The Birdies Film Blog: Films and Stereotyping go hand in hand

I’m going to take you back in time; only to the Oscars. It’s always interesting what you can find in articles (I only started reading them, let’s say, when I started university...miracle) and I hope my “relating” to them and writing posts is fine.

Today’s post will trace upon Islamophobia on the red carpet by Laura Durkay, which focuses on western’s stereotype of Islamic society. We all know that many associate words such as evil, ‘inhuman’, TERRORIST to the Islamic society, that Muslim’s just want to blow up things etc... and don’t get me wrong, I’m not supporting these affirmations; I’ve always said that just because certain people of a particular culture act in a certain way, doesn’t mean that they all do. However, Durkay draws upon three recent productions which highlight such statements: Argo (2012), Zero Dark Thirty (2012) and Homeland (TV series, 2011 - present).

Argo is based on true facts regarding the 1979 hostage crisis, it evolves around the rescue mission of 6 American citizens which managed to escape the US embassy under attack. They then found refuge by Canadians and awaited their “saviour”. Initially I didn’t really engage with the film but eventually the tension began to build when they had to trick the Iranians, that they were Canadians and return home. It seems as an unfair representation of Iranian people: a mass of angry and dangerous people, which Durkay affirms by drawing upon the wide shots and close-ups. The Americans confined within the embassy are presented by close-ups, reflecting “humanity, individualized characters and dialogue we can understand” while the Iranians are just an “undifferentiated and unintelligible crowd” (wide shots).

Additionally, “throughout the film, Iran is depicted as a terrifying place where traitors are hung in public and menacing Muslim mobs lurk around every corner, ready to confront the protagonists each time they venture outside”. It’s a long quote but it summarises how Argo represents the film’s [main] location; perfect for a relaxing holiday, right? The scene with traitors hung in the middle of the street was quite impressive, I wouldn’t imagine wanting to see it for real. Another point Durkay interestingly traces upon is the use and non-use, in specific scenes, of subtitles. [*SPOILERS*] There are several scenes throughout the film in which most non-English words were not translated, leaving the audience confused and nearly creates a distance between them and what is unknown (concept of “us and them”, “them and the other”). Providing a sense of terror when finding yourself in a situation such as in the airport scene, where the 6 refugees and their saviour are held by guards and questioned (from that point onwards, till the plane took off... I was freaking out. You know when you speak to the characters as if they could hear you? And in reality you are just talking to a screen, oh well). Analysing the questioning scene, we may see that when one of the guards is speaking, there are no subtitle whatsoever but as one of the 6 begins to explain the “ fake movie”, there are even more subtitles than you actually need in order to understand what is said.

In conclusion, these Islamophobic clichés are one of the various representations of stereotypes. In every movie each culture is usually identified by its stereotype, whether good or bad; in few cases we may laugh, see for example The Dictator (2012).

Imposing a certain image over and over again, in all mediums, brings people to assimilate such identity and are therefore influence in associating a certain action/episode to specific individuals; the most frequent victim of terrorist attacks is America. It’s a very sensible matter that of the Boston bombings (I was shocked saddened by the news) but it shows, after many years, how the first potential suspects are terrorists and that only means that one particular culture is going to be under the microscope. I myself wrote a “strong” opinion regarding the offenders, stating that they should get what they deserve, whether they were terrorists or not, because it is a disgrace. However one suspects have been captured and the other killed but “unfortunately”, news/newspapers are clearly highlighting, they were identified as Muslims; originating from the Republic of Dagestan in Southern Russia, with the assumption that, religion is the sole reason behind the attack. Some American Muslims are even fearing for their life if there is a blacklash from this tragic situation.

“While it may be easy for some viewers to write off a movie or TV show’s problematic politics by saying ‘it’s just entertainment’, these ideas have an impact in the real world.”

- Laura Durkay