Afreen Mohiuddin
Benedictine University
Orientalism Paper
Professor Isom-Verhaaren
April 23, 2014
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Orientalism is a term that is associated with the Middle East; many individuals have
misconceptions when this term is used in contest to describe various aspects of Middle East
Countries. In Western societies Orientalism reflects the difference between the west and the east,
culture, traditions, Society norms, religion and way of life. Western societies depict the
differences of the East in an immoral light within western societies, which gives individuals in
the west a false impression of the modern Middle East. There are various authors who dislike the
illustrations of Orientalism within the western societies, who voiced their opinions; from the
various few was Edward Said, an author who wrote the book Orientalism which stirred the
nation. His ideologies in this book depicted his perception on how the west perceived the east
based on imperialist societies and powerful governmental interactions which only displayed one
side of the matter. Another author who voiced in opinion through the assistance of books was the
author Matthew Bernstein he wrote the “Introduction” to visions of the East in which he
referenced many mainstream movies that displayed orientalism in an irrational ways. Many of
the great motion picture he mentioned was The Sheik which was released in 1921, another was
Shanghai Express created in 1932 along with many more. All these films portrayed Orientalism,
which attracted the audience because of the exotic locations intense warship, and interesting
mythological plots. This widely used formula of orientalism bothered Matthew Bernstein which
lead him to write how incorrectly film makers over use orientalism in motion pictures. To help
shed light on the lives of many Middle East individuals many filmmakers made documentaries
that tried to portray the Middle East in Western societies. Among the many on of them was
Grass filmed by Ernest Schoedsack, he captures the lives of the Bakhtiyari people also known as
the “forgotten people”. In his silent documentary he followed the nomadic tribe to illustrate their
journey from Angora to Bakhtiyari lands. Additional to the movie grass another great film that
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was made fifty years later that portrayed the Bakhtiyari tribe was called People of the Wind made
by Anthony Howarth. This film also portrayed the lives of Bakhtiyari tribe and their movement
eastward. Both movies were created to educate western society how nomadic tribes in the past
lived harsh and difficulty in the Middle East. In all Western still depict orientalism as a
stereotype. Even though the likes of Edward said and Mathew Bernstein voiced their intellectual
analysis on how orientalism is being represented, many people fail to see how the Modern the
Middle East has become. For instance a recently released motion picture called Prince of Persia
and the sands of times directed by Mike Newell exhibited strong characteristics of orientalism.
Even Though Many Authors put their view on the table, and many directors displayed their
vision on big screens, people in the Western societies still have mixed notions about the modern
Middles East due to inaccurate displays of orientalism.
Many Authors voiced their viewpoints in regards to the image that was being created
through the concept of Orientalism was because it portrayed negative aspects., From the many
authors one of them was Edwards Said who illustrated his thoughts on Orientalism. Said feels
that what “influence orientalism was most a fairly constant sense of confrontation felt by
Westerners dealing with the East. Orientalism began from one side which was when Westerns
had confrontations with the East.1” Westerners created an image based on their interactions
with the Middle East. “He also thought that the boundary nation of the East and West, varying
degree of projected inferiority and strength, the range of work done, the kinds of characteristics
features ascribed to the orient: all these testify to a willed imaginative and geographic division
made between East and West, and lived through many centuries”2. Power, inferiority, boundaries
1
2
Said, Edward. Orientalism. N.p.: Vintage Books, 1978 page 201
Said, Edward. Orientalism. N.p.: Vintage Books, 1978 page 201
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and unique set of characteristics led to hostility and animosity towards one another, where in turn
the western societies magnified the differences and cultural backgrounds. Said went in-depth and
also stated that “my contention is that without examining orientalism as a discourse one cannot
possible understand the enormously systematic discipline by which European culture was able
to manage and produce the orient politically, sociologically, militarily, ideologically,
scientifically and imaginatively during the post enlightened period ”3. Edwards stated that to
understand Orientalism without disclosure which is understanding it using special
communications skill. If not then one cannot understand orientalism in the political right,
sociologically hue and military, ideological wisdom, scientifically and imaginatively. Another
point said pointed out was “Orientalism was such a system of truths, truths in Nietsches sense of
the world. It is therefore correct that every European in what he could say about the orient was
consequently a racist imperialist and almost totally ethnocentric.4” European Imperialist
subsequently represented Middle East in a derogatory light by over emphasizing orientalist
views that were once sided. Another author who put his points out there so individuals can
distinguishes how European illustrated the Middle East with in mainstream films. Matthew
Bernstein conveyed his view point in his writing to show case how filmmakers attain information
to make films that are oriental based. “Exotic setting and characters in these films stand for
orientalism, describes a strand of colonialists ideological arsenal of Western nations like Great
Britain, France, United States, for representing colonies and cultures of the Middle East.
