Growing up as an Egyptian, Youssef Chahine and his oeuvre are integral to my cultural lexicon. By my mid-twenties, I had seen almost every Chahine film out there, except for this one. This movie eluded me for over 30 years. By chance, I happened to watch it for the first time yesterday. I think I may have discovered a new favorite Youssef Chahine film.
The Golden Era of Egyptian film, a period which spanned the 1940s to 1970s, was rife with great social commentaries, particularly after the 1952 military overthrow of the feudal monarchy. In this regime change, the aristocracy were forced to forfeit all their assets, wealth, and businesses to the newly formed socialist republic. Numerous films, including this one, highlighted the confusion felt by the aristocracy and their quest to find meaning in a post-revolutionary world after losing everything. This is the same struggle felt by protagonist Nayla (Sanaa Gamil). Nayla hails from an aristocratic family. Her father, who squandered his own wealth, weds Nayla at a young age to Hamada (Youssef Chahine). Hamada is rich, but a toxic and self-obsessed man with little empathy. Fifteen years into their marriage, Hamada and his bourgeois coterie have fallen on hard times post-revolution and drink themselves to a stupor almost every night. Hamada squanders his money on booze, but fails to pay his servants who remain in his employ and who desperately need money to care for their ailing families. At a benefit gala, Nayla meets Tareq (Seif Abdel Rahman), a college student from a working-class background who can barely afford a drink. Nayla lends him money to purchase a drink. When Tareq returns the money the following day, what started out as an innocent car ride quickly escalates into a whirlwind affair that changes Nayla's outlook on love, life, and the future.
Several elements single out this film as one of Chahine's best works. Firstly, his casting choices are, as always, spot on. Sanaa Gamil was at that point a star of stage and screen in Egypt, and she plays the role of the tortured middle-aged Nayla to perfection. Chahine himself excels at the role of the vile Hamada. Other actors famous for their supporting roles, like Zouzou Madi, Madiha Salem, Abdel Khaleq Saleh, and a young Soheir El Bably (who would later join the ranks of Egypt's great actresses and comediennes) are equally brilliant. This movie was one of Seif Abdel Rahman's first roles -if not his first role- and though his performance was not the strongest, he successfully translated Khaled's youthful naivete to screen.
Second, Chahine's use of color, shadow, and lighting are a visual treat. His juxtaposition of the ornate homes, lives and outfits of the wealthy and the raw simple beauty of both Khaled's humble rooftop residence and his physique mirrors the stark contrasts that coexisted in Egyptian society at the time. This movie is also of historic value as Chahine prominently features Cairo as a main character, something he was known to do in his oeuvre. In this film, we are presented with ample archival colored footage documenting the once beautiful Cairo of the 1960s, before the ravages of time set in. We see panoramic views of Cairo from atop the (then) newly inaugurated Cairo tower, we see Giza Street, the iconic Pyramids and Sphinx, and numerous shots of the famous Tahrir Square. Chahine further treats the audience by using a helicopter to shoot superb arial footage of the suburbs of Zamalek, Maspiro, and Islamic Cairo that so wonderfully complements a joyous car ride with the two ecstatic lovers.
My only complaint here is that these movies -along with most movies from Egypt made during the golden age of Egyptian film - are incredibly difficult to find, own or see in a decent quality with proper subtitling. I would love to share these movies with friends from different cultures, but it is so hard to introduce them to our culture without proper care and distribution. It is a shame that it took me so long to see this film. I am aware that Chahine's oeuvre has been digitally remastered. If anyone at Misr International Films reads this, please take note. We need these films to be shared with the world !
