1. What is the Middle East like? What is it like compared to the U.S. or Europe? In The Mummy, the Middle East appears frozen in time, stuck in the time in which “the Mummy” originally lived, supposedly 3,700 years ago. The film opens on images of ancient ruins and desert landscape, and its magical qualities are also immediately established with the words of the Scroll of Thoth speaking of Amon Rah (the God of gods) and of the “magic words,” through which the mighty one will return. Not only do the film’s visuals almost exclusively depict a non-modern Egypt, evident in the credits which roll over the pyramids, but the British archaeologists who the film is centered around, talk about Egypt as if it has not modernized at all. I am not sure
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The only “modern” aspects of the Middle East that are presented are a few quick shots of Cairo from the patry Helen is at early in the film, during which she says she does not like modern Cairo, the British …show more content…
What are Arab men and women like? What are white/American (or European, depending on the film) men and women like? How do they compare to each other? If other ethnic groups are represented, identify them and describe what they are like according to the film. In The Mummy, like the region, its inhabitants are also ancient and outdated. The only “Arab” woman is Helen, who is also British, and only plays an “Arab” character after the Princess is resurrected within her. Furthermore, she still mostly plays her “regular” British self unless Imhotep has called on her which awakens the Princess. When she is the Princess she is enchanted and under his spell, she is obedient to him calling out his name and walking like a zombie to find him. When Imhotep brings her to the museum she is in her “ancient Egyptian” dress, a metal bird-like headpiece, a jeweled brassiere and flowy, sheer, and jeweled pants, a scandalous outfit that is “okay,” because she is Egyptian. Helen herself as an Egyptian-British woman is beautiful, confident, and enchanting (Frank falls in love with her immediately). She also dresses somewhat scandalously. The metallic dress she initially wears is low-cut in the front and the back and later in the film, when she is bedridden, she asks to be put in a night dress to look pretty for Frank. She is the only woman present in the film, but the her mixed ethnicities and Frank’s fascination and shock when told about it suggests, that it is scandalous and enticing, which
The only “modern” aspects of the Middle East that are presented are a few quick shots of Cairo from the patry Helen is at early in the film, during which she says she does not like modern Cairo, the British …show more content…
What are Arab men and women like? What are white/American (or European, depending on the film) men and women like? How do they compare to each other? If other ethnic groups are represented, identify them and describe what they are like according to the film. In The Mummy, like the region, its inhabitants are also ancient and outdated. The only “Arab” woman is Helen, who is also British, and only plays an “Arab” character after the Princess is resurrected within her. Furthermore, she still mostly plays her “regular” British self unless Imhotep has called on her which awakens the Princess. When she is the Princess she is enchanted and under his spell, she is obedient to him calling out his name and walking like a zombie to find him. When Imhotep brings her to the museum she is in her “ancient Egyptian” dress, a metal bird-like headpiece, a jeweled brassiere and flowy, sheer, and jeweled pants, a scandalous outfit that is “okay,” because she is Egyptian. Helen herself as an Egyptian-British woman is beautiful, confident, and enchanting (Frank falls in love with her immediately). She also dresses somewhat scandalously. The metallic dress she initially wears is low-cut in the front and the back and later in the film, when she is bedridden, she asks to be put in a night dress to look pretty for Frank. She is the only woman present in the film, but the her mixed ethnicities and Frank’s fascination and shock when told about it suggests, that it is scandalous and enticing, which