It is a
way of perceiving these areas that have been supported, justified and reinforced by the Wests
colonialist and imperialists.”5 Films that are Middle East based that represents Orientalism, attain
their views from one sided source which is how they perceive the Middle East rather than what
3
Said, Edward. Orientalism. N.p.: Vintage Books, 1978 Page 202
Said, Edward. Orientalism. N.p.: Vintage Books, 1978 page 204
5
Benstein, Matthew. Visions of the East. n.d. page 1
4
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has it become in this modern era. According to Matthew, “Said used the term discourse in
Michel Foucult’s sense, refers to a body of text that can construct social realities as individuals
experience. He goes on further and points out that “The Orient” Said wrote “was almost a
European invention, and has been since antiquity a place of romance, exotic being’s, haunting
memories and landscapes, remarkable experience”6. Bernstein implies that Orientalism is almost
based on European ideologies and how they see the Middle East a place of mystery and romance.
Which attracts and encourages Filmmakers to makes motion pictures bases on the Middle East to
show the audience a new culture, new traditions, a new world which they are not familiar with.
For example one of the most expensive movies made in Hollywood in 1963, which over
embellishes the orientalist views. According to Bernstein “western Narratives and ethnographic
cinema of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries inherited the narrative and visual tradition,
as well as the cultural assumptions, on which orientalism was based and filmmakers discovered
how popular orientalism could be, in Hollywood for example, the representations of the east
typically titillating viewers the thrills of unbridled passion, miscegenation, and wild adventure in
a raw and natural setting7”, Traits that attract audience to watch a particular film that focused on
Orientalism related to exotic locations, passion and wild adventures rather than traditions.
Culture, way of life and society norms. Films the power to distort actually facts by subbing in
implied observations based on viewers responses. An interesting fact that Bernstein states is that
“Orientalism is distinguished from colonists’ discourses in part by its initial focus on the Eastern
Mediterranean and more significantly by its basis in the historical threat that Islamic culture
represented to Western Europe. For the Ottomans Empires’ very existence had cast Islam in
Western eyes as symbol of “terror, devastation and demonic” weakened by “hordes of hated
6
7
Benstein, Matthew. Visions of the East. n.d.page 2
Benstein, Matthew. Visions of the East. n.d.page 3
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Barbarians.3”8 Orientalism is understood by the way colonist perceive the Middle East, what
aids colonists by forming their distorted claims is by historical threat of Islamic culture
represented to Western Europe. Both Edward Said and Matthew Bernstein displayed their
annoyance that, orientalism was being displayed in its extremist form though assumptions, and
motion pictures.
Ernest Schoedsak and Anthony Howarth both created documentaries on Bakhtiyari way
of life which showed the true essence of orientalism, of both films presented the difficulties they
face through their Journey. As they movies progressed differences between Western societies
were depicted.one thing was certain that the Bakhtiyari tribe was a nomadic tribe that moved
along the land or Persia always traveling east during the winter through the mountains. These
were the people who were never been conquered particular because of their nomadic ways, they
move from place to place. The head chief was Jaffer Quoli, as the head he was in charge of when
to move ahead with his tribe. Jaffer’s tribe was not the only tribe that resided in the area, there
were many tribes located within the area, so tribal disputes were always an occurrence which id
solved by the head chief and his council, many would solve these dispute be finding the middle
ground for instance a similar situation occurred with Jaffers tribe and another rival tribe to solve
the situation they solved the dispute by inter marriage and they had to give 5000.00 to solve the
issue. Compared to the Western views yet the people living in some parts of the Middle East
were nomadic but they had system of solving disputes and had a head of chief similar to a
president that would hold the responsibly of his people. Another interesting issue that the
documentaries brought was that both documenters depicted that despite of being tribal nomads
both films showed that the Bakhtiyari tribe had a unified way of living. The documentary Grass
8
Benstein, Matthew. Visions of the East. n.d. page 3
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Filled by Ernest Schoedsack showed that the tribe had a way of self-policing each other with
border patrol; they had a makeshift of a police station where they would wait before they went
on their duties, and would also preform drill to keep them on their toes. In the other film
documented by People of the Wind made by Anthony Howarth showed how the daily lives of
The Bakhtiyari tribe, one interesting fact that it stated was that Jaffer and his officials would go
once a year to town which was Lali and buy necessary essentials. Like wheat, flour, rice, wool,
etc. There way of payment would be interest. All of these trial officials are in tremendous
amount of debt. Within the towns they have living quarters that are available for people to reside
in as long as they want. Instead of occupying these living quarters in a town where every
available necessity was around them many chose the life of nomads. Western ideologies of living
in society and laying down strong roots was an ideology they did not agree with which made a
completely different from Western values. The difference between the Western society and the
Bakhtiyari is that they prefer to live a life of nomadic values traveling east from Angora, and
strive to live in a life of simplicity, compared to the colonial way of life in Western society.
