Iraqis enjoying fruit previously forbidden by Saddam
tucsoncitizen.com
BAGHDAD, Iraq - When the Atlas Cinema last showed "Blue Chill," people screamed: "Yes! Yes!" every time the actors began kissing, only to see the scratched reel jump to the next scene. Yesterday, they sat in awed silence as naked couples writhed on screen.
"The movie is much more beautiful now because there's sex," said a beaming Mohammed Taher, 18. Since Saturday, when the theater reopened with a freshly uncensored version of the low-budget flick, he has seen "Blue Chill" three times.
Baghdad has gone through a revolution in the past three weeks, casting off decades of censorship and state control.
Banned books, satellite dishes and video CDs are now sold on the street - as are alcohol and women.
Nobody knows how long the permissiveness will last. Iraq's American governors brought together Iraqi political leaders yesterday to discuss a new government, and many Baghdadis believe that once it's in place, some of their freedoms will disappear.
Conservatives are counting on it.
"Everything against Islam, everything we hate, has been imported by the Americans like a disease," said Abbas Hamid, a 60-year-old merchant. "We'll fight them. We're tired now, but we'll rest up and use our guns to drive the Americans out."
For now, Hamid appears to be in the minority as Iraqis excitedly discover worlds of vice - and virtue, too - long forbidden by the repressive regime of Saddam Hussein:
Teenagers gape at Christina Aguilera's navel via brand-new satellite dishes illegal under Saddam.
Young lovers smooch in roadside cars, hidden behind tinted windows that were banned by Saddam because they prevented police from spying on motorists.
Prostitutes walk the streets in some neighborhoods, beckoning passing motorists.
Bookworms excitedly leaf through political histories that could have gotten them tortured in years gone by.
"Before, everything was forbidden except the air," said retiree Mohammed Jabbar. "Now, we don't have electricity, we don't have water, but we are free."
Sahad Hashim, manager of the Atlas Cinema, couldn't be more delighted. Because of the lawlessness, he closes at 3 p.m. instead of 11 p.m. But he's still selling 800 of his 50-cent tickets a day - double his prewar box office.
"People are hungry for this," he said. "If I stayed open later, I could sell even more."
Under Saddam, Hashim cut sexy scenes from his movies to conform with Information Ministry orders. When the Americans took over, he simply spliced them back in.
Ushers with flashlights yelled from orchestra to balcony, searching for seats for the standing-room-only 11 a.m. showing of "Blue Chill," the American name of the 1989 Italian erotic thriller "Spogliando Valeria." On the screen, a bare-chested man pawed at a woman wearing only fishnet stockings and a feather boa.
Not all the patrons were happy, however.
"I don't like it. It's forbidden under Islam," said Mohammed Mishan, a 26-year-old Iraqi army lieutenant.
"Then what are you doing here?" a man called as the crowd erupted in laughter. Mishan flushed and stalked off. |
