‘SALADIN: THE HERO WHO BECAME A LEGEND’ – WHO FAILS IN HIS NEW MISSION.
…IT DEMEANS THE ARAB, ALL MUSLIMS AND ISLAM – WHICH ANYONE CAN DO WITHOUT HAVING TO SPEND MILLIONS. (JUST TALK TO GEERT WILDERS AND TERRY JONES!)
By Mansor Puteh
ARE SALADIN AND THE OTHERS IN THIS ANIMATED TELEVISON SERIAL ARAB
AND MUSLIMS IN THE FIRST PLACE? THEY DO NOT LOOK LIKE IT.
DOES THE WORLD NOW KNOW MORE OF WHO HE AND THE OTHER
CHARACTERS ARE?
IF THE OLD ‘CHARLIE CHAN’ POLICE TELEVISION DRAMA SERIAL COULD BE
DEEMED TO BE OFFENSIVE TO THE CHINESE; THEN ‘SALADIN’ CAN ALSO BE
SAID TO HAVE DONE THE SAME TO THE ARAB, ALL MUSLIMS AND ISLAM – THE
1.7 BILLION OF THEM WORLDWIDE.
It’s not just that ‘Charlie Chan’ was produced by non-Chinese was The matter, but more than
that it demeans all the Chinese as people who are uncultured.
No wonder the serial has never been released on television ever again even for late night repeats
on American television.
Rudolf Valentino playing an Arab sheikh in ‘The Sheik’ and ‘The Son of Sheik’ is another story
altogether.
We can blame the Americans for being naïve for creating Charlie Chan the way they did a long
time ago.
And can’t we also blame the financers and producers of ‘Saladin: The Hero who became a
legend’ also for being equally naïve and insensitive for what they had done fairly recently?
Haven’t they all learnt from the ‘Charlie Chan’ debacle? Don’t they know Hollywood history?
If Salahuddin al-Ayubi has to be resurrected from the grave, it must be done with a real and
genuine purpose.
Saladin should be given a new task to perform especially now in the post-911 era of uncertainty
and of Islamophobia.
He should not be used to allow some companies to make a tidy profit while not proving much to
push the limits of the computer generated image or CGI expertise in the country.
The limited animated television serial is too superficial, stylized and too Hollywood and devoid
of soul and Islamic and Arab dements and perspective to be relevant to the times in the post-911
era.
It definitely demeans the Arab and Islam. It suffers from poor research and scriptwriting and
emphasis, so it lacks relevance to the time.
If the names and places in the serial are changed, no one could tell the difference as it could pass
or any animated serial.
To say it in a rough way: it is a stupid production, tasteless and utterly meaningless.
Most film critics in Malaysia find this animated limited television serial which is being shown on
RTM in two versions to be difficult to review. They are confused by it or they simply do not care
to watch it to find out what it is all about.
I am not confused or awed by it.
So till now there is not one of them and other amateur reviewers have dared to even write about
it.
They did not know how to look at it or worse, to review, much less, to criticize it.
They were awed with its creative and artistic qualities because it is ‘too Hollywood’. Therefore, it
cannot be touched or commented.
I beg to differ.
Apart from the its high animation quality, the other more important elements and aspects have
been neglected by the creators of this animation.
This is despite the huge amount of money that had been spent on its production – or RM30
million and financed entirely by MDec and Aljazeera.
These two concerns should know better. And how on earth were they awed with such a
production which deals with a popular and influential Arab character? I am not. And I have valid
reasons for saying so.
First, concerns the amount that has been spent. For it, a full-length feature-length version should
have been produced for the cinemas worldwide, considering how Saladin, as he is known
internationally can become another hit, if only the producers or Saladin Al-Ayubi and their
financiers know this.
But what they did not know right from the beginning was that having such a plain title for a
production reveals the depravity in their appreciation of who he was and what he still is today
especially amongst the Arab and Muslims.
