Tania Kamal-Eldin’s Hollywood Harems: A Documentary was produced by Women Make Movies (Firm) in 1999. Tania Kamal-Elin is an independent filmmaker and university educator. She has an MFA in Visual Arts from UCSD, an MSC in Political Economy from the London School of Economics. She has also taught at Palomar College and UCSD. Kamal-Elin’s accomplishments include publishing several fictional novels along with co-authoring a book of short stories. Her current job is an assistant professor at the American University, School of Communication in Film and Media Arts, in Washington DC In Hollywood Harems: A Documentary, Kamal-Elin reveals to viewers that Hollywood’s portrayal of harem dancers has inadvertently reinforced or deliberately stereotyping Middle Eastern women while continuing to elevate the social status of Anglo-European and American women.
The stereotype surrounding Middle Eastern women has been pervasive ever since Europeans first visited the Middle East and brought back highly exaggerated stories of sensualized places where men’s lust and thirst for skin is satisfied. Despite its phoniness, the depiction of scantily clad women scattered sensually around a room in various positions doing nothing more than lazily enjoying music and indulging themselves has been Hollywood’s preferred portrayal of Middle Eastern women. In fact, most Middle Eastern women do not engage in morally ambiguous activities, but instead embraced the stereotype that Western nations placed in their culture; for example in Micklewright’s Harem/House/Set:
Playing on the stereotype of the harem, Ottoman snapshots reveal not only an understanding of the stereotype, but also a complex sense of parody. By inhabiting the stereotype and intentionally constructing a flawed version, the photographer and his subjects reclaim their own agency. in addressing (and mocking) Western constructions of their society”. (Micklewright 257)
Kamal Elin uses clips of harems from Hollywood productions dating from the 1920s through the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s to show how Hollywood convinced the general public to believe that Middle Eastern women are more than willing subjects in harems. fantasized by men. In reality, the actresses portraying these stereotypical harems were actually born and raised in America’s heartland, came to Hollywood penniless, and were forced to accept whatever acting opportunity was available. In some cases, these actresses took on the role of harem girls and made their fortune convincing young men of their exotic sexiness.
Hollywood Harems: A Documentary is a landmark film that shares many of the same aspects of our other readings: highly sexualized harems are the product of stereotypes perpetuated by Anglo-Europeans and Anglo-Americans because the belief that the status of women in Western countries is morally superior to those of the East or to fulfill the fantasies of young people who believe the rumors about Middle Eastern harems. In Hollywood Harems: A Documentary, the filmmakers of the different clips combined different elements from elements originating from Arab, Persian, Chinese, and Indian culture to form the atmosphere of a fictional Middle East that viewers were accustomed to in a similar way. how British photographer Roger Fenton created a harem setting for his photographs. Fenton’s photographs portrayed a “lavish use of textiles of different colours, textures and patterns to create the space, which is furnished with a low sofa and cushions. Smaller decorative elements: the inlaid table, a tray with a coffee pot and mugs , the two flutes and the musical instruments (violin, tambourine and drum) complete the scene”. (Micklewright 242)
Fenton’s use of these decorative elements gave his buyers the Middle Eastern setting they desired, despite the fact that the general population of the Ottoman Empire he was inspired by had hardly any harems within their own home and those with rooms designated for Harems were nowhere near Fenton’s interpretation.
Hollywood Harems: A Documentary reveals that the media portrayal of Middle Eastern harems was enthusiastically received by the general public as the correct description of the daily lives of Middle Eastern women. The various clips in Hollywood Harems: A Documentary were mostly black and white, but the filmmakers manipulated various elements of the film to contribute to the intended Middle Eastern atmosphere. Some filmmakers used dim lighting in their work to create a sense of sleaze and taboo that hinted that harems were places where suspicious and possibly illegal transactions were common. The filmmakers also decided on costume options by directing women to wear only the minimum amount of clothing because regulations dictating the amount of women’s clothing required in a film only apply to Anglo women and not to ethnicities. Finally, much like Robert Fenton’s or Sebah and Joaillier’s depiction of harems, the filmmakers strategically placed luxurious elements such as ottomans, musical instruments, and reclining chairs to tie together the feel of a room intended for relaxing and sensual pursuits.
Historical Harems: A Documentary by Tania Kamal Elin is a valid source of history that fulfills its mission to identify the influence of Hollywood movies on the general population’s perception of harems and Middle Eastern women. Kamal Elin juxtaposes clips from different decades in the 1900s that demonstrate how the misguided stereotype of Middle Eastern harems persisted to the present day. My reaction to the movie is shock and enlightenment as I realized that most people have this stereotype about harems, myself included. The influence of the media on everyday life is tremendous and I am sure I have many other stereotypes that have yet to be discovered. The visual elements of the harems in each clip were indicative of the era in which they were produced, showing us what viewers of each time period believed harems to be. Historic Harems: A Documentary provides an eye-opening insight into the stereotypes of Middle Eastern harems held by Western civilizations.