Modern Day Race Relations and Stereotypes: Three Kings.
Ever so often, a movie is made showing just how ignorant our society can be when dealing with race relations. Rarely, however, do we as a society view a movie that does so and makes an effort, even if on a subconscious level, to show that these thoughts and relations that are so imprinted on our brains can prove us all to be foolish for having a one-track thought process. A film such as Three Kings (1999) may in fact give us a new outlook on how we think and work with the opposite races, or perhaps in a time of questioning one's place in the world, a more accurate outlook on how society really works, instead of the conventional stereotypes that the media produces itself. .
Three Kings incorporates Blacks and Whites in a joint effort to suppress the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in the Gulf War. One may notice the typical Middle-Eastern stereotypes in this film, in addition to the problems amongst the Black and White soldiers shown early on in the movie. These stereotypes shall be explored and explained in regard to how they actually affect the viewer, and society as a whole. This film, although obviously opaque on the surface, is more transparent if it is examined properly. Over the course of this essay, these stereotypes shall be identified, and explained in relation to the media, and to society itself.
The textual analysis of the proposed film will be made possible by viewing Three Kings on videocassette, and making specific notes about the key situations in the film. In addition to my direct criticism, Roger Ebert's 1999 review of the film, and The Representation of Arabs in U.S. Electronic Media shall be used as resources. The conclusion of this paper should effectively find that the normal stereotypes in movies are not always the Hollywood standard. In fact, Three Kings is anything but normal.
Directed by David O. Russell, Three Kings was theatrically released in 1999.