Jewish World Review May 27, 2010 / 15 Sivan 5770
Disney attacked for casting Jew as hero in movie set in ancient Persia
By Chris Lee
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Fictional fantasy flick is missed opportunity and "insulting", claim critics
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT) Since its release, the video game franchise Prince of Persia has become notable for the acrobatic grace of its dagger-wielding, balloon pants-wearing hero as well as for what the games didn't do: affront gamers of Middle Eastern and Muslim descent with stereotypical depictions of people from the region as terrorists or religious zealots.
Independent filmmaker and blogger Jehanzeb Dar, to name one such player, remembers his favorable first reaction to the swashbuckling action game, which is set amid the sands and ancient cities of Persia (as ancient Iran is known) and follows a hero with a magic sword caught between forces of good and evil. "You could see clearly the protagonist had distinct Middle Eastern features and darker skin," said Dar, 26, who pens the blog Muslim Reverie from Langhorne, Pa. "People could develop some respect for that culture instead of seeing it vilified."
So when Disney studios announced plans for a live-action adaptation of Prince, Dar held out hope it would be a "serious story that would dispel a lot of stereotypes and misconceptions." Then came the bad news regarding "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time" (the movie that arrives in theaters on Friday). None of its principal cast members are of Iranian, Middle Eastern or Muslim descent. And playing Dastan, the hero and titular heir to the Persian throne in the $200-million tent-pole film, is none other than Swedish-Jewish-American prince Jake Gyllenhaal.
"My first reaction was, 'Really?!'" said Dar. "It's insulting that people of color -- especially Middle Easterners or South Asians -- are not allowed to portray ourselves in these roles. That's a big problem a lot of people in the community are having with this film."
In addition to Gyllenhaal and British actress Gemma Arterton's portrayal of Iranian characters in "Prince of Persia," Paramount has come under attack for its live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon animated series "Avatar: The Last Airbender." Directed by "Sixth Sense" auteur M. Night Shyamalan, "The Last Airbender" (as the movie is called to distinguish it from a certain James Cameron-directed 3-D blockbuster) has enraged some of the show's aficionados by casting white actors in three of four principle roles --- characters that fans of the original insist are Asian and Native American.
Although the studio behind "Prince of Persia" has taken costly steps to not seem insensitive toward --or out of touch with -- the minority constituencies represented, no Disney executives would comment for this article. The producer of "Prince of Persia" Jerry Bruckheimer similarly declined.
During "Prince of Persia's" scripting process, Disney hired BoomGen Studios, a niche marketing firm specializing in creative content about the Middle East, to help address issues of historical congruity and cultural contexts. Consultants advised the filmmakers to avoid specifically characterizing religion by setting "Prince" in a "mythological time" before the arrival of Islam. As well, the company worked to assure members of the Iranian-American community that the film was the antithesis of a recent action-adventure movie felt to vilify the people of Persia.
"We said, 'This is the anti-'300,'" said BoomGen's co-founder Reza Aslan.
Asked point blank by the Times of London, "Isn't Gyllenhaal a bit pale to play a Persian?" Bruckheimer delivered this history lecture. "Persians were very light skinned," he said. "The Turks kind of changed everything. But back in the 6th century, a lot of them were blond and blue-eyed."
Aslan confirmed the veracity of Bruckheimer's historical appraisal. "Iranians are Aryans," Aslan asserted. "If we went back in time 1,700 years to the mythological era, all Iranians would look like Jake Gyllenhaal."
Gyllenhaal maintains that "Prince of Persia" is simply a slice of Hollywood fantasy that's as light in spirit as the vintage serials. "To me, it's not something I gave a lot of thought because all of it is such a fantasy," he said last month at San Francisco's WonderCon. "It's based on a video game, not something out of history. There's nothing real about this. It's just an adventure and it's fun and it's strange in a way to hold one part of it and say, 'That's not real or right.'"
Jack Shaheen, author of "Reel Bad Arabs" and a commentator on Hollywood's distortions of Muslim cultures and people, refused to condemn "Prince of Persia's" depiction of ancient Iranians until seeing the film. But he critiqued the industry's conventional wisdom that mainstream audiences won't shell out to see a non-white lead in a big-budget film. "Hollywood is making a mistake," Shaheen said. "As a society, we're not seeing color like we used to. We're more integrated than we used to be. The country is changing. But I don't think Hollywood is at the forefront of that change."
Camille Alick, project manager for MOST -- Muslims on Screen & Television, a resource center providing Hollywood productions with connections to Muslim actors and accurate information on Muslim populations -- had not seen the films but remains sympathetic to the studios' decisions, and contends that her experience in the field allows her insight into such casting choices. "The hope is to have an authentic depiction, but casting directors have huge jobs in front of them," Alick said.
"They're trying to find the best person for the part. And when it's a big-budget movie, it's going to come down to a business decision. If a major actor can carry a film, that plays a big part. It's not malicious intent."
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