Valentino's Ghost

Michael Singh's provocative documentary examines Middle Eastern imagery in the media and its effect on U.S. foreign policy, starting with silent screen actor Rudolph Valentino. In 1926, he played a heroic figure in The Son of the Sheik, an adaptation of a popular novel, but such romantic figures turned much darker in the 1930s (drawing on precedents in Christian art and literature from previous centuries), with Arabs often appearing as perpetrators of violence. The writings and recordings of T.E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia) also contributed to the English-speaking world's conceptions regarding the region. The widespread view of Arabs as the enemy would continue throughout the ensuing decades, in movies such as 1979's The Late Great Planet Earth and even 1981's Raiders of the Lost Ark. Comments from scholars and screenwriters about specific political developments in the area, such as the formation of Israel and the fall of Iran's Shah, are interwoven with relevant film clips, newsreel footage, archival photographs, and political cartoons. With more recent American misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan—depicted in documentaries like the Oscar-winning Taxi to the Dark Side—the script has started to flip. Historian Melani McAlister also praises 1999's Three Kings for presenting a more balanced viewpoint. Other speakers include The Independent's Robert Fisk, Harvard's Niall Ferguson, author Gore Vidal, and actor Tony Shalhoub, who regrets the sadistic terrorist he played in 1986's The Equalizer. While Singh takes his topic seriously, bits from Arab-American standup comedians, including Ahmed Ahmed, add some humor to the mix. DVD extras include extended interviews. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (K. Fennessy)