Two, the failure of this serial is how it looks too Hollywood. So it does not mean much as it did
not aim to be original.
The Japanese animators deliberately did not want their productions and animated characters to
look Hollywood; they created them to look different. And this difference was what had awed
Hollywood enough to proclaim their animators to be of world standard and at par with them.
The animators of Saladin Al-Ayubi have not managed to awe Hollywood even with their attempt
to do so by trying to copy them.
All the characters in Saladin Al-Ayubi look and sound too American. In fact, they also behave
like Americans in all aspects – psychological and physical with Saladin having blonde hair and a
thick American accent.
The worst part of it all is how the creators and producers of this limited animated serial who are
non-Muslims Malaysian had betrayed the trust that was given to them.
For such a huge amount that was given to them to produce this serial, couldn’t they engage an
Arab or Melayu historian to help provide another dimension to it?
Saladin is not a happy-go-lucky person who enjoys adventures and jumping about. He is more
than that. He is an Arab and also more importantly an Islamic propagator.
Unfortunately, these aspects were not stressed.
In the end Saladin was shown to look and behave like Mickey Mouse, with the other characters
looking no better.
In short, Saladin Al-Ayubi is a poorly produced limited animated serial on Saladin, the hero of
the Arab and an Islamic propagator.
His gestures are not Arab in nature. There is no Islamic salutation of ‘asalamulaikum’ and
hugging.
The movements of the characters are crude with a lot of fancy Hong Kong-style actions showing
human characters flying in the air in cinematic kung fu formations.
Saladin had earlier appeared in a Hollywood feature film production called Kingdom of Heaven
where the director, Scott Ridley, deliberately and took pains to paint him as a humanist.
I feel sorry for MDec and Aljazeera for approving and supporting the production of this
animated serial.
It has failed in many ways.
At a time like this when Muslims and Islam have been heavily criticized by some others especially
those in the west who suffer from Islamophobia, due to the failures of the foreign policies of
their respective governments, such an animated serial on Saladin can cause many to look at the
Arab and Islam in a totally new light.
Unfortunately, this didn’t happen.
The reason being the producers and their financiers merely wanted to make fun of Saladin and
not attempting to show him in the context of the present political quagmire the Arabs have got
themselves in, due mostly to the political adventures of the others in the west.
Therefore, Saladin Al-Ayub, the animated television serial has no context, political or otherwise.
It is just an animated serial for television. Worse, it looks like it was made for underage children
and non-critical viewers.
It is not enough that it has been shown in many countries, mainly in the Arab World, but has it
managed to create excitement amongst the historians and other experts? No.
Even in Malaysia where it has been shown for a few weeks, it has not managed to create any
excitement, simply because it is too watered down and too American as well as too Hollywood.
Therefore, it looks too alien.
Many Melayu and Muslims in Malaysia will even want to find it too repulsive simply because the
producers who are not Melayu or Muslims had unknowingly taken it upon themselves, to defame
the Arabs and Islam by not making Saladin and the other characters look like they are proud
Arabs and Muslims.
In fact, they don’t look Muslims at all as much as Mickey Mouse does not look like a mouse.
MDec and Aljazeera who do not have experts in Saladin have failed in their duties to protect his
image and to trust him in a new and important light for the viewers to enjoy watching him more.
They should remember that having the financial resources and creativity alone do not guarantee
that their production can be admired by those who can afford and who are qualified to study
them.
In short, my final analysis is that the limited animated serial called Saladin Al-Ayubi failed
miserably.
By Mansor Puteh
ARE SALADIN AND THE OTHERS IN THIS ANIMATED TELEVISON SERIAL ARAB
AND MUSLIMS IN THE FIRST PLACE? THEY DO NOT LOOK LIKE IT.
DOES THE WORLD NOW KNOW MORE OF WHO HE AND THE OTHER
CHARACTERS ARE?
