Three recent movies show a growing change in the public sentiment toward Israel: "Valentino's Ghost," "5 Broken Cameras," and "The Law in These Parts." You might ask why this would concern an LA Asian?
First we have to locate Israel. It is in the Middle East, but that term covers once country in Northern Africa (Egypt) and several countries in Western Asia, including Israel. According to Wikipedia, the term was coined by the British India Office in the 1850s.
Oh, beware the British. They conquered Palestine in 1917. And from the British comes much of what we, or Hollywood knows about the Arabs according to the recent documentary, "Valentino's Ghost." The Valentino the documentary has in mind is Rudolph Valentino who died still young and much adored at the age of 31 in 1926. He had starred in the silent movie "The Sheik" and later "The Son of the Sheik." His father was Italian; his mother was French.
In the movie "The Sheik," he played the titular character, but the twist at the end, prevented this fantasy of love in Arabia from crossing the color line and threatening the tenants of Social Darwinism. Raised by Arabs, the character was half-British and half-Spanish. He was European, even if some Brits might look down on the Spanish for color or Catholicism. He was not Arab and rose above his surroundings as a superior man.
"Valentino's Ghost" looks at how we've portrayed Arabs and Persians in the media. We've gone from them as what Rudyard Kipling called, "The White Man's Burden," to the bestial hoards of fanatical terrorists. When European powers invade their lands, the Arabs are certainly not defending their land and rights to self-determination. The Arabs and later Persians are savages and rebels. That does make the question of Israel very tricky indeed.
Arabs, Persians and many Muslims are Asian and it's still PC to stereotype them. History is written by the victors, but that's only half the story. In America, we're mostly taking the story from a Eurocentric viewpoint.
Yet even Europe and America have to look at what's happening in Israel and wonder. "Valentino's Ghost" is narrated by bleeding heart liberal Mike Farrell of the TV series, "M*A*S*H" fame. I admire him for doing it.
The documentary "Valentino's Ghost" shows how movies and media have whitewashed history and supported the image of the Arab or Muslim rebel which has transformed into terrorist.
"The Law in These Parts" looks at Israel's viewpoint, but I didn't come away with much sympathy for Israel. Using archival footage as well as contemporary interviews, the documentary shows the men who shaped the Israeli policy toward the Palestinians. We're talking lawlessness within law enforcement. The documentary won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.
On a more personal level, "5 Broken Cameras" has a father using cameras as a means of non-violent protest.
"5 Broken Cameras" was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary in 2013. It won Best Documentary at the Jerusalem Film Festival in 2012, the Busan Cinephile Award at the 2012 Pusan International Film Festival and a directing award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
My point is by buying into the Muslim, Persian or Arab terrorist stereotype Asians and Asian Americans are ignoring the concerns of other Asians and Asian Americans and participating in the whitewashing of history.
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