Sacha Baron Cohen's new film is called The Dictator and features - guess what? - a mad Arab dictator. I've nothing against lampooning dictators, but Baron Cohen has spent a large part of his career sending up Muslims - starting with Ali G, the idiotic (and presumably Muslim) rapper from Staines, then the admittedly hilarious Borat, onto Bruno's forays into the Middle East and now this new film. I had an unpleasant feeling when I watched his last film Bruno, particularly when he used Palestinians as part of a sketch where Bruno tries to make peace and confuses Hamas wuth humus. In this clip from Sky News in 2009 Baron Cohen reveals his views about Israel-Palestine when he repeatedly described the Fatah Al Aqsa member who he interviewed in Bruno as a 'terrorist'. He also clearly exploited the guy in the film to get a laugh. That's fine when it's a western politician, not so clever when he's a man who is fighting for his people's right to enjoy freedom in their own land. Essentially Baron Cohen repeats the official Israeli government line toward Palestinians who resist Israeli oppression - they are terrorists, plain and simple. I don't support terror attacks on civilians, but the Israeli government has killed thousands of Palestinian and Arab civilians over the years, and are the true terrorists in this conflict. Bruno meanwhile told US interviewers that the Middle East problem was Muslim fashion - Burkhas made Muslim women want to blow themselves up (geddit?). Is that satire, or just unsubtle anti-Muslim prejudice? May be I just don't get the funny.
Baron Cohen has just put out this unfunny clip as the dictator to complain about the Zionists controlling Hollywood - sorry but the whole mad Arab routine seems stale. If a Syrian sent up a dictator like the bloodthirsty Assads, that would be satire. Satire is a weapon of the powerless against the powerful. But when comedy is used to send up the oppressed and marginalised it is no longer satire, but some other kind of comedy, a bit like the racist, sexist and homophobic jokes of old school standup. I am not saying that Baron Cohen is racist - he is a very funny and at times brilliant film maker. But until he turns his satire on Zionism, Jews and / or Israel, his schtick will fall short. As a Jewish actor-provocateur isn't it time he created a new character, also from the Middle East? After Borat and Bruno, his name could be Bibi.
Baron Cohen has just put out this unfunny clip as the dictator to complain about the Zionists controlling Hollywood - sorry but the whole mad Arab routine seems stale. If a Syrian sent up a dictator like the bloodthirsty Assads, that would be satire. Satire is a weapon of the powerless against the powerful. But when comedy is used to send up the oppressed and marginalised it is no longer satire, but some other kind of comedy, a bit like the racist, sexist and homophobic jokes of old school standup. I am not saying that Baron Cohen is racist - he is a very funny and at times brilliant film maker. But until he turns his satire on Zionism, Jews and / or Israel, his schtick will fall short. As a Jewish actor-provocateur isn't it time he created a new character, also from the Middle East? After Borat and Bruno, his name could be Bibi.
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