Olympus Has Fallen

Recently, I watch a movie called “Olympus Has Fallen” which can embody the concept of Orientalism. The film is about when the White House (Olympus) is captured by a terrorist mastermind and the President is kidnapped, disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped within the building. As the national security team scrambles to respond, they are forced to rely on Banning¹s inside knowledge to help retake the White House, save the President, and avert an even bigger crisis.

In popular culture, images of the East are constructed with reference to these biased understanding on the people in the East. According to Said, Orientalism is “A style of thought based upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between ‘the Orient’ and (most of the time) ‘the Occident’”. In brief, it is a way to clarify the different between the Orient and the Occident. Even to imply that the Occident is superior to the Orient and the Orient have to obey the Occident. Said also said Orientalism as “a Western style for dominating, restructuring, and having authority over the Orient”. It is clearer to show that the different position between the Orient and the Occident. The Occident has authority to dominate and to construct the Orient.

Besides, Said employed Michel Fourcault’s opinion of a discourse to identify Orientalism. He thought that discourse is important in Orientalism. Under discourse, the European culture was able to manage even produce the largely systematic discipline of the Orient. Therefore, because of the Orientalism, the Orient is constructed and created by the Occident. It is under the Occident’s control and is not a free subject of thought or action.

In filming industry, Orientalism can be defined as heroism, image of oriental and image of orient. Actually, in Hollywood’s movies, the status of the Occidental is always superior to the Oriental. The Protagonist usually played by the Westerners and the subordinate role Played by the Easterners.

Also, the role of the Western actors or actresses always set with positive images; however, the role the Eastern actors or actresses set with negative images.

First, the theme of the film, “Olympus Has Fallen”, is about the former Presidential guard Mike Banning need to stop a plot to assassinate the President and his son by a group of the North Korean terrorist. Here, we can find that the protagonist, Mike Banning, is acted by Gerard James Butler, the Westerner. However, the Easterners only acted some subordinates role, such as the head of the terrorist, the killers and so on. (i. e. Rick Yune as Kang Yeonsak, a North Korean terrorist who disguises himself as a South Korean ministerial aide) The director designed the Westerner as the role of saver, and the Easterners as the one who is a terrorist. From this, it showed the status of the Occidental is superior to the oriental which able to save the others.

The image of the Easterners and the Westerners in this film it totally difference. The group of North Korean terrorist described as an evil that is crafty and wanted by the world. However, Mike Banning described as a representation of justice who is braveness, intelligence and responsibility. Although the Easterners captured the White House and killed lots of the Westerners at first, they arrested and subdued by the Westerners eventually.

Actually, Hollywood has many similar orientalized movies to draw every years and each of them has a good box office. In this sense, more and more people, or even the Easterners addicted to these orientalized movies as they believed that these kinds of movies is full of excitement, innervation and tension. However, we should realize that do not accepted the wrong imagination from occident in underlying logic and pattern unconsciously during watching the film. If not, the Orientalism is not longer produced by occident only, but also ourselves which is called self-Orientalism.

Trailer of the film: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwx1f0kyNwI