IF THE OLD ‘CHARLIE CHAN’ POLICE TELEVISION DRAMA SERIAL COULD BE
DEEMED TO BE OFFENSIVE TO THE CHINESE; THEN ‘SALADIN’ CAN ALSO BE
SAID TO HAVE DONE THE SAME TO THE ARAB, ALL MUSLIMS AND ISLAM – THE
1.7 BILLION OF THEM WORLDWIDE.
It’s not just that ‘Charlie Chan’ was produced by non-Chinese was The matter, but more than
that it demeans all the Chinese as people who are uncultured.
No wonder the serial has never been released on television ever again even for late night repeats
on American television.
Rudolf Valentino playing an Arab sheikh in ‘The Sheik’ and ‘The Son of Sheik’ is another story
altogether.
We can blame the Americans for being naïve for creating Charlie Chan the way they did a long
time ago.
And can’t we also blame the financers and producers of ‘Saladin: The Hero who became a
legend’ also for being equally naïve and insensitive for what they had done fairly recently?
Haven’t they all learnt from the ‘Charlie Chan’ debacle? Don’t they know Hollywood history?
If Salahuddin al-Ayubi has to be resurrected from the grave, it must be done with a real and
genuine purpose.
Saladin should be given a new task to perform especially now in the post-911 era of uncertainty
and of Islamophobia.
He should not be used to allow some companies to make a tidy profit while not proving much to
push the limits of the computer generated image or CGI expertise in the country.
The limited animated television serial is too superficial, stylized and too Hollywood and devoid
of soul and Islamic and Arab dements and perspective to be relevant to the times in the post-911
era.
It definitely demeans the Arab and Islam. It suffers from poor research and scriptwriting and
emphasis, so it lacks relevance to the time.
If the names and places in the serial are changed, no one could tell the difference as it could pass
or any animated serial.
To say it in a rough way: it is a stupid production, tasteless and utterly meaningless.
Most film critics in Malaysia find this animated limited television serial which is being shown on
RTM in two versions to be difficult to review. They are confused by it or they simply do not care
to watch it to find out what it is all about.
I am not confused or awed by it.
So till now there is not one of them and other amateur reviewers have dared to even write about
it.
They did not know how to look at it or worse, to review, much less, to criticize it.
They were awed with its creative and artistic qualities because it is ‘too Hollywood’. Therefore, it
cannot be touched or commented.
I beg to differ.
Apart from the its high animation quality, the other more important elements and aspects have
been neglected by the creators of this animation.
This is despite the huge amount of money that had been spent on its production – or RM30
million and financed entirely by MDec and Aljazeera.
These two concerns should know better. And how on earth were they awed with such a
production which deals with a popular and influential Arab character? I am not. And I have valid
reasons for saying so.
First, concerns the amount that has been spent. For it, a full-length feature-length version should
have been produced for the cinemas worldwide, considering how Saladin, as he is known
internationally can become another hit, if only the producers or Saladin Al-Ayubi and their
financiers know this.
But what they did not know right from the beginning was that having such a plain title for a
production reveals the depravity in their appreciation of who he was and what he still is today
especially amongst the Arab and Muslims.
Two, the failure of this serial is how it looks too Hollywood. So it does not mean much as it did
not aim to be original.
The Japanese animators deliberately did not want their productions and animated characters to
look Hollywood; they created them to look different. And this difference was what had awed
Hollywood enough to proclaim their animators to be of world standard and at par with them.
The animators of Saladin Al-Ayubi have not managed to awe Hollywood even with their attempt
to do so by trying to copy them.
All the characters in Saladin Al-Ayubi look and sound too American. In fact, they also behave
like Americans in all aspects – psychological and physical with Saladin having blonde hair and a
thick American accent.
The worst part of it all is how the creators and producers of this limited animated serial who are
non-Muslims Malaysian had betrayed the trust that was given to them.
For such a huge amount that was given to them to produce this serial, couldn’t they engage an
Arab or Melayu historian to help provide another dimension to it?
