Pakistanis Storm American Action Movies With True Grit

To many Pakistanis, there is nothing more moving or heroic than John Wayne letting the bad guys have it with both barrels, or the sight of Rambo solving a nagging international dispute with a machine gun.

Hollywood’s men of action are revered figures in Pakistan, their violent exploits subjects of marvel in cinemas from one end of the country to the other. And, although a star’s fame may wane in his own land, America’s rugged screen heroes are not soon forgotten in Pakistan.

‘Towering Behemoths’

“Such towering behemoths as Clark Gable, Gregory Peck, Errol Flynn, Stewart Granger, Glenn Ford and John Wayne, to name a few,” exulted a film critic in a recent article praising American action films.

Such figures are deeply admired in Pakistan’s male-dominated society, which is proud of its warrior traditions. Stars like Clint Eastwood are held up as role models.

“Eastwood is the man every boy dreams of becoming and every man regrets he could never be,” enthused one fan in a letter to a magazine.

The recent deaths, in quick succession, of Yul Brynner, Orson Welles and Rock Hudson prompted more than one newspaper to mourn their passing in editorials. “The death of these movie giants is a sad and irreparable loss for millions of filmgoers around the world,” commented the Muslim in its editorial.

The preoccupation with manliness means that American actresses do not receive the same attention or devotion as their male counterparts. American actresses are rarely mentioned in film columns, and usually only action films find a big audience.

Strict Censorship

A critic in a recent review of “Places in the Heart,” starring Sally Field, commented that the film wasn’t too bad, but that the inclusion of a romantic angle was quite unnecessary and spoiled the plot.

Strict censorship, imposed to ensure that imported movies do not offend the country’s strict Islamic laws and customs, has tended to help minimize the role of American actresses. Any suggestion of sex, including a kiss, must be cut out of films, but movie critics complain that zealous censors go too far, cutting out shots in which a woman’s ankle is visible or even close-ups of an actress’s face.

“In the process, (the censors) destroy the continuity of the movie,” one critic complained.

The advent of videocassette recorders has helped Pakistanis see Western movies uncensored and increased their access to the films. Many villages far from cinemas now have restaurants or tea shops with VCRs on which movies are shown for the patrons.

The appeal of a movie like “Rambo” easily reaches across cultural and linguistic boundaries to find huge popularity in Pakistan. “The sense of insecurity and the string of frustrations that hound the man in the street are all forgotten once the viewer enters the cinema hall and watches with intent eyes all that goes on the screen. Such films act like opiates,” wrote one critic of the epic starring Sylvester Stallone.

World View From ‘Rambo’

But some Pakistanis take a movie like “Rambo” seriously. They consider it a realistic reflection of what goes on in the world.

“ ‘Rambo’ throws ample light on the international scene and the behavior of the bigwigs involved in recent events,” commented the Pakistan Times newspaper in its review of the movie.

New American action stars rapidly find a following in Pakistan. But some critics responded to Arnold Schwarzenegger movies by longing for the old days when movie studios ensured that stars had simple names.

“Such a tongue-twister,” a critic complained.