Turner Classic Movies Begins to Explore Depictions of Arabs in Cinema in July

posted on: Jun 29, 2011

Tuesdays and Thursdays in July on Turner Classic Movies will be devoted to Race & Hollywood: Arab Images on Film, a month-long movie event with Dr. Jack G. Shaheen focusing on the diverse portrayals of Arabs in cinema.

Each Tuesday and Thursday evening in July will focus on a different topic, including early images, Arabs as villains, Epics such as Lawrence of Arabia, Arabs as a subject of ridicule, Arab maidens, Arabs as Sheiks, and even-handed portrayals. The series will close on Thursday, July 28, with a night of films made outside Hollywood such as Battle of Algiers and Rana’s Wedding.

“TCM’s Arab Images Race and Hollywood series will make the stereotype visible, offering diverse portrayals of Arabs in cinema. The series will also help humanize the Arab, as it provides viewers with much needed balance and clarity about the history of Arab screen images — past present and future,” says Dr. Shaheen of the series.

Shaheen adds, hopefully, “In time, the TCM series will make a difference in how Arabs are projected in the media, which in turn will have an impact on how Americans view Arabs, and how Arab-Americans within their own communities view themselves.”

In preparation for the month-long event, Turner Classic Movies released <a href=”http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/414952/Arab-Images-On-Film-Movie-Promo-Stereotypes.html “>two promotional videos</a> featuring Dr. Shaheen and actress, Shohreh Aghdashloo, discussing stereotyping of Arabs in film, and the future of the portrayal of Arabs.

Arab Detroit

The following is a complete schedule of TCM’s Race & Hollywood: Arab Images on Film. All times shown are Eastern.

<b>Tuesday, July 5 – Early Images</b>
8 p.m. The Sea Hawk (1924)
10:30 p.m. The Thief of Bagdad (1924)
1 a.m. The Sheik (1921)
2:30 a.m. Tarzan the Fearless (1933)
3:45 a.m. The Lost Patrol (1934)

<b>Thursday, July 7 – Arabs as Villains</b>
8 p.m. Adventure in Iraq (1943)
9:30 p.m. Action in Arabia (1944)
11 p.m. Sirocco (1951)
1 a.m. Trunk to Cairo (1966)
3:30 a.m. Sinbad the Sailor (1947)

<b>Tuesday, July 12 – Epics</b>
8 p.m. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
12 a.m. Lion of the Desert (1981)
3 a.m. The Four Feathers (1939)
5 a.m. Young Winston (1972)

<b>Thursday, July 14 – Arabs as a Subject of Ridicule</b>
8 p.m. Ali Baba Goes to Town (1937) and Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1937)
10 p.m. Road to Morocco (1942) and Sahara Hare (1955)
11:45 p.m. Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955) and Mummy’s Dummies (1948)
1:45 a.m. Arabian Tights (1933)and Little Beau Porky (1964)
2:30 a.m. The Sad Sack (1957)and Hare-Abian Nights (1966)
4:30 a.m. Bowery to Baghdad (1955)

<b>Tuesday, July 19 – Arab Maidens</b>
8 p.m. Caesar and Cleopatra (1945)
10:15 p.m. Dream Wife (1953)
12:15 a.m. Kismet (1944)
2:30 a.m. Chandu the Magician (1932)
3:45 a.m. The Desert Song (1955)

<b>Thursday, July 21 – Arabs as Sheiks</b>
8 p.m. Drums of Africa (1963)
10 p.m. Harum Scarum (1965)
12 a.m. Jewel of the Nile (1985)
2 a.m. Son of the Sheik (1926)
3:30 a.m. The Wind and the Lion (1975)

<b>Tuesday, July 26 – Even-Handed Portrayals</b>
8 p.m. Five Graves to Cairo (1943)
10 p.m. The Black Tent (1956)
12 a.m. Three Kings (1999)
1:30 a.m. King Richard and the Crusaders (1954)
3:30 a.m. Sahara (1943)
5:15 a.m. Bataan (1943)

<b>Thursday, July 28 – Images from Outside Hollywood</b>
8 p.m. Princess Tam Tam (1935)
9:30 p.m. The Band’s Visit (1907)
11:15 p.m. Rana’s Wedding (1903)
1 a.m. Battle of Algiers (1966)
3:15 a.m. Taste of Cherry (1997)

Schedule subject to change.