صورة 1

On the birthday of the “Lady of the Arab Theater” .. The most important information about Samiha Ayoub, who has the longest artistic career

March 8 is the birthday of the great artist Samiha Ayoub, who is one of the prominent signs in the history of Egyptian theater. She is the owner of the longest artistic career in the history of Arab cinema, alongside the able artist Amina Rizk. She has worked in cinema and theater for more than 75 years. That is why critics and audiences called her “The Lady of Arab Theatre”.  On this occasion, we bring to you in the following lines the most important information that you may not know about the artist Samiha Ayoub.

Her birth and Early Life

Her full name is Samiha Ayoub Othman Ahmed. She was born on March 8, 1932, in the Shubra district of Cairo. She studied at the Nuns’ School, which helped her to be fully committed and to master the classical Arabic language. Then she joined the Institute of Dramatic Arts, where she studied at the hands of its founder, the great artist Zaki Tulaimat, and graduated from it in 1953. As for the story of her joining the institute, it came by pure chance, as she wished to become a ballet dancer, and one day she went with a friend of hers who was taking the entrance exams to the institute. Committee members saw Samiha Ayoub standing in silence close to them. They asked her if she liked acting, and she replied that she liked acting for Youssef Wehbe and Laila Murad, without knowing that Youssef Wehbe was among the members of the committee. After she excelled in presenting a representative scene in front of the committee, Zaki Tulaimat obtained a request from the Minister of Education to join the institute, as she was only 16 years old at the time, less than the permitted age at the institute, and he also asked her to join his theater group.

Her Acting Career

Samiha Ayoub began her artistic career in conjunction with her studies at the institute. Her first work was in 1938, where she presented the character of Mary Magdalene in a movie entitled “The Life and Pain of the Lord Christ” with Ahmed Allam, Aziza Helmy, Kamal Hussein and Tawfiq Al-Daqn. Her real breakthrough came in 1947, when director Mohamed Abdel Gawad and author Abdel Aziz Salam chose her to participate in the movie “The Homeless” with Hikmat Fahmy, Mohsen Sarhan, Siraj Mounir and Mary Munib. After that, her films followed, in which she embodied many diverse roles, and her films amounted to about 40 films, the most famous of which are: The beach of love, the rose of love, my heart is on my son, a date with happiness, God is with us, the heart has provisions, the daughter of the desert, among the ruins, the flower seller, the sun does not extinguish, Adham Al-Sharqawi, the land of hypocrisy, the dawn of Islam, the big night, a terrible tita  “

She also presented several television series, including: “The Virgin of Mecca, a city story, scare fantasy, escape, ladies and gentlemen, Mashrabiya, Muhammad is the Messenger of God, Al-Mahrousa, the adventures of Zakia Hanim, Saad Al-Yateem, Dhul-Nun Al-Masry, the crescentic biography, stray light, inheritance of the wind, time of roses, seizure and fetch, princess.” In Abdeen, street children, soldiers and thieves, silver with a white heart, bats, birth and absent owner, extra sugar, good mood, peacocks.

The lady of the Arab theater

Samiha Ayoub’s acting debut came on stage with the participation of the Zaki Tulaimat Troupe. Her first performance was a play entitled “In the Service of the Queen”. In addition to acting, Samiha Ayoub managed the Modern Theater between 1972 and 1975. After that, she held the position of General Director of the National Theater from 1975 to 1981. Over the course of her artistic career, her theatrical balance amounted to nearly 170 plays. Including: “Soft hands, disciple of Satan, Rabi’a al-Adawiya, the safety rail, the stairwell, the death of Cleopatra, Antonio and Cleopatra, blood on the curtains of the Kaaba, the soft hands, Agha Memnon, the Caucasian chalk circle, the Khedive, the people in the third, in the middle of the day, near and strange The network, oh we, oh she.” She has 5 experiences in theatrical direction, including the plays “Maqlab Attiyat” and “The Night of Henna”.

Awards and Honors

Samiha Ayoub has won many awards, and she was honored by giving her name to the sixth Sharm El-Sheikh International Festival for Youth Theater in 2021. Among the most important awards it received:

  • The Republic Medal of the First Class for Art from President Gamal Abdel Nasser in 1966.
  • Knight Medal from French President Giscard d’Estaing in 1977.
  • Certificate of appreciation from President Mohamed Anwar Sadat in 1979.
  • The Order of Merit, first class, from Syrian President Hafez al-Assad in 1983.
  • The State Appreciation Award in Arts from the Supreme Council of Culture in 2015.

List of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema

One of the films in which Samiha Ayoub participated was selected in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema, which is the movie “The Beast”, which was produced in 1954. Anwar Wajdi, Samia Jamal, Mahmoud Al-Maliji and Abbas Faris took part in the tournament. It is written by Naguib preserved, and directed by Salah Abu Seif. It ranks number 70 on the list.

Personal Life

Samiha Ayoub got married four times, all from within the artistic community. Her first marriage was with the artist Mohsen Sarhan, when she was still at the beginning of her artistic career. She was playing the role of his little sister in the movie “The Tramp”. They separated after a short marriage that lasted for three years, during which she gave birth to her son, “Mahmoud”, who died in 2010. As for the second marriage, she was with the artist Mahmoud Morsi, whom she met for the first time while he was teaching at the Institute of Dramatic Arts. She bore him a son, Alaa. However, she soon separated from him. Then came her third and longest marriage, with writer and playwright Saad El-Din Wahba, where a great love story arose between them during the presentation of the play “Al-Sibnsa”, and their marriage lasted for 30 years until his death in 1997. As for her last marriage, it was a customary marriage with director Ahmed Al-Nahhas, which lasted for 18 years

The crisis of customary marriage and pension

Samiha Ayoub experienced a major crisis in her personal life in 2018. As director Ahmed Al-Nahhas surprisingly published their customary marriage document, after their marriage was kept secret for 18 years. The crisis increased after Samiha Ayoub tried to deny this marriage, as he published a picture of her in home clothes, inside the marital home. Which some considered inappropriate for the great status of the lady of the Arab theater.

