Theory Of Orientalism And Disneys Aladdin Film Studies Essay

Theory Of Orientalism And Disneys Aladdin Film Studies EssayUsing the imaginations and theory of Orientalism from the lecture affair race and whiteness this backvas forget analyse the 1992 Disney fritter away Aladdin. This essay will use the theory of Orientalism to analyse how westerly horti destination depicts a constructed reality open the eastern eastern body in army to promote an inferior East and a powerful West. This essay will first discuss what the concept and theory of Orientalism is before giving a brief synopsis of the movie Aladdin. This essay will then outline the film Aladdin in relation to the constructed stereotypes that surround the oriental depict such as Western concepts of easterly ideologies, physical appearance and the sexualising of the oriental encipher.The concept of Orientalism can be set forth as the Wests objectifying and stereotyping of the East. What this sum is Orientalism turn overs that western culture wee-wees an identification of easterly culture by assigning the East classifiable features and point of referenceistics. These features and temperamentistics are assigned negative connotations, which are repeated through sources such as media until these negative connotations become the normalised way of witnessing. Said suggests the stereotyping of Oriental representations functions to crop the East to the status of inferior other of the West (Said, as cited in Pugliese, 2008, p.207). This essay uses the theory of Orientalism to analyse the film Aladdin and to deconstruct the Western themes of Orientalism compel upon the eastern other.The 1992 Disney film Aladdin is set in the ambiguous Middle easterly city of Agribah. According to the Disneys website, the film follows the street-smart new-made thief protagonist Aladdin, as he pursues the beautiful Princess Jasmine, a liberated young lady who seeks to pretermit her present lifestyle. This plot is forwarded when the evil vizier, Jafar set outs to gai n possession of a wizard(prenominal) lamp in an attempt to spring to power, and decides he needs Aladdin a baseball diamond in the rough (Disney, n.d.). We are able to see, even in the synopsis how Western media attempt to impose ideas upon east figures. The Western protagonists are expound as street-smart and beautiful and liberated, where as the Middle Eastern character of Jafar is depict as evil. Western culture constructs and political theory of Eastern culture and beliefs and imposes these constructed ideas onto Eastern culture.From the beginning of the film there is an attempt at displaying the separation of ideologies amid Eastern and Western cultures. With the people of the Middle Eastern city of Agrabah described as those who will cut off your ear if they dont like your breast (Clements Musker, 1992). This description of the Eastern figure immediately imposes the idea of a noncivilised individual and one other from normal society. It attempts to impose the idea t hat Eastern individuals exact a privation of morals and ethics. This is not the only obligate ideas on Eastern individuals, as later displayed in scenes with the antagonist characters Jafar and Gazeem.As Gazeem and Jafar attempt to enter Cave of Wonders the Western construction of the Eastern neglect of morals is displayed. As Jafar asks Gazeem for the key to the cave Gazeem quips that he had to slit a few throats to get it (Clements Musker, 1992). This comment goes unrecognised by Jafar, and attempts to convey the Eastern individuals lack of compassion towards murder, and attempts to dehumanise the two Eastern characters. The Eastern character Gazeem then attempts to enter the Cave of Wonders, before moments later organism engulfed by the mouth of the cave. The film has no sympathy for the Eastern villain and his destruction is shrugged off by the master villain Jafar stating Gazeem was obviously less than sac tearing (Clements Musker, 1992).The Western ideology is input th rough the films protagonist Aladdin. Aladdin encompasses the Western aspiration in his rags to riches story. Aladdin believes that he can one day charter something of himself and be something of importance, an ideology which is seen as a goal in umpteen Western societies. Throughout the film Aladdin mustiness learn to be himself, and discovers the range of truth and honestly. Aladdins ideology of a life where he can be treated as an equal contrasts Jafars Eastern ideology that he can rise to power, and posses dominant control (Disney, n.d.). Jafars attempt at a rise to power(Disney, n.d.) is symbolic of the Westerns fear of Eastern control, and inevitably Jafar/East must be stopped. In order to make the removal of the Eastern oriental figure favourable to interviews, the Eastern ideology is negatively constructed. Within the final scenes to designate Jafars difference and lack of morals Jafar is seen raising his hand to hit distaff protagonist Jasmine, an act condemned by m any Western cultures. This act suggests the Easts lack of respect of women, and suggests an inferior and weak identity.In the film Aladdin the Western and Eastern characters do not only add different ideologies but distinctively different appearances. Within the film the evil antagonist Jafar and henchmen Gazeem both carry the stereotypical Eastern appearance. The characters are both depicted as having darker skin, huge noses and beards, and head robe which has become a characteristic associated with Middle Eastern appearance. These distinctive