Aspects of American Film and Cultural Theory - Essay Example

Introduction Films have become an important part in defining the American culture and its various aspects. Through various film theorists and American cultural theory, it has become to study aspects of Film, American and Cultural Theory. Several high-ranking films have provided very deep insights into Film theory as progressed by several scholars. At the same time, films have become the most important aspect defining American culture to its audience. The audience of most American films is both local and global. Hence, the aspects of culture that are portrayed in these films have been seen as a depiction of American culture. Many people who are not American Citizens but do watch this depictions always believe that what is portrayed is the American culture as it is. This paper seeks to shade more light by discussing aspects of American Film and Cultural theory. Through class readings and a number of films as a source of material, that text will discuss three major films that have made a worldwide audience. Hollywood is the biggest producer of films in the world. Most of Hollywood’s production finds a worldwide audience. The storyline of most of Hollywood’s production that touch the Middle East has elicited strong reactions both locally and internationally. Scholars, film theorists and cultural theorists have always repeatedly claimed that Hollywood has been used to misrepresent the Middle East while promoting the US wider agenda of expansionist. For the purposes of these discussions, this paper will reflect on three such films that have elicited strong reactions from the Middle East. These are, The Kingdom, Syriana and One Day in September. The first film that this paper will reflect upon is The Kingdom. The Kingdom is a film by Peter Berg produced in 2007. It features Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman. The story line of the film is the usual most common American agents searching for Terrorists in the Middle East. The film traces the storyline of Agent Ronald Fleury and an elite team of four operatives who hunt down a terrorist in Riyadh. The team’s main task is to destroy the terrorist cell, which has killed Americans working in Saudi Arabia.While in the Saudi Capital, the team finds itself in a culture shock as the Saudi culture is quite knew to them. The corrupt politicians and the law enforcement agencies that hinder their quest become an obstacle. However, one Saudi police officer helps the team in their quest for justice and destruction of the terrorist cell. The second film that this paper will apply in the discussion is Syriana. Syriana is a film that was produced in 2006 by Stephen Gaghan. Syriana transcends a geopolitical theme with petroleum and oil industry politics at its center. The film centers around four major characters who are a central intelligence Agency operative, an energy analyst, a Washington attorney, and a young and unemployed Pakistani worker. The film employs multiple story lines top tell the experiences of the four people who feel the effect of politics in the oil Industry. The stories of the four men are the ones that form the basis of interpretation in this essay. The last Film that this essay explores is the movie One Day in September. This is a 1999 documentary shot and directed by Kevin McDonald. The film documentary reflects on the 1972 terrorist attack on the Munich Summer Olympics that left 11 Israeli Athletes dead. In this documentary, the veteran actor Michael Douglas provides a light narration as the storyline unfolds. The historical events of Munich 1972 are brought into play as the film revolves ion the events that took place. The Palestinian terrorists and their agenda are well covered in the film. The documentary also shows that lax security by Germany security led to the death of the Israel Athletes. The widow of the Israeli coach taken hostage is interviewed while one of the remaining and surviving terrorists is also interviewed. Robin Bernstein in his article titled Dances With Things,Material Culture and performance of Race explores aspects of culture that are brought about by script. He discusses scriptive theory insisting that things and not objects are the ones that bring script action. He says that objects are a chunk of matter that one looks through or beyond to understand something human.' A thing, in contrast, asserts itself within a field of matter. In the three movies reviewed above, film has been used as a thing and the audience has ended up believing in the misconceptions that these films portray of the Arab world (Bernstein 74-75). Turner describes the influence of the film on the target viewers (149). He claims that, film is not the final goal of enquiry, but just a part of a wider perspective about representation. The procedure of building images, sounds, signs, and stand for something in the film or television considers many aspects varying from film aesthetics to cultural representations. Turner claims that these processes provide different approaches to film that are rich when applied to film aesthetics but still face different analysis of the film especially when it comes to the weight of the narrative on the audience (Turner 156). Hence, film theory is just a part of the wide field and subjects that are known as cultural studies. Turner further claims that cultural studies influence on the film theory have slowly evolved over time from their indirect influence to a more direct influence on film theory. The portrayal of arabs in Syriana and The Kingdom are a good example of how different approaches have been used to villanize the Arab. According to Semmerling (4-7), most of the portrayal of Arabs and the people of Middle East in American films is that of a culture and ethnic traits that are inherently backward and unacceptable according to western civilization. He argues that the culture of the Arabs in these films is villanised in an attempt to self-present and self-identity or to enhance the stature of the western heroics as portrayed in these narrations. He states that the American culture has become so insecure to the extent that the Arab has been made a villain and an evil being while the American has been made to look like a hero. Syriani shows how the people of Saudi Arabia are living in an archaic culture while in the Kingdom, abject poverty amongst the populations of the arab country and one iof the characters, the Pakistani, is highlighted. Ideology is shown to be a great aspect of film viewership. The film narrative is full of with ideologies that will be interpreted differently by the audience and hence lead to subjective stances on the film. Much