Ahmed Al-Nahhas tried to clarify the matter, justifying Samiha Ayoub’s position on not announcing their marriage by wanting to continue illegally obtaining the pension of her late husband Saad Eddin Wahba, in partnership with his two daughters. Noting that throughout his marriage to her, he did not know that she had obtained the pension, and that the reason for his knowledge was the complaint submitted by the daughters of Saad Al-Din Wahba, to prevent Samiha Ayoub from obtaining her share of the pension illegally, because of her remarriage. He confirmed that Samiha Ayoub asked him to deny their marriage and justify his presence with her for long periods of time as her business manager, in order to win her case. However, he refused perjury, and filed a lawsuit before the family court to prove the marriage. This was approved by the court, and the Department of Pensions informed Samiha Ayoub that Saad Eddin Wahba’s pension would be cut off after her marriage was proven. It gave her an opportunity to return the money she had received, which amounted to 517 thousand pounds.

After the disputes escalated between Samiha Ayoub and Ahmed Al-Nahhas, she filed a lawsuit accusing him of forging her signature on bank checks in order to obtain $120,000 from her money deposited in a bank. He also obtained a loan of 3 million pounds against the guarantee of her own deposit. For the Cairo Criminal Court to convict director Ahmed Al-Nahhas of forging her signature, and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

صورة 1

On the birthday anniversary of Zaki Rostom… Snapshots from the life of the “integration school pioneer”

Egyptian cinema did not witness many artists with the strength and talent of the able artist Zaki Rostom. This was not only   the testimony of filmmakers and audiences in Egypt or the Arab world, but also on the whole world. International critics considered him one of the most talented artists. “George Sadoul”, the French film historian and critic, said of him that he is a capable artist and an Egyptian version of “Orson Welles” with his expressive features and influential looks. The French magazine Paris Match chose him as one of the 10 best actors in the world.

He is a high-caliber actor, and no one disputes his talent and capabilities. Due to the evil nature of his roles, he was known as the “Cinema Villain”. However, he proved his great ability to diversify in different roles, and was dubbed “the artist with a thousand faces”. He played his roles with great skill and integrated into them to the core, until he was called the “pioneer of the integration school”. Finally, due to his social background, he was called the “Pasha of Egyptian Cinema”. On his birthday, which falls on March 5, we review with you features from the artistic and personal life of the artist Zaki Rostom.

His birth and upbringing

His full name is Muhammad Zaki Muharram Mahmoud Rostom. He was born on March 5, 1903, in the Helmeya district of Cairo. For a high-end aristocratic family, one of the richest families in Egypt. His grandfather is Major General Mahmoud Pasha Rostom, one of the most prominent men in the Egyptian army. As for his father, he is one of the largest owners of agricultural land and a member of the National Party. Zaki Rostom was known from his childhood for his love of sports, especially weightlifting. He won second place at the level of Egypt in the heavyweight weightlifting competition in 1923. He was also known for his love of playing billiards.

Zaki Rostom was supposed to study at the Faculty of Law according to the tradition prevailing in aristocratic families. However, he rebelled against family traditions, refused to complete his university studies, and told his mother that he wanted to be an actor. She completely rejected his choice between art and continuing his life with the family, so he chose art. Therefore, his mother expelled him from the family palace, and he moved to the downtown area to begin his artistic career.

Early Works

Zaki Rostom’s artistic beginning came in 1924, when he was a student at the baccalaureate stage, when his friend, artist Abdel Wareth Asser, introduced him to the able artist George Abyad, where he impressed him by adding him to his theater group. Then he moved to the Ramses Band in 1925, where he was assigned major roles. Then he joined several groups, including the Fatima Rushdi Troupe, the Aziz Eid Troupe, the Actors Union Troupe, and finally the National Troupe in 1935, in which he remained for ten years. As for the beginning of his cinematic career, it came with the beginnings of the Egyptian cinema itself. He presented the silent film “Zainab” in 1930, in partnership with Bahja Hafez, Siraj Mounir, and Dawlat Abyad. Then he participated in one of the first Egyptian talking films, “The White Rose” in 1932.

His film career

For thirty years, Zaki Rostom’s artistic career spanned, during which he presented many important plays, including: “Confessional, Crazy Laila, Rasputin, Homeland, Cleopatra’s Death, Under the Sky of Spain, Demon, Orphan, Tyrant, Himalayas”.

He also presented 240 films, but only about 60 films are documented. His film roles varied between the aristocratic pasha, the kind father, the son of the country, and the poor employee. He was also distinguished by presenting the roles of evil, including the cruel husband, the fatwa, and the teacher in the vegetable market. That is why critics called him “The Artist of a Thousand Faces”. Zaki Rostom was known for his portrayal of his characters in the most accurate details, leaving a clear imprint in the minds of the audience, and his films became among the most important classics of Egyptian cinema, and we mention them: “Atonement for your sin, Laila, the daughter of the desert, the determination, Laila the Bedouin, this is what my father committed, sunset, Jasmine, the nail of Juha, the daughter of the elders, the seller of bread, a struggle in the valley, a date with the devil, pier number 5, where is my age, the fatwa, the river of love.” The melody of happiness, an angel and a demon, me and my daughters, the forbidden.” His last movie was in 1966, “Summer Vacation”, in which he participated with Farid Shawqi, Hassan Youssef, Najwa Fouad and Nelly.

List of the 100 best films in the history of cinema

The artist Zaki Rostom participated in 8 films that were selected in the list of the 100 best films in the memory of Egyptian cinema, and these films are:

  • The movie “The Will” was produced in 1939. The film is co-starring Fatima Rushdie, Hussein Sedky and Anwar Wagdy. It is written by Kamal Selim and Badi’ Khairi, and directed by Kamal Selim. It ranks number 1 on the list.
  • The movie “Al Haram”, produced in 1965. The film is co-starring Faten Hamama, and Abdullah Ghaith. It is written by Youssef Idris, Saad Eddin Wahba, and directed by Henry Barakat. It ranks number 5 on the list.
  • The movie “bully” produced in 1957. And starring Farid Shawqi, Tahia Karioka, Mimi Shakib and Tawfiq Al-Daqn. It is written by Naguib Mahfouz, Farid Shawqi and Mr. Badir, and directed by Salah Abu Seif. It ranks number 10 on the list.
  • The movie “Struggle in the valley” produced in 1954. The film is co-starring Faten Hamama, and Abdullah Ghaith. It is written by Helmy Halim and Ali Al-Zarqani, and directed by Youssef Chahine. It ranks number 25 on the list.
  • The movie “Black market” produced in 1945. He is co-starring Aqila Ratib, Imad Hamdi and Abdel Fattah Al-Qasry. It is written and directed by Kamel El-Telmisani. It ranks number 34 on the list.
  • The movie “Attorney general” produced in 1946. Co-starring Hussein Riad, Abbas Fares, Madiha Yousry, and Siraj Mounir. It is written and directed by Kamel El-Telmisani. It ranks number 41 on the list.
  • The movie “Where has life gone?” produced in 1957. It is co-starring Magda, Amina Rizk, Yahya Shaheen and Ahmed Ramzy. It is written by Ihsan Abdel Quddus and Ali Al-Zarqani, and directed by Ahmed Diaa El-Din. It ranks number 50 on the list.
  • The movie “woman on the road” produced in 1958. And participated in Rushdi Abaza, Shukri Sarhan and Hoda Sultan. It is written by Abdel Hob Adeeb and directed by Ezz El Din Zulficar. It ranks number 72 on the list.

