Blog Archives

The Champion (1997)

On the eve of the 1919 revolution in Egypt, the friendship between Houda al-Najjar, who likes boxing, Petro, who likes to sing, and the good worker of the printing press, believes in revolution. Fatima, the sister of Houda, is in love with Hussain, and they marry. The revolution takes place, and Houda dreams of shaking hands with its leader, Saad Zaghloul, and dreams of participating in the 1924 Olympics as a boxer. Hasan is imprisoned for his involvement in resisting the British occupation, and Huda is married to a neighbor of Hanifa. Hassan was killed by the Israeli occupation forces and Houda was able to participate in the Olympics

My Wife & the Dog (1971)

Chief Morsy is a lightkeeper staying at a faraway lighthouse. He marries So'aad and shortly returns to the lighthouse where he recounts to Nour his adventures with women. When he sends his wife a letter with Nour, Morsy grows suspicious of his wife's fidelity. Suspicions nourished by his jealousy.

Shafiqa and Metwally (1978)

Crabs (1990)

Hassan Hudhud is a poor boxer who dreams of championships and glory. He accidentally takes part in a match at the mansion of a wealthy man who admires him. He soon gets rich and moves into the mansion.

Shafiqa and Metwally (1978)

The Water Carrier Died (1977)

The story of the friendship that develops between two men with quite different world views. One, a water carrier whose wife has died twenty years before, spends his days thinking about her. The other, who works in the funeral business, spends his life in the pursuit of pleasure because he recognizes that death will bring an end to all enjoyment. They meet and become friends. Through this friendship the water carrier is encouraged to change his morbid way of thinking and to enjoy life.

Alexandria… Why? (1979)

Amid the poverty, death, and suffering caused by World War II, 18-year-old Yehia, retreats into a private world of fantasy and longing. Obsessed with Hollywood, he dreams of one-day studying filmmaking in America, but after falling in love and discovering the lies of European occupation, Yehia profoundly reevaluates his identity and allegiances.

Adieu Bonaparte (1985)

This big-budget historical epic from acclaimed Egyptian director Youssef Chahine features a crazed turn by Patrice Chereau as Napoleon Bonaparte. The film, an Egyptian-French co-production, deals with Napoleon's occupation of Alexandria and its effect on a typical Egyptian family. Michel Piccoli leads the cast as a general in Napoleon's army who tentatively befriends a local poet.