Midnight Express: A Racist Ideology
by Derek P. Rucas
Allan Parker’s Midnight Express (1978) is a true story loosely based on a man who is apprehended in Turkey for trying to smuggle hashish across the border. Its protagonist is William Hayes, who also wrote the autobiographical book in which the story was based on. Throughout this film, we see the outlandish account of torture, torment and brutality that Billy Hayes endured during his five-year incarceration period in a Turkish prison.
Some have accused Parker of perpetuating racial stereotypes and have criticized his representation of Turkish authority in the film. Moreover, it is important to acknowledge that in order to create a film that is compelling, one must embellish a story that lacks the quintessential elements of dramatic narrative form in order to keep its audience interested. It was revealed in the article “In the Occident, clichés about Turks are still surviving: The movie Midnight-Express, an actual case” that, “…very questionable liberties [had] been taken with real events as related by Hayes.” and that, “these liberties are in keeping with a deliberate process to accentuate and to emphasize the movie's dramatic nature.” (“In the Occident,” pars. 3) Regardless of the particular details, the truth remains the same: Parker’s interpretation of Midnight Express does perpetuate the stereotype of race and thus constructs a racist ideology with regards to the Turkish officers portrayed in this film.
The scene that will be examined is the one right after Billy gets caught smuggling hash onto the airplane, herein referred to as the Interrogation scene. This scene is dichotomized into 1) the chaotic proceedings in which the Turkish officials search Billy’s luggage, and is followed by 2) a stark naked Billy put on display for the Turks until a U.S. representative comes to his rescue.
The scene commences with rapid cuts—roughly 1 to 2 seconds long—of the Turkish officials rummaging through Billy’s belongings in search of any illegal substances and/or paraphernalia that could further convict him. The soundtrack is comprised of the diegetic sounds of glass breaking, ruffling fabrics and the incoherent mumbling of unidentifiable Turkish voices. At this time, we see our protagonist being manhandled by an officer while he rips the bricks of hash from around Billy’s torso. This is followed by an interrogation sequence where a Turkish official asks Billy for his name. After responding, the official’s superior comes through the door and reiterates the entire process, asking for Billy’s name once again.
At this point, a photographer and yet another Turkish official barge through the door. They are speaking Turkish with no English subtitles superimposed on the screen. They frame up a composition for a photograph with Billy posing half naked cradling several bricks of hash in his arms. He reluctantly laughs not knowing the severity of the situation and then reveals that he is harbouring more hash in his boot. The superior realizes that his officers did not do a thorough inspection, thus reprimanding them by yelling at them in Turkish. The officer underneath him slaps the searchers out of anger while Billy watches, stunned at what he is witnessing.
A shot of a stark naked Billy on display for the Turkish officials proceeds the last shot, juxtaposing the chaotic yelling with complete silence. We see one of the officers gazing at Billy while Billy looks away. The door opens and an unidentified man comes in speaking Turkish. The shot cuts to Billy with his hands behind his head and we hear the dialogue, “Howdy Billy. How you doin’…okay?” The camera pans left and this is the first time we see (and hear) another white person onscreen. He explains that the officers’ work is done and that he can take over from there. He asks Billy to put his close back on and the scene ends.
First
and foremost, the visual representation of the Turkish people in Midnight
Express exemplifies the racist ideology that in general, Turkish men share
dominant homogenous qualities. “In
the Occident” briefly describes Parker’s interpretation of the Turkish
officers. It states that the Turks
are all depicted, “…as brutes,
militarists, bloodthirsty, stupid and evil torturers and sadistic, in brief as
true “bastards.” and that, “Their image is a real caricature: ugly, with a
moustache, badly shaven, suntanned, with eyes and hair very dark.” (“In the
Occident,” pars. 11) These claims are evident, specifically in the
Interrogation scene. Every single
Turkish officer that enters the room where Billy is being held has a moustache,
a dark tan and possesses very dark facial features.
Another claim the article makes is that the Turkish policemen, “…are
savages, who do not respect anything, and particularly personal belongings of
Hayes during the search of his luggage; they are stupid and rude…” (“In
the Occident,” pars. 12) This is clearly conveyed when we see and hear the
chaos that occurs during the first segment of the Interrogation scene.
Parker uses quick cuts and diegetic synchronous sound to evoke the
feeling of destruction and to emphasize the disregard for the apprehended
American tourist. Parker constructs
a definite “caricature” of the Turks, rendering them homogenous for an
American audience and thus promoting and perpetuating racial stereotypes.
Parker
enhances the stereotype of the “Other” by deliberately refusing agency to
the Turkish officers. One of the
most prominent examples of this is the lack of subtitles when the Turkish
officers are conversing amongst themselves.