Integration Method

Zaki Rostom was unique in his talent, and the most important thing that distinguishes him is his high ability to impersonate any character he presents. That is why critics called him “The leader of integration acting school”. The actresses who costarred with him were afraid of him, especially when the scene required him to hit one of them. Faten Hamama said in one of her interviews that she was terrified when she stood in front of him in the movie “The river of love” because of his intense integration. She said: “Zaki Rostom is so engrossed into the role that when he tears me up, I feel like I’m flying.” As for actress Magda, who co-starred in the movie “Where’s My Life”, she indicated that she was preparing to shoot a scene that required Zaki Rostom to slap her in the face. When I asked about him before filming, I found him alone in his room. She was terrified because she knew he was doing this so that he would integrate into the next scene. While filming the scene, she fainted after he slapped her in the face. When she woke up, her mouth was bleeding and her face was swollen. And when I looked for him, I found him sitting alone crying, and when I asked him why, he said to her: “I hit you against my will, I was in the role.”

The artist, Hoda Sultan, also told that during the filming of the movie “Hamido”, it was during the day in the month of Ramadan, and one of the scenes of the movie required that Zaki Rostom hit her with a slap in the face. No sooner had he done that until she fell to the ground and fainted and lost her speech, and they failed to wake her up, so they called an ambulance. After she woke up and was able to speak, she found him shocked with fear. She said to him: “Forgive me, it seems that I am tired and I can’t bear to fast,” for him to catch his breath and reply, saying: “O goodness, you have almost brought me to grave, meaning fasting is the one that knocked you off, not me.” He insisted that he not repeat the scene and the slap until after breakfast, so that what happened would not be repeated.

Awards and Honors

About 4 years before his retirement from art, specifically in 1962, the artist Zaki Rostom received the Order of Arts, Sciences and Literature from President Gamal Abdel Nasser.

His illness and his retirement

In the early sixties, Zaki Rostom gradually lost his hearing, until he lost his hearing completely. This forced him to leave art, move away from the artistic community, and retire from people. He used to spend most of his time reading, inside his apartment in the Yacoubian Building in the center of the country. Which he lived alone because he was not married. Where he content himself with his dog, the wolf, who used to sympathize with his unit, and the loyal old maid who served him for more than 30 years.

His Death

Zaki Rostom suffered a severe heart attack, after which he was transferred to Dar Al Shifa Hospital, to leave our world on February 15, 1972. At the age of 69 years.

 

صورة 1

“Egyptian Cinema …Spinster” The most prominent landmarks of Zeinat Sedky on the anniversary of her passing

The maker of joy and the queen of comedy, which was distinguished by her wit and her distinctive look on the screen, she broke into people’s hearts and drew a smile on their faces. She presented a lot of comedic masterpieces that left a big imprint with the audience. The sarcastic sentences that she recited in her films have been preserved by everyone and passed down from generation to generation until today. It is not possible to mention comedy in Egyptian cinema without mentioning its name. She is the actress Zeinat Sedky, the most famous person who embodied the role of spinster in films, until she was dubbed “The Spinster of Egyptian cinema”. She also won many other titles, including “The Trump Comedy Card” and “Bint Al Balad”.

On the anniversary of her death, which falls on March 2, we wanted to highlight the most prominent stations in the life of Zeinat Sedky, who oscillated between prosperity and distress at other times. Despite the great fame and fortune, the situation changed after she kept her away from the spotlight, and her harsh conditions accompanied her until the last moments of her life.

Her birth and Early Life

Her real name is Zeinab Mohamed Saad El-Fouly, and she was born on May 4, 1912, in the El Gomrok neighborhood in Alexandria. She was born to a family of 4 sisters, a housewife mother named Hafida Hassan, and a father who works as a merchant.

When she was young, she joined the book and memorized the Qur’an. She joined the public speaking group in elementary school, and won the Ministry of Education’s public speaking competition award. However, she did not complete her education, as her father pulled her out of school at the age of twelve under the influence of his older brother because her beauty became attractive, and he married her early. Therefore, Zeinat Sedky was interested in educating herself, so she hired a French woman to teach her the French language, piano playing, and etiquette.

Her film career

Zeinat Sedky learned dancing and singing at the “Ansar Ansar and Horsemanship” Institute, which was founded by Zaki Tulaimat. She began her artistic career by singing monologues in nightclubs in Alexandria. Then I decided to move to Cairo to look for a better job opportunity. She worked in Badia Masabni casino, for which she chose to dance rather than sing. When her family objected to her work in art, she changed her name to Zeinab Sedky, using the family name of her close friend, Khairiya Sedky. She traveled with her to Lebanon in search of a job opportunity in the field of acting. Until she met the artist Najib Al-Rihani by chance in 1935, where he hired her one night after Mary Munib apologized for playing her role in one of the plays due to her illness, and when she surprised everyone with her impressive performance, Al-Rihani decided to include her in his band, and asked Badi Khairy to write her own role in the play. He chose the name Zeinat for her to prevent her from being confused with another artist called “Zeinab Sedky”.

Zeenat Sedky has been working in the Rihani band for many years. She also worked with Youssef Wehbe’s band during the breaks in Al-Rihani’s plays. Zeinat Sedky stopped working in the theater after Rihani’s death in 1949. This pause continued until 1954, when Ismail Yassin created a theater group, and asked her to work in his group, where she performed 6 plays with them, before retiring from the theater completely in 1960.

