|
From
Aleppo
to
Hollywood
|
By
Maged Hebtah
Translated by Abdelazim R. Abdelazim
|
09/08/2004
|
|
|
|
Al-Akkad and Crew
|
How
did a young man born in 1933 in Aleppo (Halab), Syria’s second largest city,
become attached to the cinema? And how did he make his way to the
United States in 1954?
Al-Akkad
relates his story with a calmness conjuring up the coziness of dear
reminiscences of a man who has chosen to cling to his origins. He reveals that
his love for the cinema stems from a small cinema that was owned by one of his
old neighbors.
“I
always accompanied that man; I used to watch how he cut the scenes and put the
film into the projection device. It was my passion in life. Gradually I started
dreaming of becoming a moviemaker. When I turned 18 I started announcing my
enthusiasm to become a film director, and not just any director; a
Hollywood
director. The whole
Aleppo
neighborhood used to laugh and make fun of me.”
California
Dreaming
Al-Akkad
affirms that he does not blame his neighbors for thinking he was crazy. The
dream, in a way, was a kind of craziness. “In addition to the fact that a job
in the movie world was socially unacceptable,” Al-Akkad explains, “my father
was a poor man. The best he could do was enroll me in an American school.
However, despite the mockery of others, I didn’t give up my dream and began to
take steps towards its fulfillment, one of which was applying to UCLA (University
of
California
atLos Angeles). It came as a great surprise when my application was accepted!”
I
ask about what his family thought of all this and expect the response narrated
by most actors and actresses who relate the story of their early steps towards
stardom: that his family strongly opposed the idea and that his father tried to
convince him to forget about his dream altogether.
However,
Al-Akkad’s story does not fit the general paradigm. “My father brought me up
on the principle of self-reliance. His comment was, ‘You should do what you
want to do and choose to live your life as you wish; but I’m afraid I cannot
help you financially.’ Thus, I was forced to work for a year to be able to pay
for my education. After this year I told my father I would be traveling to the
United States. He put $200 into one of my pockets and a copy of the Holy Qur’an into the
other and said, ‘This is all I can give you.’ However, he had already given
me the most invaluable of things; he brought me up to be morally and religiously
mature and responsible. Whenever I remember him, I praise Allah for having
blessed me with this father, who sent me to America
penniless but rich in morality, religion, and heritage—the reasons I still
cherish my Arab Muslim background.”
Inferiority
Complex
I
asked him whether being an Arab called Mustapha caused him any trouble in
America.
“Of
course, there were many troubles, but they were not initiated by those around
me. The problem was inside of me. I went to the
United States
laden with inferiority complexes because I wrongly thought I was inferior to
those around me, that they were far more intelligent than me, and that it would
be difficult or even impossible to emulate them. However, once I sat at my desk
and mingled with other international students, I found that being an Arab Muslim
did not make me inferior in any way. Conversely, I realized from the very first
class that there had never been a difference between me and any Western student,
and that I possessed the qualities that would make me surpass them. When I
studied society there, I realized that I was morally stronger than them and
truly appreciated the moral values with which my father had raised me. After
this illumination, I experienced a transformation in my way of thinking, and the
inferiority complexes turned into self-confidence. From that point onwards, I
began studying Arab-Islamic civilization to deepen my sense of self-confidence
and awareness that we had been leading the world at a time the West was
inhabited by a group of barbaric tribes. I learned that we had been much more
advanced in many branches of knowledge while they were in a state of ignorance
and backwardness. These are the themes I have ever since been trying to
visualize on the big screen: portraying the days in which we ruled Andalusia,
taught the ‘barbaric’ and ignorant Europeans the sciences of astronomy and
medicine, and helped them to put their feet on the ladder of civilization.”
So,
what about your name specifically, I asked again.
“As
far as my name is concerned,” he replied, “there is no doubt that it has
caused me severe problems, to the extent that many have advised me to change it
so that I could practice my work more easily. I resolutely refused. I firmly
believe that changing the name chosen for me by my father would mean rejecting
my identity as well as the man who raised me. I realized that the worst my name
could do to me was to make me more determined to exert effort to increase the
demand for me. I worked incessantly to gain the respect of my colleagues and
audience. I’d like to highlight the fact that others won’t respect you
unless you respect yourself.
“Those
Arabs who come to the
United States, change their names, and deny their Arabic tongue only to make more money
disgust me. This opportunism is due to inferiority complexes that they are not
managing to get rid of. They simply assimilate completely and deny everything,
even their own selves; they forget themselves.”
I
asked him, “You cherish your name and work hard to distinguish yourself; how
did you manage to achieve this?”
“I
armed myself as a cinema director and leaned on my Arab Islamic background,
which provided me with the creative capacity to learn to command the secrets of
the seventh art and the American cinema, which dominates internationally. Praise
be to Allah, I managed to firmly enforce my artistic presence because I mastered
my cinematic language and instruments. I believe this is reflected in The
Message and Lion of the Desert. The Message acquainted Western
society with the true Islamic religion and Lion of the Desert very
credibly reflects the current tragic situation in
Palestine!”
I
ask Al-Akkad what his presence in
Hollywood
has accomplished for him in the movie industry. He says, “They now know for
sure that I can make profit-reaping, audience-attracting movies. That’s why
their studios seek my experience. Universal Studios asked to me to direct Halloween
8, and many other production companies seek my professionalism.”
During
the interview, a young man resembling Al-Akkad greets us. Al-Akkad introduces
him as his son Malik and says, “He has been fond of cinema direction ever
since he was a child and specialized in it. Considering his young age, he has
already overtaken me. He participated in directing Halloween very
distinctively. Because he can communicate with and understand the youth better
than me, I always ask his opinion whenever I want to address them. He will
assist me in directing Saladin. Even though he has been raised in
America, he attaches much value to his Arabic background and origin.”
Perhaps
he notices the surprise on my face, so he says, “Don’t be astonished. If you
visit my home, you’ll feel as if you are in
Aleppo
—its atmosphere, food, music, language, and religion. However, when I go out
and close the door behind me, I become an all-American man in my way of
thinking, practicality, logic, work ethics, and everything else.”
In
the Interview: Read Also
Maged
Hebtah is a journalist based in Cairo, Egypt
|
