Hey, here's a blast from the past.
It's January 1991 and we are in the process of kicking Iraqi ass in the first Gulf War.
Sally Field stars in the movie, "Not Without My Daughter" and almost all the lib media film critics pan it because it is racist, mean and spiteful towards muslims.
Here is an
excerpt from Roger Ebert who actually gave the film a good review:
The movie then plunges us into a world of Islamic fundamentalism, which it depicts in shrill terms as one of men who beat their wives, of a religion that honors women by depriving them of what in the West would be considered basic human rights, of women who are willing or unwilling captives of their men. No attempt is made - deliberately, I assume - to explain the Muslim point of view, except in rigid sets of commands and rote statements. No Muslim character is painted in a favorable light; the local people who help the heroine are dissidents or outlaws. We are not even permitted to learn what they say, because the film declines to use subtitles to translate the considerable spoken dialogue of the Iranian characters.
All is seen from the point of view of Betty, who is shown surrounded by harsh, cruel religious fanatics.
Islam is not a religion that reflects Western beliefs about human dignity. It seems to have little place for the concept of individual freedom - especially as it applies to women. The chilling death sentence pronounced against Salman Rushdie is an example of its regard for free speech, and Rushdie's recent attempts at compromise, as the price of buying his life, are understandable even while they are unutterably depressing. Yet at the same time we should stubbornly believe in a concept of fair play - even fair play for those who might not play fair with us. And "Not Without My Daughter" does not play fair with its Muslim characters. If a movie of such a vitriolic and spiteful nature were to be made in America about any other ethnic group, it would be denounced as racist and prejudiced.
Actually, it is nothing short of a miracle that this movie was made at all. And yeah, it was based on actual events. The thing about islam is that you don't need to embellish sh*t about it. It's a horror story without having to do anything other than write historical accounts of real events.
I am sure that Roger Ebert still stands by his review of this film and that his attitude towards the "misunderstood" muslim people is also unchanged.
Still waiting for the muslim sitcom show on one of the major networks. It will be a scream.
BTW, here is a more typical snobby multi-culti
review from the NYts.