Filmy orientalne na polskich ekranach lat dwudziestych. Obcość wykreowana

During the 1920s a significant number of oriental films was made. Their action took place in Arab harems, Indian palaces and desert wildernesses. Films such as French "Atlantis" by Jacques Feyder, German "The Indian Tomb" by Joe May or the American "Sheikh" by George Melford with Rudolph Valentino in the title role, reflects numerous stereotypes about the East, that were the fruit of orien talism and European colonialism which at the time was at its apogee. For millions of viewers these films were not only a source of wonder and emotions, but a specific form of learning, which all too often gave a false picture of the reality. The way these films were received in Poland in the 1920s is also very interesting. Anatol Stern, Karol Irzykowski, Julian Tuwim and Leon Brun reflected on their artistic quality, the vision of the world they presented and on the way how the Orient was perceived – for some insightful and moving, for others naive and deceitful.