Debut in Cinema

Najib Al-Rihani wanted to take advantage of the resounding success that Zeinat Sedky had achieved on the stage, so he included her in the cast of the movie “Basalameh Wants to Get Married”, which was her starting point in the cinema. To be followed by more than 170 films. She was famous for the characters of the cheerful country girl, the heroine’s chivalrous friend, or the talkative maid, as well as the character of the spinster girl who is over the age of thirty without marriage and seeks to obtain a groom by any means.

Among the most important films in which I participated are “Ghazl Al Banat, Idol of the Masses, Our Sweet Days, Love Street, Hanna Dates, Efrat Hanim, Four Girls and an Officer, Hassan, Marcos and Cohen, Dahab, The Girl of the Great, A Rendezvous with Life, The Heart Has Judgments, I’m Going, Bride for Rent, Millionaire, Dew Drop, Wife Killing Society. She formed a successful duet with the artist Ismail Yassin, and had a large share of participating in his famous comedies, including: “Ibn Hamido, Miss Hanafi, the Green Threshold, the women’s barber, the women don’t know how to lie, the bridegroom of my wife, Abu Oyoun boldly, Miss Mama, the demon of Ismail Yassin, Ismail Yassin in the police, Ismail Yassin in the fleet, Ismail Yassin in the garden of animals, Ismail Yassin in the animal garden. Insane Hospital, Ismail Yassin Secret Police.

With time, Zeinat Sedky gradually disappeared from the artistic scene, and appeared only in a few works. Her last artwork was the movie “A Girl Her Name Mahmoud” in 1975. In which she participated with a large group of artists, including Suhair Ramzy, Samir Sabry, Mohamed Reda and Samir Ghanem. She agreed to participate in after pressure from her sisters, but she was very sad because of it because she was not treated well in accordance with her history. She came back from the shoot crying and said: “This is not my value or my status. This way I am wasting my history.” That is why she did not accept other roles after him.

List of the 100 best films in the history of cinema

Three films, in which Zeinat Sedky participated, were selected in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema. Those films are:

The movie “Ghazal Al Banat”, produced in 1949. Starring Laila Murad, Najib Al-Rihani, Youssef Wehbe, Mahmoud Al-Meligy, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Anwar Wagdy. It is written by Badi’ Khairy and Najib Al-Rihani, and directed by Anwar Wagdy. It ranks number 9 on the list.

The movie “our good days” produced in 1955. Starring Faten Hamama, Abdel Halim Hafez, Omar Sharif and Ahmed Ramzy. It is written and directed by Helmy Halim. It ranks number 83 on the list.

The movie “The mountain” produced in 1965. Starring Samira Ahmed, Laila Fawzy, Omar Hariri and Salah Kabil. It is written by Fathi Ghanem, directed by Khalil Shawky and Sobhi Abdel Aziz. It ranks number 94 on the list.

Personal Life

Zeinat Sedky was known in the artistic community as “the spinster of Egyptian cinema” because of her mastery of performing that character in many of her films. However, in her personal life, she was not a spinster at all, as she was married twice. The first marriage was to her cousin, a doctor who is 17 years older than her, and she was only 13 years old at the time, and her father insisted on her marrying him after he took her out of school. The divorce took place between them after one year of marriage because of his bad treatment of her, especially after the death of her father. As for the second marriage, she was with one of the Free Officers, who was constantly attending to watch her plays with the Rihani Troupe, and she fell in love with him and married him. But the divorce took place between them after he asked her to give up her mother and send her to live with her sister or to live in a home for the elderly. Zeinat Sidqi’s reaction was to hit him on the head with the phone, so he divorced her on the spot.

Zeinat Sidqi did not have any children, but she adopted “Nadra”, her sister’s daughter, “Sunya” and lived with her from her birth until she got married and gave birth to her twins, “Tariq and Azza”, whom Zeinat Sedqi considered her grandchildren and took care of them and their upbringing.

Hard Times

Zeinat Sedky went through many ups and downs during her life, where she achieved great fame and participated in many successful works. However, she suffered from a lack of work towards the end of her life. She lived out of the limelight after years of artistic brilliance. She faced many crises before her death. Her last days were filled with pain and sadness as she suffered from loneliness and illness. She was exposed to financial crises after taxes were imposed on her, so she sold her valuables so that she could manage her expenses and take care of her family. Despite the narrow situation, Karima continued to help everyone who needed her, as she had in her good days.

Awards and Honors

Zeinat Sedky was honored by the Ministry of Culture on Flag Day in 1966, at the request of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. President Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat also honored her in 1976 on Art Day.

Her illness and and death

Before her death, Zeinat Sedky suffered from pneumonia. Before you left our world on March 2, 1978, at the age of 66. After a journey of artistic giving, her name was immortalized among the giants of art and comedy in the memory of Egyptian cinema. She was buried in the cemetery that she bought and put a sign on it, “The Vault of Charity and Passers-by”. In it, she buried all of her fellow artists who died and whose family did not have a burial, and every poor or passerby who did not find a burial for him.

صورة 1

Inspired by a true story and caused a political crisis “Rich Kids”… The first talking movie in the history of Egyptian cinema

The year 1929 witnessed a major revolution in the film industry in the world, as movies turned into talking films, and silent films disappeared from view. This coup had a direct impact on the Egyptian film industry, as filmmakers were keen to exploit modern technologies to advance the film industry in Egypt, and combine the advantages of cinema and theater. They sought to present an Egyptian film whose heroes speak Arabic, in the hope of attracting the audience to watch it, thus ensuring huge financial profits.

For many months, that idea remained just a wish in the minds of filmmakers. Until the dean of the Arab theater, the great artist Youssef Wehbe, came to present the first Egyptian speaking film, which bore the name “Awlad Al-Zawat”, which was produced and shown in 1932. To make Egypt one of the first countries in the world, and the first in the Middle East, to have feature films.

This film is considered a milestone in the history of Egyptian cinema for many reasons. In addition to being the first attempt to present a talking cinema, it brought together a group of the most important artists at this time, headed by Youssef Wehbe and Amina Rizk, under the leadership of Mohamed Karim, the most important pioneer of directing art in Egypt. On the 90th anniversary of the premiere of the movie “Awlad Al-Zawat”, which falls on March 14, we would like to shed light on the details of this distinguished artwork, which caused a great crisis and angered the French.

