For Monday, March 23rd: In Class Films: "Behind the Screens" and "Reel Bad Arabs"

I too would agree that “Reel Bad Arabs” has a more persuasive argument in its criticism of Hollywood. It is evident in how Arabs have been personified in films throughout the years translating into stereotypes filled with hatred and lies. The narrator, Dr. Jack Shaheen says in order to reverse the damage in our depiction of Arabs in films "we must not remain silent no matter what our role is in media". While in the film “Behind The Screens” the main premise was that films have become an effective vehicle for selling product and that it’s virtually impossible to create great films. Though I would agree that this is degrading the art of film making to some degree, the experts neglected to discuss the role of independent films and/or studios therefore not providing us with a complete analysis of this so called hypercommercialism era we are currently experiencing in Hollywood.