The film Grass in an interesting silent film, the catches viewer’s attentions with its bold captions
because it depicts all the emotions that would appear in the film if the film had sound, as well as
it tries to show their view on how they live their lives in The Middle East. The Grass
documentary shows how Bakhtiyari individuals travel every year in harsh weather with their
cattle, and goats and belongs. They try to portray their hardships that they endure during the
winter when they are crossing the mountains covered in snow some even go bare foot in the
snow for hours plowing their way with their shovels in hand. It also shows who they manage to
across bug streams and river by creating makeshift rafts for their belongings and their selves.
This film describes their daily lives within the Middle East.
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As time elapses, society’s views change, people’s views also adjust to the social thinking,
but sometime people tend to still be stuck in the past. In main stream cinema, big motion pictures
that have orientalism embed within its script tends to over embellish characteristic of
Orientalism. The Movie prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Directed by Mike Newell stars Jake
Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan the main protagonist, who is paired with Gemma Arteron as
Princess Tamina who is the princess of Almount. Antagonist in the film is Nizam who an
overzealous uncle is played by Ben Kingsley. This motion picture is based on mythological tale
where Prince Dastan and his army invade the holy city of Almount, because his brothers and his
uncle found out through sources that Almount is supplying military weapons to their rivals. In
the process of invading Dastan finds an exquisite dagger that holds powerful magic that his
Uncle Nizam wants to have because that dagger has the ability to turn back time to alter
significant event, and Princess Tamina is the Guardian of the dagger because the god appointed
her to appointer her to keep it safe. During his journey to figuring out what this dagger can do he
loose his father, he is accused of killing his father on the run with Princess Tamina. He takes a
long and grueling journey to figure out who killed his father and why Nizam wants to poses the
dagger for him before it is too late. Throughout this movie many aspects of Orientalism stood
out, in the beginning of the movie when the king arrives to town a boy steals an apple the little
boy was about to get executed when a teenage boy Dastan steps in and show is bravery by trying
to help the boy escape. The king was astonished by the teenage boy’s bravery and adopted him.
This particular event was very common in the Middle East many emperors would adopt poor
children to help them serve their empire in this case Dastan became a prince, the son of the king.
Another incident in the movie where orientalism is depicted is when Prince Dastan and Princess
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Tamina are captured by a nomadic tribe called the Unbucka, which has similar characteristics to
the Bakhtiyari tribe like the Bakhtiyari tribe they had a governing system in place, traveled from
place to place, and had a monetary system, but what film makes did was they went in depth by
making the unbucka tribe more barbaric, and out of control. They also showed this particular
tribe as greedy when in reality, not all tribe are greedy for example the Bakhtiyari tribe they
wanted to live a simple way of living by traveling from place to place. In this particular movie,
the audience was led to believe that tribal people were barbaric, and the Middle Eastern
government was heavily influenced by mythological aspects like the dagger that altered time, the
assassins that killed people with magic. Filmmakers are influenced because the audience is
hooked on to orientalism films because they intrigue audience. There were many occasion in the
film that portrayed orientalism, they always depicted princess Tamina elegant beautiful and
angelic. Many directors tend to over exaggerate the sense of Orientalism by depicting orientalism
from the past rather than the future.
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Bibliography
Benstein, Matthew. Visions of the East. n.d.
Said, Edward. Orientalism. N.p.: Vintage Books, 1978
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473075/
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