A murder crime turned into a movie idea

The idea of the movie “Awlad Al-Zawat” came to the mind of the artist Youssef Wehbe after a famous murder that took place in the twenties of the last century. Which began with the marriage of the rich Egyptian “Ali Bey Fahmy” to a poor French woman named “Margaret Miller”. While they were in London after a short period of marriage, and as a result of the difference in cultures and civilizations between the spouses, the differences between them increased, until the wife fired three bullets at her husband that took his life. She was arrested and her trial began on September 11, 1923, in a London court. Margaret chose the famous lawyer Sir Marshall Hall to defend her. Who would attack the oriental husband and describe him as barbaric, in order to convince the world that killing him was a just recompense for his brutality. The case turned from a murder to a trial of oriental customs, and the Europeans sided with “Margaret” as a victim of backward oriental customs. The court was convinced of the lawyer’s words, despite not providing a single evidence of the brutality of the eastern man, and issued a ruling acquitting Margaret, who demanded her inheritance from her dead husband.

The artist Youssef Wehbe was affected by this case, and wanted to defend the Arab man, rejecting the accusations leveled against him of backwardness, reaction and barbarism. So he suggested to his friend, director Mohamed Karim, that he present a film to show the opposite, and that foreign girls trap wealthy Egyptian youths for their money. He insisted that “Awlad al-Zawat” be the first Arabic-language film, in order for it to remain a landmark in the history of Egyptian cinema.

The Plot

The story of the film revolves around “Hamdy”, the husband who meets a French girl named “Julia” and falls in love with her. He leaves his wife in Egypt, and travels with his French lover to Paris. There, he discovers her betrayal, so he kills her, kills her lover, and is sentenced to prison. After the end of his imprisonment, he decided to return to Egypt, on the day that coincided with his son’s wedding day. To discover that his wife thought he had died in France, she married her cousin. Hamdi approaches his son to congratulate him on the marriage, without revealing his identity. The son thinks he is a beggar and gives him some money. Hamdi leaves home sad and goes to commit suicide under the wheels of the train.

Filming behind the scenes

The movie “Awlad Al-Zawat” was shown for the first time on March 14, 1932, and a large number of beautiful time stars participated in it, including Youssef Wehbe, Dawlat Abyad, Amina Rizk, Siraj Munir, Hassan Al-Baroudi, Anwar Wagdy and French artist Colette Darvey. It was directed by one of the most important pioneers of Egyptian cinema, director Mohamed Karim, and Ahmed Badrakhan worked with him as an assistant director. Kawkab Al Sharq Umm Kulthum also participated in singing in the film. Badia Masabni presented a dance segment as part of the film’s events.

Although “Awlad Al-Zawat” was considered the first speaking drama film in the history of Egyptian cinema, it was not fully spoken, as half of the film was spoken and the other half was silent. The reason for this is due to the high costs involved in producing a talking film at the time. The speaking part was filmed at the “Bison” studio in Paris, and the other part was filmed in Egypt at the “Ramses” studio.

Cruel attack and political crisis

After the movie “Awlad Al-Zawat” was shown in the cinemas of Cairo and Alexandria, the film sparked widespread controversy due to the presentation of the character of the French woman as a liar, a traitor and a lover of material. Foreign newspapers, especially French ones, led campaigns to stop showing the film.

And the matter did not stop with the press attack, as many foreigners residing in Egypt filed a complaint with the Ministry of the Interior against the film, and several lawsuits were filed to demand the suspension of its showing, as it carries a clear insult and unjustified hostility to everything that is foreign. Especially as the film’s heroes came out with statements condemning the Egyptian’s marriage to a foreigner, because of the dire consequences it brings to the Egyptian family.

Indeed, the film was discontinued. The film’s hero and author, artist Youssef Wehbe, responded to the foreign press’s attack on the film, saying that the character of the French mistress “Julia” was not a descendant of a high-end French family, but rather a woman in ballrooms and cabarets. He pointed out that there are characters similar to that character in all films directed by European and American countries, including France itself. Why did not issue any press campaigns to attack those films. Youssef Wehbe also confirmed that the one who played “Julia” is a capable French actress who has a strong position in the world of cinema and theater in France. If she had found in the film something that would harm the reputation of the French woman, she would not have accepted the role from the beginning. With the passage of time, the fierce campaigns directed at the film subsided, and it was allowed to be shown in cinemas in Egypt and the Arab world again. To represent the birth certificate of talking cinema in Egypt, and to announce the end of the era of silent films.

Congratulations on that title fight.

The time of filming the movie “Awlad Al-Zawat” coincided with the shooting of the movie “Song of the Heart”. This caused a controversy over the eligibility of both of them to get the title of the first Egyptian speaking film. Some technical sources classified the movie “Song of the Heart” as the most worthy of the title, especially since filming it first. However, the date of the show “Awlad Al-Zawat” settled the matter, as it was shown for the first time on March 14, 1932. On April 14 of the same year, one month after the release of the first talking movie in the history of Egyptian cinema, the movie “Song of the Foad” starring the singer Nadera in partnership with Zakaria Ahmed and George Abyad, and written by Khalil Mutran and Italian author Lazar, was shown. It was directed by Italian director Mario Volpi. His main idea was similar to the movie “The Children of the Self”, which is the hero’s love for a foreign girl, which causes misfortunes to befall him and his family. Despite its poor story, “Song of the Heart” achieved commercial success as it was the first musical film.

As for “Shajarat al-Dur”, which was shown on February 26, 1935, it is the first historical film presented by Egyptian cinema. And it was starring Asia Dagher, Mary Queenie, Abdul Rahman Rushdi, Mikhail Atallah and Mukhtar Hussein. It was based on the story of the Lebanese writer, Jerji Zaidan, and wrote the script and dialogue, and directed by Ahmed Jalal. The makers of “Shajarat al-Durr” waged a new struggle with the movie “Awlad al-Zawat” because they considered it the first full-length film, and that “Awlad al-Zawat” was half-speaking.

Shocked Destiny

During the seventies of the last century, the artist Youssef Wehbe appealed to the Ministry of Culture in his press interviews, to search for the tape of the original version of the film, and to restore and preserve it as an important piece of the heritage of Egyptian cinema. Noting that he searched for a long time in the National Film Archives, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, and the Oriental Institute in Paris, trying to find a copy of the film, but to no avail. Therefore, “Awlad Al-Zawat” was considered one of the lost films, despite its historical importance in Egyptian cinema.

