While these depictions were arguably silly and harmless, they flattened the differences among Middle Eastern cultures, while portraying the region as backwards and in need of civilizing by the West. Early Hollywood films such as “ The Sheik” and “ Arabian Nights” portrayed the Middle East as a monolithic fantasy land – a magical desert filled with genies, flying carpets and rich men living in opulent palaces with their harem girls. Orientalism in Hollywood has a long history. A movie poster for the 1921 film ‘The Sheik.’ Library of Congress
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