Eastern Representation In Film Stills

Looking critically at the stills from the two different movies, it's easy to assume who the protagonists and antagonists are in each film. In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the men in the white robes are portrayed as meek, timid men who stand behind one man. The man in the black robe is personified by the color of his clothing and portrayed as evil, dark and dangerous. The photo suggests that these people who sell in the market have nothing better to do but watch Indiana Jones fight with their "leader." The west, Indiana Jones, is civilized enough to wear suspenders and pants. Indiana carries a gun with a holster while the Middle Eastern man has a stereotypical sword.

Lawrence of Arabia is humorous because of the fact that all of the men who are playing Eastern characters, Middle Eastern people, are white. The actor who plays the lead character happens to have the lightest skin free of facial hair while donning a stark white robe. It's obvious that this film was made well before Raiders of the Lost Ark because of the large misrepresentation of Middle Eastern people. In the second shot, the group of men look as though they are wealthy and hold a higher status, living in a castle or coliseum with a throne like chair.

Omitting women completely from these stills, or rather the refusal of representing women is in fact a representation of the men and perhaps the women as well. We're supposed to believe that the men are the only people who can handle the business, sales, fighting and defending. This reflects a patriarchal society where the women stay in the home and care for the family.

In Hollywood films today, I think we are given both patriarchal and matriarchal images of Middle Eastern men and women. However, in some instances, women are objectified and portrayed as super sexual figures. An example of this was a Bollywood remake of Pride and Prejudice I once saw. I don't believe that women should suppress their sexuality in order to create a sense of equality with men, but in the film, the women were lusted after by the men. They were shown with revealing robes and clothing, belly dancing and fighting for the men's attention while the men sat in the audience and grinned.

The representation of women and men in this film reflects both stills, specifically Lawrence of Arabia. The film suggests that great wealth deserves praise and when one doesn't have wealth they are portrayed as barbaric.