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In memory of Henri Barakat.. The journey of the struggle of the “Sheikh of Directors” in the art world

One of the legends of Egyptian cinema, and one of the top directors in Egypt, and one of the most directors of cinematic films, as he directed a total of 112 films over the course of his artistic career that spanned 55 years, so he was called the “Sheikh of Directors”. It enriched the film library with a large number of films that have become one of the most important classics of Egyptian cinema, and some of them were selected among the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema.

He was able to be a distinctive mark in the world of cinema in terms of quantity and quality, as his large production did not affect the artistic quality of the films. He is considered a professor of romantic film directing, and he was also interested in highlighting realism in Egyptian cinema, as his films shed light on the different social classes. Therefore, his works left a great imprint in the hearts of the masses, and remained in their memory even years after his retirement and death. It is the great director Henri Barakat, who falls on February 23, the anniversary of his death. In the following lines, we will review with you the journey of his struggle in the world of art and directing.

His birth and upbringing

Henry Anton Barakat was born on June 11, 1914 in the Shubra district of Cairo, to an Egyptian mother and a father whose origins go back to the Levant. From a young age, he loved going to cinemas and theaters, as well as reading classic novels. He graduated from Al-Farr High School and then obtained a Bachelor of Laws from King Farouk I University, which later became Cairo University. Then he traveled to France to study film directing. He entered the studios and got acquainted with the most important workers in the field of cinema. He also watched a large number of films, to study the methods of directing them. He was keen to read critics’ opinions in magazines specializing in cinema. He returned to Egypt in 1935 to begin his long artistic journey.

Early Works

Henry Barakat started his artistic life as an assistant editor and assistant director, and was discovered by producer Asia Dagher in 1942 when she was looking for a director to direct the movie “Al-Shared” for her after director Ahmed Galal left her and formed his own production company. To begin a long artistic career in which Henry Barakat presented various types of films that varied between comedians, tragic, romantic, social and lyrical. Since the beginning of his artistic career, Henri Barakat has been interested in the art of montage, which he trained in France, which reflected positively on his work as a director.

His film career

Director Henri Barakat’s artistic career spanned for more than half a century, during which he presented 112 films, many of which are considered classics of Egyptian cinema, such as: “Hassan and Naima, in our house there is a man, the prince of shrewdness, days and nights, from the heart to the heart, an hour to your heart, the wedding night, a father’s mistake, the heart has one, a woman without chains, Shaban is below zero.”

Henry Barakat formed a successful duet with the artist Faten Hamama, who was represented in 18 films directed by him, which is considered one of the most important and successful films in Egyptian cinema, and we mention them: The prayer of the crown, the open door, the night of the arrest of Fatima, mouths and rabbits, the melody of eternity, a date of love, and no consolation for women, have mercy on my tears, the forbidden, the fine thread. He also presented 10 films with Farid al-Atrash, the most important of which are: “Hanim imp, great love, lifetime lover, love letter, shore of love”.

List of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema

The list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema included 4 films directed by Henry Barakat, and those films are:

  • The movie “Al Haram”, produced in 1965. The film is co-starring Faten Hamama, Zaki Rostom and Abdullah Ghaith. It is the story of Youssef Idris, and the script and dialogue by Saad Eddin Wahba. It ranks number 5 on the list.
  • The movie “Doaa Al-Karawan”, produced in 1958. The film was co-starring Faten Hamama, Ahmed Mazhar, Amina Rizk and Zahra Al-Ala. It is the story of Taha Hussein, and the script and dialogue by Henry Barakat and Youssef Gohar. It is ranked No. 14.
  • The movie “In Our Home is a Man”, produced in 1961. The film is co-starring Omar Sharif, Rushdi Abaza, Zubaida Tharwat and Zahra Al-Ala. It is written by Ihsan Abdel Quddus and Youssef Issa. It is ranked No. 23.
  • The movie “Prince of Revenge” produced in 1950. It is co-starring Anwar Wagdy, Samia Gamal, Madiha Yousry, Hussein Riad, Mahmoud El Meligy and Farid Shawky. It is the story of Taha Hussein, and the script and dialogue by Henry Barakat and. It is ranked No. 61.

Film production

After the death of his father, Henry Barakat invested his share of the inheritance in film production, establishing the “Barakat Brothers Films” company in partnership with his brother Abdullah, who took over the management of film production until his death in 1978. The company produced many films, including: “Antar Effendi, prince of cunning, great love, open door, woman is woman, dearest beloved, hold my thief, my life is you.”  The company also produced some films in partnership with the “Mohamed Abdel Wahab Films” company, including: “A date with the unknown, temptation, girls today, Hassan and Naima.”

Awards and Honors

During his long artistic career, Henri Barakat was honored on many occasions, and he won many valuable artistic awards, including:

  • Best Film Award from the Jakarta Film Festival in 1964 for “The Open Door”.
  • Special Male Award from the 1984 Valencia International Film Festival for the film “The Night of Fatima’s Arrest”.
  • The State Appreciation Award in Arts from the Supreme Council of Culture in 1995.
  • Medal from the Alexandria Film Festival in 1991. and the Cairo International Film Festival in 1994.

Henri Barakat also received a number of important nominations during his career, as he was nominated for the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin Festival in 1959 with two films “Hassan and Naima” and “Doaa Al-Karwan”. He was nominated for the Palme d’Or award from the Cannes Film Festival in 1965 for the film “Al Haram”.

In addition to being honored in many festivals, such as the Paris Festival in 1984, the Valencia Festival in 1985, the Alexandria Festival in 1991, Los Angeles TV America in 1989, the Montpellier Festival in 1992, and the Cairo Festival in 1994.

Retiring art

In the last years before his retirement from art, Henri Barakat presented a group of films that descended to the level of low-quality commercial cinema, which were classified as lower quality than his previous works. He directed the films “Al-Askari Shabrawi” and “Hassan Bek, the Poor Man” in 1982, and “Nawara and the Beast” in 1987. Henri Barakat defended these films as the prevailing trend of cinema at this time, and although he had made some concessions in his films, they did not descend into humility, stressing that he was not ashamed of them. In 1993, Henri Barakat announced his retirement from film directorship, and his last work was the movie “An Investigation with Mwatana”.

His marriage and children

Henry Barakat married a woman from outside the artistic community called Rosette Dahan, an Egyptian of Levantine origin, born in Alexandria. The duo lived a quiet life and a long love story that lasted 50 years, during which they had two daughters, “Randa” and “Jihan”.