Derviþ Zaim’s essay
“Representation of the Turkish People in Midnight Express” explains
that:
“…the
important factors which contributes much to the strangeness of Turks is the fact
that foreign dialogue (Turkish) is not subtitled. The filmmakers permit players
to speak in Turkish since this situation can easily create a strong sense of the
strangeness of being in a foreign place for audience and Billy Hayes.”
(“Representation of the Turkish,” pars. 84)
Zaim
references an interview with Allan Parker where Parker states the reason for
this decision. He claims, “Part
of Billy's problem was the alienation because he was surrounded by people
speaking a strong guttural language he couldn't understand so he did not know
what was going on a good share of the time.” (“Representation of the
Turkish, pars. 85) The lack of subtitles was a wise decision made by Parker to
emphasize the alienation Billy experiences during the Interrogation scene.
The combining sound of the diegetic chaos blended with the
incomprehensible Turkish dialogue provides a cohesive framework to acknowledge
the notion that the Turks are denied any agency and incidentally reinforcing the
negative Turkish stereotype.
It
is further noted in Zaim’s article that, “Sodomy is another notorious
Turkish feature which is embedded in Midnight Express…The policemen
stare at Billy's naked body with sexual desire on their faces.” and that,
“…despite the fact that homosexuality is a big crime [there], most of the
Turks do it every chance they get.” (“Representation of the Turkish,”
pars. 82) We can relate this claim to Laura Mulvey’s notion of the gaze.
Although Mulvey’s account is based on the idea that films are generally
created by male directors with heterosexual intentions in mind, Midnight
Express borrows from this classic notion and redefines the gaze for an
alternate interpretation. Mulvey
asserts that:
“The
determining male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure, which is
styled accordingly. In their
traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed,
with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can
be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness.” (Mulvey 487)
This is most evidently depicted when Billy is stark naked and on display for the Turkish officers in the second segment of the Interrogation scene. We see several shots of the Turkish officers focusing their gaze on Billy’s naked body. It is evident that Billy is “looked at and displayed” judging by the way the first officer gazes at him. We see a point of view shot from Billy looking at the first officer. We see the officer’s eyes focused on Billy. They gradually shift up and down insinuating that the gaze is projecting its fantasy onto Billy. When Billy notices the officer scanning his entire body, he looks away uncomfortably.
It is interesting to note the framing of the camera when it is focused on 1) Billy and 2) the Turkish officers. In Christian Metz’s “The Imaginary Signifier” Metz describes the notion of the spectator’s relationship and identification with the camera. Metz explains that, “…as [the protagonist] identifies with himself as look, the spectator can do no other than identify with the camera, too, which has looked before him at what he is now looking at…” (Metz 413-414) When Billy is looking at the Turkish officers, there is a definite eye line match that signifies which officer(s) he is looking at specifically. When the camera changes positions and it is Billy we are looking at, it is ambiguous as to which Turkish officer is projecting his gaze towards Billy. Whenever Billy is framed in this part of the scene, the camera position is static, thus purportedly granting Billy agency, while denying agency to any specific Turkish officer. This stylistic decision supports the notion that the Turks are defined as “Other”, thus constructing a racist ideology.
It can be determined that Allan Parker’s Midnight Express supports Turkish stereotypes and consequently promotes notions of race and racism within the filmic text. This ideology is carefully constructed to “Otherize” the Turkish officers, thus denying them any agency while, incidentally granting agency to the detained protagonist. Parker does this by depicting the Turkish officers as a homogenous entity, and by supporting this claim he grants the audience the knowledge that all Turkish men are greasy, dirty and stupid. Parker also refutes the idea of having English subtitles when the Turkish officers are speaking. This stylistic decision disorients the audience and thus enables them to identify with the protagonist’s distraught state. Another stylistic convention that is used is the gaze. Parker appropriates the gaze and recontextualizes it to promote a homosexual discourse vis-à-vis the Turkish officers (as seers) and Billy (as seen.) Throughout the film, it is evident that the Turks are continually denied agency. Midnight Express upholds a consistent stereotype with regards to the Turkish officers and Turkish culture in general. This discourse constructs a racist ideology that is promoted not only during the Interrogation scene but also throughout the entire film.
As referenced in Zaim’s article, Pauline Kael criticizes Midnight Express because of its “terrible Turk myth.” Nevertheless she comments:
“This story could have happened in almost any country, but if Billy Hayes had planned to be arrested to get the maximum commercial benefit from it, where else could he get the advantages of a Turkish jail? Who wants to defend Turks? (They don't even constitute enough of a movie market for Columbia Pictures to be concerned about how they are represented?)” (“Representation of the Turkish,” pars. 24-25)
Bibliographic Information
Rucas, Derek P. "Midnight Express: A Racist Ideology." Film Articles and Critiques. 12 Dec. 2003 <https://www.angelfire.com/film/articles/midnight.htm>.
transcribed by Derek P. Rucas