings hope to the people where she quotes the film Three kings (Khatib 13). In this film the American penetrates Iraq and redeems the people from Saddam. Contrary to Lawrence of Arabia film, When Lawrence together with the Bedouins capture the Turkish port, the landscape remains the same though the intention is to own the port not to save the people there.
Work Cited
Khatib, Lina. Filming the Modern Middle East: Politics in the Cinemas of Hollywood and the
Arab World. London: Tauris, 2006. Print.
