Posted on 05/30/2010 5:32:22 AM PDT by bigemmk
This is my first post, so please excuse if it is amateurish, but I wanted to know if anyone else saw the film Prince of Persia and got the anti-tax message. In the film, one of the characters, Sheik Amar (played by Alfred Molina) is the leader of a den of thieves and slavers that has a notorious reputation. He tells the hero Dastan,(played by Jake Gyllenhaal) that the stories are untrue and that he, Amar, made them up himself to protect his business from, and I will para-phrase, "The greatest evil these lands have seen, Taxes!" This character actual expresses several times in the film how government and taxes are the scourge of the small business man. I was just curious if anyone else had similar thoughts.
I did not see the film so I don’t know in what light this character is portrayed. However, given that he is the leader of a den of thieves, and given Hollywood’s leftist bent, it seems like the movie would be saying that whatever is equivalent to taxation in those mythical days is being decried by a thief. I would equate that with saying that those today, opposed to taxation and big government, are really thieves at heart. But then again, I have not seen the film and the characters may be meant to be sympathetic to the audience and therefore the message might be the reverse. Interesting topic.
Do you recommend this movie? I won’t go to movies anymore unless they are known to be inoffensive and preferably conservative.
I do recommended the movie. The are fight sequences and swordplay, but it is not graphic and it was definitely tailored for families with young teens . if you liked Pirates of the Caribbean, you’ll probably like this.
Thanks.
I’ve seen the trailers and its looks like Jack Sparrow in the desert.
I thought of the Tea Party right away. Sheik Amar was a cute character.
In the film, the Sheik Amar character made up most of the stories about his “Business” himself to keep the tax-collectors out. But as the film progresses the character does show noble qualities. I was heard a few chuckles in the theater everytime Amar went on a anti-tax, anti-government rant and I live in New York. It was a Jerry Bruckheimer production and the director was Mike Newell. I do not know of their political leanings, but to me it was a anti-tax message.
“I’ve seen the trailers and its looks like Jack Sparrow in the desert.”
There were several other films Prince of Persia “borrowed” from, as well.
(spoken) Let's show Oliver how it's done, shall we, my dears?
(sung) Why should we break our backs
Stupidly paying tax?
Better get some untaxed income
Better to pick-a-pocket or two.
You've got to pick-a-pocket or two, boys
You've got to pick-a-pocket or two.
BOYS
Why should we all break our backs?
Better pick-a-pocket or two.
I just figured it would be a movie glorifying Islam & Mohammed. If it were a less-than-flattering portrayal of Persia, most of our theaters would be under bomb threat.
The storyline takes place before Islam existed.
Wow!
This and Robinhood too!?!?!?
I haven’t seen the film but Prince of Persia is based off of a 1989 video game. Predating Pirates of the Caribbean by a decade and a half.
As did 300, but there was the uproar from Iran over the disparaging of the Persians...
I read a short review and there also was the theme that the princess’ home country was falsely accused of building weapons of mass destruction and so a war was started.
And welcome to FR!
Perhaps, but the Princess’s city-state did not fund terrorists across the region, have stock plies of dangerous war materials and gas her own people by the thousands either. I don’t think you can make a connection to Iraq under Saddam.
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