features as well as thick middle eastern underscore become a signifier for the antagonists within the film. The characters such as the law of nature and the man in the market place which threaten protagonists Aladdin and Jasmine both carry these characteristics.Within the film although the protagonists Aladdin and Jasmine are both intended to be of Eastern appearance they both carry American accents, and are lighter skin than their East ern counterparts. These characteristics allow the Western audience to accept these characters although they are overly Eastern. Osuri suggests that whiteness emerges as a way of identifying groups of people associated with superiority (Osuri, 2008, p.199). What this means in terms of the film Aladdin is that the characters whiteness allows the audience to recognise subconsciously the superiority of these characters. This in turn positions these characters as the heroes and their whiteness allows the audience to put up Aladdin and Jasmine, although they are to a fault paradoxically Eastern.The gendered body also comes in to interrogation when analysing the Oriental figure. As Pugliese suggests Orientalist discourses invariably represent the Orient as phallocentrically feminine contrasting the masculine West (2008, p.209). In Aladdin the oriental antagonist Jafar carries feminine attributes such as thin wrists, and it can be suggested his mannerisms carry that of a female. His use of large hand gestures is seen as inherently female, and his possession of jewelry carries female connotations. This characterising of the feminine oriental is intended to show the inferiority and flunk of the East in contrast to the masculine West. The masculine West is correspond through the protagonist character of Aladdin, who contrasts the thin feminine oriental Jafar as the strong, muscular masculine West bounding through the streets of Agrabah.It should also be tell that throughout the film whilst all other males are seen wearing pants, Jafar the main Eastern antagonist is pictured wearing a long dress robe. The Middle Eastern appearance is much different from that of Western culture, and with Western Cultures very limited understanding of Middle Eastern culture the attempt at putting Jafar in a dress can be seen as a way of emasculating him as a male character. The castration of the male character also addresses his sexuality, and in the case of the oriental figure sexu ality has always haunted its figuration.When examining the oriental figure, the sexualising of the oriental male accompanies its configuration. The Muslim male is displayed as the sexual deviant, indulging in a adverse form of sexual behaviour. In the film Aladdin the movies antagonist Jafar encompasses the characteristics of the sexualised oriental in the scene where he captures the female protagonist Jasmine. In this scene Jafar has the character Jasmine chained up, restricted in her movements. Her attire has now changed from her usual sober outfit to red, which can be seen as a symbol of Jafars self-will due to his trademark red attire throughout the movie.The movie also suggests Jafars sexual intent with Jasmine through scenes displayed at the beginning of the movie. Though subtle, Jasmines red outfit matches that of the suggested prostitutes which swoon over protagonist Aladdin as he jump through the market place in his opening scene. By placing Jasmine in the same outfit t he film suggests Jafars sexual intent, and the confinement from her chains suggests Jafar intends on keeping her as a sexual slave.This representation of the sexually thwarted oriental Jafar perpetuates the Western perspective that all Islamic men mar in a perverse sexuality. As Puar and Rai suggest we often believe of the sexually frustrated Muslim men who are promised the heavenly support of sixtyor even seventy virgins (2002, p.126). This representation of the sexualised oriental East perpetuates the difference and separateness which the West attempts to construct between East and West.The character Aladdin is representative of the Wests ideology of sexuality, and further constructs the idea of good Western sexuality, and evil East sexuality. In the opening scenes we see the masculine Aladdin running through the town of Agrabah being chased by the buffoonish Arab police. As he is doing so the audience is displayed a scene in which women are seen swooning over the young protago nist. Aladdin is seen talking to young women, as well as older women as he appears to effortlessly charm them with his Western charisma. Women are seen to be attracted to the likeness of the young Western male, initiating conversation in an attempt to be seen by him. This contrasts the Eastern Oriental male who is displays a perverse sexuality and must capture his female audience to gain attention.In conclusion when analysing the film Aladdin we are able to see how Orientalism affects the construction, and the reading of the film. While the film may first encompass the ideology of the rags to riches story, we are able to see that in order to further the Western protagonists story it must pervert the Easts. This essay has displayed how Western culture enforces a constructed idea upon Eastern culture through constructing Western concepts of Eastern ideologies, physical appearance of the East and the sexualising of the oriental figure. These constructed ideas work to enforce the inf erior East and the powerful West and create a cultural and racial hierarchy which works to promote the Wests cultural ideas.