Respons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Respons - Essay Example The nationalization of the Egyptian cinema industry also played a role in destroying creativity, amongst producers. This in turn, led to the decline of the Egyptian Cinema (Hammond, 122). In Lebanon, its 15 year civil war played a role in the decline of the cinema industry, while the war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s, hampered the growth of cinema in these two countries. Viola Shafik argues that the traditional Islamic principles of representation are rarely applied or used in the Arab Cinema (54). Examples of these representations include non-spatial paintings of structures, ornamental rhythms of arabesque, etc. Shafik (62) further argues that almost all film makers, in the Arab world are using classic rules of Western art, to make their films. Shafik further denotes that the 20th century saw an increase in the use of a three-dimensional realistic art, and the use of new ideas that govern film production. This was able to promote artists as geniuses, undermining the traditional crafts and arts that were influenced by Islam. Shafik also denotes that Arab cinema has given women an important role in the film industry, and this is in line with the principles of Islam, which identify women as important pillars of the society (Shafik, 78). Hammond on the other hand argues that Islam has had a major contribution on film industry in the Arab world. This is because movies are censured, and any film that depicts Prophet Mohammed in a bad away is censured. Furthermore, all films produced in the Arab world, have to conform to the principles of Islam. This is one area where Viola Shafik and Andrew Hammond agreed upon. Any film that criticizes the personality of Prophet Mohammed is censored. Viola Shafik asserts that the use of symbolism in Arab art is not common. However, in the cinema, Symbolism has greatly been used, for purposes of identifying a hidden meaning, or representing an idea or a group of