as ideologies are always challenged in the films, the mere fact that they are interplayed and included in the films is enough evidence that they are reaffirmed strengthened and proved right. Ideologies and myths in films inform of people misconceptions that are closely visualized by the audience and even the film writers, directors and producers. In the case of the American depiction of Middle East in these films, the misconception that all Arabs are evil is a very common misconception that many directors love to enhance. The American or the western ideology is promoted in the film Documentary, one day in September. Semmerling assertions are thus on point when reflecting on the other three films (251). Khatib reflects on another important aspect of American films on the depiction of Middle Eastern or oriental life. In his work, Khatib claims that the films have an ideology of redefining the real political landscape in the Middle East. The political landscape in the Middle East is used to portray a space where political conflicts are fought. This emerges clearly in his definition of space as per the Hollywood and Arab film trend. He sees the Middle East as space or landscape that American film uses to fight anti-American sentiments or even undemocratic followership. Hollywood films are portrayed to use the Middle East as a place where the women are fighting for freedom to express themselves or even the westernized freedom. The middle east as a political hotbed is clearly illustretd in the Kingdom and even One Day In September (Khatib 16-22). When it comes to issues to deal with culture, perhaps the theory of orientalism as insisted upon by Edward Said masterpiece work in 1978 can best be used to define this structure. The orient or the people of the Middle East are seen through certain lenses and structures. McAlister pinpoints that the various narratives that have been used to show intersections between Middle Eastern and western cultures are used to promote certain agendas that are enclosed officially and unofficially. A good example is the depiction of the Middle East by American films is to justify American harsh policy in the Middle East. Through Film, the culture or the politics in countries that opposed or offered to mobilize different views and perspectives than the US are shown as villains. The film narrative in most cases will try to explore the inhuman nature of various Arab or Middle Eastern cultures. The depiction of the Arab as a villain is clear in Syriana and one Day in September. In One day in September, the events take place in Germany is true. However, there is much insistence in the film on how the Palestinians are terrorists while the Jews are good loving people. The conflict between the Arab-Americas has played a major role in defining aspects of culture as depicted in films. Key to this relationship is the Palestine- Israel crisis. The stance that the US has taken over this issue is one of the most radical ones as reported by McAlister. The American public has been made to believe that all Arabs are evil beings that have opposed peace and peaceful existence between the Jews and Palestinian. The Palestinian has been made into villains and even to a large extent terrorist. According to Macalister, the interest by the US into Middle East affairs is primarily due to the issue of religion and Oil. McAlister gives a chronology of how religion and Oil have become an important aspect of the US relationships with the Middle East countries. One day in September is a film that strongly shows how the conflict between the Palestinian and Israel has evolved. However, in trying to push for this agenda of villinising the Palestinian and misconception his culture, the western world can be seen as using film to distort the real culture of the Middle Eastern region. In summary, this article has shown that visualizations as depicted by the three films has a strong impact on the audience of the people. The kingdom is a good example of how Hollywood has continued to water down the Arab culture, in a manner that sows that Arabs are villains. At the same time, The Kingdom is used by the producer to promote the heroic culture of the American. An arab and American culture watching this film will have two different approaches to the interpretation of the film. Culturally, a neutral audience that is not western nor Arab, will believe and assume that the depiction of the Arab as a villain, who is out to destroy the American through Terrorism, and the depiction of the American as the hero, who thwarts this attempts, is true. Film theory is used differently in both Syriana and in One day in September. The approaches in producing Syriana as a four part film narration are a clever way of comparing the three main cultures. The arab story that is shown through the Pakistani is a clear example of how Hollywood tries to show that Arab leaders have continued to subject their people to poverty by trying to work with the Chinese. On the other hand, the American as shown through the life of the CIA agent and the story of the Lawyer is another example of how the American continues to idolize and promote his Agenda as the savior of the common Arab people. In One day in September, the use of a documentary approach in the narration of the film is one of the most influential methods of exerting personal or promoting ideologies to other people. Most of the people who will watch this film will sympathize with the Israeli and condemn the Palestinian. In a documentary shoot, the events are true. However, through narration, ideas that may not be necessarily true will have a big impact on the people as they will try to change some parts of the story, or even try to blow the real issues. One day in September is a perfect example of how this is done. In conclusion, film theory and cultural theories have proposed that Hollywood has continually had a big influence in the depiction of the Middle East as an unstable area which is purely a hub of Terrorism or the Villain Arab. This paper has discussed through various theories and examples how Hollywood has achieved these aspects. Works Cited Bernstein, Robert. Racial Innocence: Performing American Childhood and Race from Slavery to Civil Rights. New York: NYU Press, 2011 Turner, Graeme. Film as a Social Practice. New York: Routledge, 1999 Semmerling, Tim Jon. “Evil” Arabs in American Popular Film. Austin: Texas McAlister. Melani. Epic Encounters: Culture, Media, And U.S. Interests In The Middle East Since 1945. Carlifonia: University of California Press, 2005 Khatib, Lina. Filming the Modern Middle East: Politics in the cinemas of Hollywood and the Arab World. London: I.B.Tauris, 2006 Read More