Thread: Egyptian Movie Recommendations

So, I've been interested in watching some old Egyptian movies for a while now, but I am not sure where to start.
Today's DBQ movie watching party suggestion and Shira's thread on her Egyptian Cinema workshop were the final push I needed to open this thread.

I would like to hear from those of you who watch and enjoy Egyptian cinema the following things:

1. Which movies do you think are must-watch from a belly dancer's perspective?
2. Which movies were/are the most famous in Egypt?
3. What are your favorite movies?
4. What's a good source for those movies?
5. How hard is it to find these movies with English subtitles?
6. Do you ever watch them in Arabic without subtitles?

And anything else you might find relevant. If you'd like, please build on some of these answers (for example on the one about your favorite movies, tell us a little about each and why you like them so much)

I can compile a list of movies I want to watch based on black and white belly dance clips I've seen on youtube and became curious about the context, but I figured I should also ask you guys for these recommendations.

I really like this one with Fifi Abdou - although it is well outside the Golden Era if that's what interests you. I like it because it has Fifi. More than that she actually dances quite a few numbers in a couple of different styles (due to it being the story of a bint il beled who does time in prison - due to a nasty husband - where she learns to become a belly dancer so she can revenge herself on her father's murderers.) It is pure melodrama.

I was lucky to get a sub-tititled tape many years back. Pre-antipirating; it was obviously taped off SBS - right down to the ads at the end!

That sounds great, Kashmir, any idea what the Arabic title of the film is? I can have a stab at it, even with my extremely limited translation skills ..l;,, but if you know the proper title that would be helpful.

It doesn't have to be Golden Era! I say "old" because I am looking for at least a couple of classics, but I'll take any recommendation--even super recent movies.

Originally Posted by beafarhana

That sounds great, Kashmir, any idea what the Arabic title of the film is? I can have a stab at it, even with my extremely limited translation skills ..l;,, but if you know the proper title that would be helpful.

It's called Nour Al Ayoun. I have been looking for a copy for years now. Someone right here on bhuz once told me they would loan me their copy to dub but never came through (no idea who it was, I'm not pointing fingers, but would love to have another chance to get a copy!). It is a great flick.

khalli balak min zouzou

I got my copy at www.rashid.com. (I just looked but couldn't find it listed, maybe if you call?) It does have English subtitles but they are very hard to read. But if you concentrate you can read them well enough to follow the story.

A little review (quote from Unesco Courier - Arabic dance ) :
«In the film Khali Balak Min Zouzou (Beware of Zouzou), Zouzou is a student who has paid her way through college by dancing in her mother's troupe. She has kept this fact a secret, but has decided to give up dancing because she has fallen in love with a college professor. Zouzou's lover breaks off a former engagement, and his ex-fiancee discovers Zouzou's secret. A wedding is to be celebrated at the lover's home. Unknown to Zouzou, the abandoned fiancee arranges for Zouzou's mother's troupe to entertain at this wedding. Meanwhile, there is a poignant scene in which Zouzou admits that she has loved working in the troupe, and tells her mother, "I used to sit at your feet and watch you dance. You were so beautiful. Why should we be ashamed of what we do?"

The day of the wedding dawns. Zouzou, who is there as her lover's guest, sees her mother's troupe arrive, and in a moment of grand confusion everyone realizes Zouzou's connection with them. Her mother is so humiliated for her daughter that she stops dancing. But Zouzou, rising magnificently to the occasion, ties a scarf round her hips and performs in her mother's place. She ends by giving a dignified defence of her art.

When this film was originally screened in Lebanon some years ago it created quite a stir. For the first time, raqs sharqi was portrayed as being acceptable for its own sake. That women should dance for the joy of it, and even take it up as an honourable profession, were startling notions. Many women in the audience jumped up and began to applaud, and it would be nice to think that some of them danced in the aisles.

Anecdote: The mother character is played by a legend of oriental dance (belly dance), Tahia Carioca

A list of Arab movies you can find on Amazon.com with links to the Amazon pages: http://www.shira.net/videos/store-arabmovies.htm


An article on my web site that talks about finding Middle Eastern movies on home video: http://www.shira.net/videos/finding-me-movies.htm


Most popular Egyptian movie ever made: Khally Balak Men Zouzou Norma already posted a great description, so I won't comment further on it.

Second most popular Egyptian movie ever made: Abi Foq al-Shagara, sold with English subtitles under the title My Father Is on a Tree. Story is about a romance between a belly dancer (Nadia Lotfi) and a young man from a wealthy family (Abdel Halim Hafez).

I really enjoyed A Glass and a Cigarette with Samia Gamal. It is such a wonderful film, with great dancing, too. You can get it on Netflix!

Thanks so much for the recommendations, ladies. I've got a few movies to look for now.
Keep 'em coming!

Just a comment on Khally Balak Men Zouzou and Abi Foq al-Shagara, the two movies I mentioned earlier were the most popular movies ever to reach Egyptian theater screens....

Both movies serve as excellent companions to the book A Trade Like Any Other. If you've read the book, you'll find that both of these movies bring it to life. Or, if you haven't read the book yet, first watch these movies, and then read the book to get the explanation of why the characters behaved as they did.