Thursday, December 17, 2009

Egypt, Movies, Blood Libels, Cousins, and Big Money



Anyone else think that the picture of the widow-peaked Jew dripping blood from his mouth is unflattering? How about calling it another modern-day example of the blood libel? Both seem to be fair as this movie poster could stand in for a 1930's piece of propaganda by Russian or Nazi henchmen.

Considering this is just the advertisement, I can't imagine the movie is any more kind to the Jews or Israel. And, it is not. The premise is of an "evil, Jewish spy" who kidnaps his Egyptian wife and takes her to the land of "sin and vice" otherwise known as Tel Aviv. In fact, the movie equates Israelis to Nazis, always the most bitterly ironic insult.

In case we didn't understand, the movie's star has this to say:
"There is no call for normalization with Israel in the movie," said Mona Zaki in an interview with London-based Arabic-language newspaper al-Sharq al-Awsat. "Until now, the Jews are the ones call us their 'cousins.'


Wouldn't you know it - the Egyptian audiences are eating it up and for two weeks straight virtually every showing of this ham-handed, propaganda crap fest has been sold out.

2 comments:

  1. Actually to the contrary of what you write, some Arabic newspaper reports are accusing the movie of preaching the normalization of ties between Egypt and Israel by showing good aspects of the Israeli society.

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  2. Some newspaper reports are suggesting that the depiction of Tel Aviv as a city of sin and avarice will entice weak-minded Egyptian youth into longing to be in Israel. That is a far cry from "preaching normalization." Ironic, yes. Peaceful, no.

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