When watching the Thief of Baghdad, I was shocked to see how many elements were discussed in our FYS class, such as Orientalism. The film showcased an Orientalist point of view, a mystical fantasy, and a “world like no other”. Through the usage of color, the buildings and characters were given highly exaggerated saturated features, leading to a “Other” feeling.
Through the historical and rich diversity of Arab culture, the film was able to depict characteristics that Arabs had and turn the movie into a stereotypical movie. The movie was also oddly similar to Aladdin, which was deemed a “problematic” movie in today’s society. Both movies contained colorful palaces, fancy clothing, misrepresentation of Arab features, misrepresentation of clothing, and highly exaggerated features. The human genie who was blue-faced was a giant genie given awfully long nails, a long black ponytail, and was only given red garments to wear. The Genie did not fit the East’s standards, and was played from the point of view of a Westernized Genie. Abu was an archetypal character and his role can be seen in many Disney movies. The west’s narrative and beliefs were transitioned and put into a movie with exotic backdrops and eastern settings. It was also very evident in the film that men held the most power and women were oppressed, which is another topic we discussed in class.
