If you could go back in time in the Middle East and listen in on some children in the 1980s and 1990s, you might be surprised to hear in response to a farewell or a greeting, “bye” or “wa alakum al salam” followed by “may the force be with you.”
Many of the blockbuster films of that time also had plenty of fans in this part of the world.
One of the biggest arguments I had with my school friends was over who would be Darth Vader. We already had abayas that could easily work as his dark cloak. The helmet was often a bucket covered with a shayla, and the face cover a medical face mask coloured with black pens or paint. A few friends simply used their niqab.
Back then, we would quote lines from movies and dubbed Japanese anime all the time because that was the cool thing to do.
In a world constantly marred by war, violence and abuse, it is no wonder we all flock to see movies to help us escape into a world of sci-fi, heroes and imagination. This week Star Wars made headlines again as fans crashed cinema websites selling advance tickets for Episode VII: The Force Awakens.
Back in the 1980s and 1990s, no one could have imagined that the latest instalments of Star Wars and Star Trek would have segments shot right here.
My friends and I have been discussing where to go for the Star Wars premiere and whether we should dress up or not. We have come a long way from watching bootlegged copies of movies and cartoons when we were children. We did so because there were no cinemas in some parts of the region. Even where they did exist, they didn’t always screen films we wanted to watch.
Today there are so many movies, so many celebrities and icons, that trends come and go very quickly. The teenage kids of my friends often don’t understand our “dedication” to Star Wars, perhaps because there is so much more choice now.
I often reflect on my childhood and how we would mix up the words and characters.
Sometimes bits from Star Trek, Indiana Jones and even moves from the late king of pop Michael Jackson would slip into our world. Yes, a friend of mine did a Moon walk while dressed as Darth Vader and she did it very well. Now she is married with three children who can’t believe their “very proper” mother did that. They want “evidence”.
It never crossed our minds to record these moments, as we were just living in the moment, and, anyway, there were no smartphones.
One of the important points to highlight here is that many of us actually didn’t learn English at school, or if we did, it was very basic. The movies were often our first and most important teachers. We worked hard in the last year at our schools to catch up on English to head to universities and colleges.
Today’s generation of Arabs take it for granted they are prepared for international standards and colleges, and often speak better English than Arabic.
For some odd reason, during a phase of my youth, I would end up talking like Humphrey Bogart. I would even say: “Here’s looking at you, kid” (his most famous line from 1942’s Casablanca) and do that ear rubbing move of his from time to time for emphasis. I didn’t, and still don’t know, what it means and why it stuck.
As we all stand in line to watch the latest Star Wars, it will be interesting to see if any new lines get picked up and become as legendary as those in the original trilogy.
For all of us in the UAE, we will be watching closely for any recognition of the Liwa Desert during the Tatooine scenes, which may prove difficult but will undoubtedly be good fun.
rghazal@thenational.ae
On Twitter: @Arabianmau