Saladin is not a happy-go-lucky person who enjoys adventures and jumping about. He is more
than that. He is an Arab and also more importantly an Islamic propagator.
Unfortunately, these aspects were not stressed.
In the end Saladin was shown to look and behave like Mickey Mouse, with the other characters
looking no better.
In short, Saladin Al-Ayubi is a poorly produced limited animated serial on Saladin, the hero of
the Arab and an Islamic propagator.
His gestures are not Arab in nature. There is no Islamic salutation of ‘asalamulaikum’ and
hugging.
The movements of the characters are crude with a lot of fancy Hong Kong-style actions showing
human characters flying in the air in cinematic kung fu formations.
Saladin had earlier appeared in a Hollywood feature film production called Kingdom of Heaven
where the director, Scott Ridley, deliberately and took pains to paint him as a humanist.
I feel sorry for MDec and Aljazeera for approving and supporting the production of this
animated serial.
It has failed in many ways.
At a time like this when Muslims and Islam have been heavily criticized by some others especially
those in the west who suffer from Islamophobia, due to the failures of the foreign policies of
their respective governments, such an animated serial on Saladin can cause many to look at the
Arab and Islam in a totally new light.
Unfortunately, this didn’t happen.
The reason being the producers and their financiers merely wanted to make fun of Saladin and
not attempting to show him in the context of the present political quagmire the Arabs have got
themselves in, due mostly to the political adventures of the others in the west.
Therefore, Saladin Al-Ayub, the animated television serial has no context, political or otherwise.
It is just an animated serial for television. Worse, it looks like it was made for underage children
and non-critical viewers.
It is not enough that it has been shown in many countries, mainly in the Arab World, but has it
managed to create excitement amongst the historians and other experts? No.
Even in Malaysia where it has been shown for a few weeks, it has not managed to create any
excitement, simply because it is too watered down and too American as well as too Hollywood.
Therefore, it looks too alien.
Many Melayu and Muslims in Malaysia will even want to find it too repulsive simply because the
producers who are not Melayu or Muslims had unknowingly taken it upon themselves, to defame
the Arabs and Islam by not making Saladin and the other characters look like they are proud
Arabs and Muslims.
In fact, they don’t look Muslims at all as much as Mickey Mouse does not look like a mouse.
MDec and Aljazeera who do not have experts in Saladin have failed in their duties to protect his
image and to trust him in a new and important light for the viewers to enjoy watching him more.
They should remember that having the financial resources and creativity alone do not guarantee
that their production can be admired by those who can afford and who are qualified to study
them.
In short, my final analysis is that the limited animated serial called Saladin Al-Ayubi failed
miserably.
Comments
i find your article very interesting and eye-opening.
so, i did some 'googling' and watch the video on youtube.
is it true for me to assume that your article is solely based on the series that were aired on malaysian tv's?
because it is noteworthy to mention here that through my googling, apart from the malay and english dubbing aired in malaysian tv, i also watched the arabic version broadcasted by al-jazeera children's channel.
it is interesting that in the beginning of the arabic version of the series, a disclaimer reads as follows: (my own weak translation though)
"the entire events and persons in this series, including the personality of salahuddin, are not based on reality/truth and are not historically certified. any resemblance to certified historical events or personalities is a mere artistic expression."
hence the animation is filled with elements that only a cartoon-silverscreen would contain.
and not to mention that the animation was targeted to a specific audience ie children between 10-12 years old only..
..(but in this particular point, i beg to differ though because it underestimate the mental capabilities of the children of that age to succept true historical account. in other word, it is as if our children are too naive to 'read' the history).
but in a nutshell, i would to suggest that the issue of 'saladin: the hero who became a legend'-did-not-carry-the-historical-burden-of-facts-and-figures;-and who-fails-in-his-new-mission is a done deal..
..simply because it is not meant to undertake the task viz-a-viz to present historical truths pertaining to this particularly one of the many great figures the Islamic world has ever known..
peace..