Critic Accuses Prince of Persia of "Whitewashing"

[MatsVS]

The flippancy with which most of you approach this undeniably serious topic both amuses and disturbs me. But white arrogance aside, I can't help but support in Walter Chaw in his speculation:

"You could say that it's harmless, escapist fun for stupid people, but I do wonder how a movie produced in Iran with an all-Persian cast about, oh, the signing of the Declaration of Independence would play in Providence?"

 

[The_Healer]

The Persian civilisation died out over a thousand years ago, we have little idea what race they actually were and its often misconstrued that they are the same as the arabs that now inhabit the area.

Interestingly, the word 'aryan' was first used by the Persians (in particular during Xerxes' era) to describe their race... so perhaps this is not so wrong after all?

 

[4484448444844484]

Hmm, doesn't it make sense that a game produced in a country would feature actors from that country simply because they're easier to find?

 

[-Samurai-]

This is why racism exists, because people create it out of nothing.

That being said, I can't remember ever seeing a Persian actor, or at least one capable of holding a starring role.

 

[SamElliot'sMustache]

Incidentally, I never liked the idea of Gyllenhaal in this role. I'd suggest a replacement, but can anyone name an actor from the middle east off the top of your heads? Sayid from LOST is all that comes to mind.

And the funny part is that he's an Aussie of Middle Eastern descent Brit of Indian descent. My bad.

Anyway, I think the guy has a fairly decent point about the whole whitewashing thing (the plot of "Prince of Persia" does draw some inspiration from a similarly-themed movie called "The Thief of Baghdad", which had a white guy playing an Arabic prince, so this sort of thing goes back quite a ways), but I don't think it was racism on the part of the studio or the directors (at least not overtly). Gyllenhaal's a good actor, who's been in some commercially successful films, and just seems to fit the role.

Incidentally, "Thief of Baghdad" is pretty awesome, if a little cheesy, and did have a popular-for-the-time Iranian actor named Sabu (in the sidekick role...sorta) who did runny-jumpy-climby stunts. It could have been awesome if the studio tried banking on someone like that nowadays.

 

[UltraParanoia]

The Persian civilisation died out over a thousand years ago, we have little idea what race they actually were and its often misconstrued that they are the same as the arabs that now inhabit the area.

Interestingly, the word 'aryan' was first used by the Persians (in particular during Xerxes' era) to describe their race... so perhaps this is not so wrong after all?

Iran is supposedly a bastardization of the word Aryan.

It's odd, casting a white guy to play the prince is a bad thing, yet casting a black guy as Heimdall in the upcoming Thor movie hasn't raised any eyebrows, and he is literally described as the white god.

 

[Billion Backs]

It's pretty annoying, yes, but there has been much worse examples of white washing...

Didn't, what's his name, Stallone once play fucking Genghis Khan?

Fuck, not Stallone, I forget his name. The aikido cop guy who ends up beating the shit out of everyone instead of being, you know, a policeman.

 

[punkrocker27]

I won't get into the pedantics of it all but ancient Persians did not appear the same way as modern ones do nowadays. Here in the west we have some major misconceptions about what the middle east is/was like, as evidenced by the way everything in entertainment is painted over with this archetypal "Arabian Nights" theme. That's what happened with Alexander and the movie sucked.

Sure they probably could have found a truly Persian actor for the role of the prince, but does that make it a bad film just because they didn't? I don't think so. Gylenhaal is half Jewish by the way, if that makes you feel any better, although they aren't really that culturally or historically related either...Anyway, don't worry about that crap, just go see the movie for yourself.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

Uhh... I wish Hollywood would prove that they are not just "Story Corp." (a cookie to if you know what I am talking about) and do something that would be more correct thematically and not something that will get them more money.

Of course how much star power does, "that guy from Day after Tomorrow" have?

 

[DoW Lowen]

While I haven't watched Airbender, and I'm planning to - I'm pretty certain the Antagonist is white but is now Indian, and the two best friends of the main character were white as well.

 

[Reaper195]

"It's not only insulting to Persians, it's also insulting to white people. It's saying white people can't enjoy movies unless the protagonist is white."

Of course! Because I must not have enjoyed Bad Boys 1/2 enough to have watched them multiple times because I'm white!

*Shakes head* ...fuckin' critics...

 

[minarri]

This is old news guys

http://bobshouseofvideogames.com/2010/05/17/video-game-lol-looking-persian/

 

[TheIr0nMike]

Liberal guilt from indie guy, embarrassed to be a part of his culture, etc.

 

[temporalcrux]

They shoulda cast Antonio Banderas! You know what I'm talkin' 'bout.

 

[temporalcrux]

It's pretty annoying, yes, but there has been much worse examples of white washing...

Didn't, what's his name, Stallone once play fucking Genghis Khan?

Fuck, not Stallone, I forget his name. The aikido cop guy who ends up beating the shit out of everyone instead of being, you know, a policeman.

John Wayne played Genghis Khan once.

 

[Dramatic Flare]

Now if only Persia still existed.

*facepalm*

I understand what the man is saying, but that doesn't relieve the stupidity.

EDIT: Apparently Iran is still known as Persia. I just thought the name died with their empire.

 

[Addendum_Forthcoming]

Well given that the World of Prince of Persia is completely fictional and has nothing to do with any semblance of reality, why the hell should ethnicity be a matter at all?

That being said the guy in the original PoP game was as white as a turkey sandwich so if they producers of the film really think this may hurt them at all in anyway then maybe they should say they werwe 'paying a parodising homage to the original creation" :3

Seriously, PC-ness can curl up and die! The sooner the better ... people should stop pussy footing about when it comes to things like "what may potentially offend people" ... Does the movie entertain? That should be the criterion on how it should be judged ... but by saying this is a classic case of 'whitewashing' is fucking bat-shit insane.

People who find that the Prince's ethnicity is 'wrong for the part' should drink a glass of concrete and harden the fuck up.

 

[SilverUchiha]

Someone had to play the goddamn race-card. Can't we just sit back and try to enjoy the movie? Why do we have to get all upset over something as irrelevant as the race of the lead actor?

 

[Speakercone]

I'm always confused by this sort of thing. Are we really saying that actors should be limited in their roles to those which match their ethnicity? Because I don't think I'd mind seeing the part of Othello being played by a Japanese man for instance.