Post-colonialism (Arabia)

Compared to their American counterparts, the stills from "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Lawrence of Arabia" suggest "Arabs" as being primitive, angry and background filler in support of Western dominance. 

We see in both stills arab people wearing long robes and head dressings. This dress is part of their religious culture and necessary to protect against the often harsh sun and sand of their environment. However, to Western eyes this is most likely seen as "primitive," not as enlightened as the designer outfits worn with as much pride by Americans. As a side note, it's interesting how in the "Raiders..." still shows the aggressive, sword wheedling Arab dressed in black surrounded by a crowd of white robed observers. 

The faces of the most predominant Arabs in both stills display tense brows or exposed, clinched teeth, facial hair and angry eyes. These expressions depict Arabs as angry and mean, more obvious in the "Raiders..." still where a black clothed Arab is brandishing a sword, ready to attack. 

Lastly, the main white, Western charters, the American archeologist Indiana Jones (man, did I want to be an archeologist after that one!) and the British officer Thomas Lawrence are in the foreground of both stills. The predominance of these white heros to their arab counterparts in the photos perhaps indicates the West's notion of superiority over Arab countries.   

The American representation of "the Arab" has ebbed and flowed over the years. Our perception in terms of showing the complexity of Eastern cultures due to globalization and increasing diversity within our own culture as allowed for the 'flow' of our deeper understanding and appreciation of other cultures. However, events such as 9/11 set us back what seems like decades when our near-sighted, bloated, white, corrupt leaders chose the lowest common denominators when painting the portraits of our new "enemies." Fortunately, it seems that a backlash has occurred towards these unenlightened (and unrealistic) views of "Arabs" and this is hopefully a sign of real progression towards understanding and accepting other culture's validity. 

I just saw a movie not long ago whose main characters were two brothers contemplating whether to become suicide bombers. The film showed their internal conflict and explored the culture from which they came. It was not a Hollywood blockbuster, but does show how we are at least being more exposed to different, more rounded views in films these days. The big action films like Rambo XXII, will most likely always show "Arabs" in a bad light, but with the connectedness of the world through vehicles like the internet, broader views of other cultures are bound to be brought into Western homes.

The images we see in these two stills are reflective of the political, cultural, and economic context of the times the movies were made. Lawrence of Arabia is based on a true story of a British officer who assimilates himself with "the Arabs" to fight the Turks, ultimately helping the British overthrow the Ottoman Empire. In the still Lawrence is a dressed like an Arab, apparently standing up to someone with them. In "Raider of the Lost Ark" the black clad Arab swordsman is one of many swarthy obstacles standing in the way of Indies' retrieval of what is rightly his, the Lost Ark of Jesus.