His Death

The great director Henri Barakat passed away on February 23, 1997, at the age of 83. Leaving behind a long legacy of valuable and unforgettable artwork.

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On Layla Mourad’s Birthday… Important milestones in the artistic career of the “Singing Guitar”

A life full of important stations lived by the late artist Laila Murad, who is considered one of the icons of singing and acting in the Arab world. She was distinguished by exceptional talent and was one of the few singers who achieved as much success in acting as she achieved in singing. She was even nicknamed the “singing guitar”. On her birthday, which falls on February 17, we review with you the artistic career of the artist, Laila Mourad, starting with her great fame that qualified her to become the highest paid in the history of Egyptian and Arab cinema. Through her conversion to Islam and being accused of spying for Israel, and ending with her early retirement from art and her keeping away from the spotlight.

Her birth and Early Life

Her real name is Lilian Ibrahim Zaki Murad Mordechai. She was born on February 17, 1918, in Alexandria, to an Egyptian father of Polish descent, and an Egyptian mother of Moroccan descent. She learned to sing at the hands of her father, the composer Zaki Murad, and his friend, the composer Daoud Hosni, at the age of fourteen. She graduated from the Notre Dame  Des Apôtres School for girls in Helmeyet El-Zeitoun neighborhood. Her younger brother is the artist, Mounir Murad.

Early Works

The artistic start came to the artist, Laila Mourad, as a singer in concerts. When the official radio station was opened in Egypt, the radio contracted with her to sing it once a week. “Oh deer with black rimmed eyes” was the first carol she sang in July 6, of 1934. After that, she released several CDs. As for her artistic beginnings in the cinema, she was in 1935 when she participated in the movie “Victims” with her voice only, and presented the song “The Day of Travel”. The musician Mohamed Abdel Wahab admired her, so he chose her to participate in the movie “Long Live Love” in 1937. Through it, she attracted the attention of the dean of the Arab theater, Youssef Wehbe, to choose her to share her second movie, “On a Rainy Night” in 1939.

Her film career

Over the course of her career, Laila Murad presented more than 1,000 songs, in which she collaborated with great poets and composers, including the musician of generations, Abdel Wahab, Zakaria Ahmed, Muhammad al-Qasabji, Riad al-Sunbati, her brother Munir Murad and others. Among her most famous songs are: “Why did you make me love you, my heart is my guide, the love of love, Abjad Hawz, I laugh Karkar, I love two people together, my eyes are luxurious, sing to me a little, make up my mind, horses, who can control my heart, the world is singing, dearer than my eyes, O thief with eyelashes, Preoccupied and busy, my heart is empty, O beloved of the soul, he is the pampered, means quarrel, ask for me. We cannot forget her beautiful patriotism songs, including: “Build and elevate, my land, my sweet, you are going to the Sinai desert, you are the children of our country, we will come to you, our country.” In addition to her religious songs, including: “O you who go to the dear Prophet, the door of forgiveness.”

As for its share of films, it reached only 27 films, among which we mention: Martyrs of love, the unknown past, the stroke of fate, Solomon’s ring, passion and youth, the madman, the return of love, from the heart to the heart, the lady of the train. She formed a successful duet with many artists, the most famous of which is with the artist Anwar Wagdy, with whom she presented 11 films, the most important of which are: “Laila, the daughter of the countryside, Layla in the dark, Layla, the daughter of the poor, Layla the daughter of the rich, my heart is my guide, the girls’ flirtation, the lover of the soul, the daughter of the noble, Amber.” She presented 7 films with the artist Youssef Wehbe, including: “On a rainy night, Laila the girl of schools, Laila the daughter of the countryside, the stroke of fate, Shadia Al-Wadi.” She also participated with the artist Hussein Sedky in 5 films, including: “Laila, the shore of love, Adam and Eve, the unknown lover.”

Retiring art

Laila Murad announced her retirement from art completely in the mid-fifties and she is at the peak of her artistic glory. Her last artwork was the movie “The Unknown Beloved” in 1955 with Hussein Sidqi, Kamal El-Shennawy and Siraj Mounir. She did not retract her decision to retire until her death, despite all attempts to dissuade her from this decision.

List of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema

One of Laila Murad’s films was selected in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema, which is the movie “Ghazl Al Banat” produced in 1949, starring Naguib El-Rihani, Youssef Wehbe, Anwar Wagdy, Suleiman Naguib, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Farid Shawky and Mahmoud El Meligy. Written and directed by Wagdy. It ranks number 9 on the list.

Converting to Islam

Laila Murad was born into a Jewish family, and in 1946, specifically in the month of Ramadan, Laila Murad converted to Islam in the Sheikhdom of Al-Azhar. The story of her conversion to Islam dates back to the time of her marriage to the artist Anwar Wagdy, where she used to wake up every day at the time of the dawn prayer, and this matter continued with her for a long time. One night she woke her husband, saying: “Hear the call to prayer, it is sweet, this time, isn’t it? Wow the muezzin while he says prayer is better than sleep,” and she told him that she wanted to enter Islam. Anwar Wagdy thought at first that her talk was just a joke, but she assured him of her desire to convert to Islam, so he took her to the Sheikhdom of Al-Azhar, where she converted to Islam in front of Sheikh Mahmoud Abu Al-Oyoun, and she continued on the Islamic religion until her death.

Personal Life

Laila Murad was married 3 times during her life. The first was by the artist Anwar Wagdy during their participation in the movie “Laila Bint Al-Faqara” in 1947. The duo separated for the first time in 1951, until the artists Youssef Wehbe and Mohamed Abdel Wahab intervened to reconcile between them, then the second and final separation came in 1954. As for the second marriage, it was a secret marriage to the pilot, Wajih Abaza, who did not want to announce that marriage for fear of the wrath of his ancient family, which included many politicians and ministers. Laila Murad retired from art at the time and gave birth to her son “Ashraf” and increased her concern about the future awaiting her child, which caused many disputes between them until the husband decided to separate one year after their marriage. The third and final marriage came to the director Fateen Abdel Wahab, who was directing a movie for her brother Mounir Murad, and she met him behind the scenes to admire him and marry him, and their marriage lasted 11 years until the separation occurred in 1969. She gave birth to her second son, Zaki, who insisted on entering the art world despite his mother’s refusal, even as he was studying at the Film Institute without her knowledge. Laila Murad was the reason for the separation of her son Zaki Fateen Abdel Wahab from the artist Soad Hosni, whom he married in 1981, due to the age difference between them, as Souad was twenty years older than him.

