Friday, July 19, 2019

How are muslim women portrayed in Lawrence of Arabia?

I believe that this question is asking about the film and not the film's source text, which is titled Seven Pillars of Wisdom. The movie is 227 minutes long, and in that 3 plus hour time frame, there is not a single line of dialogue spoken by a woman. This kind of male-centered film is not uncommon in Hollywood, but Lawrence of Arabia does stand out as an extreme example. Despite not having any spoken dialogue in the movie, women do appear in the movie; however, they remain essentially a faceless mob. Audiences see women in giant masses bidding farewell to the Arab men who are departing for war. Audiences will also later see women as victims of that same war. Essentially, the women serve as background decoration for the men, and they serve as a tool to motivate the men to do manly things in the name of revenge or war in general.
https://womensfilmandtelevisionhistory.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/locating-the-women-in-lawrence-of-arabia-1962/

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