KINGDOM of CHAOS

1. KINGDOM of CHAOS Mr. McFadden KINGDOM of CHAOS. By: Eagan, Daniel, Film Journal International, Sep2007, Vol. 110, Issue 9

2. Objectives • Summarize the movie, The Kingdom • Explain scenes that enable us to grasp a better understanding of the Middle East • Recall favorite scenes from The Kingdom • Explain scenes that give favorable and unfavorable impressions of the Middle East • Compare what we’ve learned from Mr. Roth to what we learn from The Kingdom • Assess the difficulty of conducting an investigation of terrorism in a foreign place • Interpret what we can learn culturally about NASACA from The Kingdom

3. Idea for Movie • Where did Peter Berg find the idea? • Memoir by former FBI director Louis J. Freeh • Writing about 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers • FBI agents had difficulty conducting the investigation

4. Idea for Movie • Michael Mann + Scott Stuber= Producers • Believed it would work if focused on the criminal investigation, not politics • Berg- "That's one thing I think Americans don't consider when they are confronted with a suicide bombing.” • "We don't really look at acts of terrorism as crimes. We don't look past the bomber to the people who weren't caught, the people who organized and recruited and financed the bombers.”

5. Location • Berg- filmmaker visa from Prince Turki al Faisal • Allowed to spend 10 days in Saudi Arabia • Closed society- no movie theatres, no public film community • Able to recreate Saudi society in Abu Dhabi, U. A. E. • Ironically, Saudis seemed to be open to Western culture • Teens with Eminem and Jay-Z t-shirts • Late-night Internet café

6. Cast of Characters • Jamie Foxx agreed to take difficult role • Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner followed • Two Saudi Arabian roles played by Palestinians • Ashraf Barhom & Ali Suliman • Berg- "I always thought of this film as a buddy film between an American and an Arab.”

7. Cast of Characters • Lead actors trained with FBI students • Attended bomb school near LA • Difficulty finding Saudis for all the roles • Casting- Palestinians, Kuwaitis, Iraqis, Egyptians • 15 regional accents- Berg was prepared to hear complaints about dialogue

8. Film’s Centerpiece • Just before shooting of centerpiece- Israel attacked Hamas in Lebanon • Had to cancel two-week scene and shoot it Mesa, Arizona • Abu Dhabi officials wanted to him reconsider • Heat- drawback in Mesa • Garner fainted one time

9. Housing Compound (Movie Begins) • America inside Saudi Arabia • Place for Westerners to live • Oil and natural gas employees • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudi_Aramco • http://americanbedu.com/2011/03/07/saudi-arabia-the-western-compound/

10. Questions? • http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0431197/

11. Final Points • Berg- “…The Kingdom could be perceived as jingoistic, overtly pro-American. That's clearly not the message of the film. My goal was to try to present Muslim culture in a way that wasn't inflammatory, but that showed humans, families, people trying to live their lives. There has to be a moderate Arab population, or everyone over there would be dead.” • "I'm aware that audiences are cheering when Jennifer Garner kills an Arab in one scene. That's not a reaction I entirely anticipated, but I do understand it. I don't think it's a jingoistic cheer for killing Arabs because I've seen Arabs applaud at that moment too. I think, I hope, it's more a 'good guy beating a bad guy' moment.” • Berg admits- "The concept of a military resolution to the problems of the Middle East is not realistic. What we are doing now is creating new generations of haters."