Life In Kuwait

March 8, 2008 | Filed Under Main |

On Thursday night, I finally got to go out and see a movie. [That means I figured out the times, the places and had the night free.] I went over to the Avenues – a new mall - to see Sweeny Todd. Now, I had heard about the censorship in Kuwait. Recently, I saw an editorial in the paper decrying the fact that Charlie Wilson’s War had roughly forty cuts in it and made the movie unwatchable. But I had yet to see (or notice) any censorship… until now. It turns out they cut the parts where Sweeny cuts the throats. While I think it is better to censor violence rather than obsessing on sex, in this particular movie it is a mistake. The songs are intimately tied to the action. Once you start hacking away, you destroy the whole piece. So I had to leave.

Yesterday I had my first hair cut in Kuwait. I was pretty nervous about this. For one – you have a relationship with the person who regularly cuts your hair. You walk into the unknown when you change – especially when there might be a language barrier. Secondly – over here – men cut men’s hair. Women cut women’s hair. I don’t think a man has cut my hair more than twice since I stopped getting haircuts from my Dad. Plus – men’s hair salons (or “saloons” as it is sometimes spelt) are everywhere! How do you choose? Do you gamble like that with your hair?? Luckily, I was able to track down one expat at work who actually HAS hair and he directed me to a place he goes. There was something about the folks there being Turkish and they - or Lebanese – are the best for haircuts. I guess he was right because I’m pretty happy with it.

Lastly – it seems I have an excellent sushi restaurant in walking distance! Yes – sushi is universal. Dinner last night was perfection.

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8 comments so far
  1. Liz Schlegel March 8, 2008 5:42 am

    It would be interesting to see how they would cut really bad movies, like recent Lindsay Lohan films. Would they cut out the bad acting or just the parts they consider inappropriate?

  2. kerry March 8, 2008 7:20 am

    I would imagine no one would pay to see a movie which consisted only of opening and closing titles… :)

  3. mburma March 8, 2008 10:33 pm

    Why can’t they censor bad movies in the States? Or is that called “straight to DVD”?

  4. Patrick March 9, 2008 5:20 pm

    Hey, could be worse….they could be censored AND dubbed. ;)

  5. Mike March 10, 2008 4:57 am

    Hey..maybe they could cut the Lindsay Lohan or Paris Hilton movie into a 30 second commercial for a good acting school, which they both desperately need. And I hope the Turks who cut your hair weren’t like the Turkish soldiers in that one MASH episode…that could get a little ugly.

  6. mburma March 10, 2008 5:48 am

    You’re taxing my memory now…

  7. jewaira March 31, 2008 6:10 am

    I for one hate the censorship; it takes the pleasure out of going to the cinema.

    Lebanese & Turkish barbers are the best for men’s haircuts. They have a reputation for giving stylish cuts.

    If you would rather have a female hairdresser, there are some affiliated with salons who cater to Westerners, specifically American service personnel.

  8. mburma March 31, 2008 9:19 am

    Hi Jewaira!

    How odd that the Westerners are used to women cutting their hair. It must have something to do with our fathers cutting our hair.

    Where do the Americans hide? Except for the ones at work, I haven’t run into any. Even shopping.