She was accused of espionage and supporting Israel

In December 1952, Al-Ahram newspaper published news stating that dealing with Laila Murad had been stopped after announcing a Syrian magazine called “The Arab Struggle” that the government had banned the showing of Leila Murad’s films or broadcasting her songs on Radio Damascus because she had visited Tel Aviv and donated 50 thousand pounds for the Israeli Mossad. The news spread quickly and she was followed by accusations of spying for the Israeli intelligence, and of exploiting her relationship with senior statesmen to provide them with important information. Which called many at the time to boycott its work. What reinforced this rumor was that she was of Jewish origin, as well as her absence in Egypt at the time. .

As soon as she learned the news, Laila Murad insisted on returning quickly to Egypt, and immediately began to prove the incorrectness of what was published, as the artist confirmed that she was in Paris and did not leave her place, and used a statement from the Consulate in France confirming her departure from Egyptian lands on August 8, 1952, and her arrival She arrived at Orly Airport on the same day, and had not departed until the time of the announcement. She also proved through the bank mentioned by the newspaper that she does not have an account with it. It also proved through the banks that deal with it that its account does not reach the amount that it was said that it donated. Despite confirming the falsity of the news after that, the Syrian government maintained its position until the intervention of the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser and removed those rumors during his negotiations on the Egyptian-Syrian union in 1958.

Her death.

Before her death, Laila Murad suffered from severe anemia that made her constantly bedridden due to her inability to stand on her feet, until she left our world on November 21, 1995, at the age of 77 years.

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For a romantic evening at home.. 14  A movie you can watch on Valentine’s Day

Some people like to celebrate Valentine’s Day by spending time outside, while others like to spend romantic time at home. If you prefer to celebrate Valentine’s Day at home, we suggest 14 special romantic movies that you can watch that night to spend a romantic evening with your loved one.

The empty pillow 1957

The film tells the story of Salah, a student at the Faculty of Commerce, who lives a strong love story with Samiha and they vow to marry, but Samiha’s people force her to marry Dr. Fouad. Salah’s heart is broken due to the separation of his girlfriend and he drowns in his sorrows until he falls ill. He is taken to the hospital, where Dr. Fouad performs an operation on him. With time, a friendship relationship between Salah and Dr. Salah decides to take revenge on Samiha by ending his studies and succeeding in his work. He marries Doria, the daughter of the company’s president. However, he was unable to forget Samiha, and he sleeps every night with an empty pillow on which he sees the face of his first love. Salah and his bride decide to invite his friend Dr. Fouad and his wife to their house, only to discover that the doctor’s wife is Samiha. Doria is taken to the hospital, where she undergoes a dangerous delivery, resulting in the loss of her fetus. Salah discovers that Samiha no longer exists in his life, and that he really loves Doria, and that his present and future is with her, so he gets rid of the memory of his first love. When he goes to sleep for the first time, he does not see on the pillow the face of Samiha, his first love, but the face of Doria, his last love.

The film starring Abdel Halim Hafez, Lubna Abdel Aziz, Zahra Al Ola, Omar Hariri and Ahmed Ramzy, written by Ihsan Abdel Quddous, and directed by Salah Abu Seif.

Hassan and Naima 1959

The film presented a true story of the young girl “Naima”, the daughter of Hajj “Metwally”, who falls in love with the poor singer “Hassan”. Her father refuses to marry them because of his profession, and seeks to marry off his daughter to “Atwa”, his nephew. Naima runs away from her home and goes to Hassan, who hides her with his mother. Metwally goes to retrieve his daughter and agrees with Hassan that Naima return to her family’s home, then Hassan comes to marry her naturally in front of the people of the country. But as soon as they return home, “Metwally” imprisons his daughter and beats her, “Atwa” tries to kill “Hassan”, who escapes death, and the people of the country help him in taking revenge on “Atwa”, and the two lovers marry in the end.

The film starring Soad Hosni, Muharram Fouad, Wedad Hamdi, Hussein Asser and Mahmoud Al Sebaa, written by Abdul Rahman Al Khamisi, and directed by Henry Barakat.

Karawan prayer 1959

The film deals with the story of “Amna” who decides to take revenge on the bachelor engineer who killed her sister “Hanadi” after he took advantage of her love for him and assaulted her, so her family killed her in defense of her honor. Amna goes to work as a maid in the house of the engineer, who tried to assault her several times, but failed. Amna is unable to kill the engineer, so she thinks of making him fall in love with her and torturing him. He actually fell in love with her, but she also fell in love with him. When he proposed to her, she told him that she was Hanadi’s sister and that she wanted revenge on him. “Amna” left the house to find her uncle in front of her trying to kill her, so she went back to the engineer to take shelter with him, so he took the bullet instead and fell dead in order to pay the girl he truly loved.

The movie starring Faten Hamama, Ahmed Mazhar, Amina Rizk and Zahra Al-Ala, written by Taha Hussein, and directed by Henry Barakat.

Love rumor 1961

The events of the film begin with “Hussein”, a shy, introverted young man who works as a deputy director in his uncle’s company, “Abdul Qader Al-Nashashi” and lives in his uncle’s house in Port Said. Hussein falls in love with his cousin Samiha and hopes to marry her. While his uncle welcomes the marriage, his uncle’s wife objects because he is shy, lacks social intelligence, and does not care about his appearance. She seeks to marry her daughter to “Lucy”, her nephew, who impresses “Samiha” because he is a social, open-minded and multi-relationship man. Abdel Qader decides to change Hussein’s personality to impress Samiha. He claims the existence of a relationship between Hussein and the artist Hind Rostom and fabricates some evidence of that relationship and other relationships with the girls. So Samiha admires him and seeks a relationship with him. The rumor spreads all over Port Said, at a time when Hind Rostom came to Port Said with her jealous fiancé, “Adel Haikal”. Who hears the rumor and threatens everyone with death. Because of his jealousy and nervousness, Hind Rostom sets out to teach her fiancé a harsh lesson. She claims that she is indeed in a relationship with “Hussein” and agrees with the artist “Ahmed Farhat” on the claim that he is their son. So Samiha breaks off her engagement to Hussein, so that Hind Rostom can explain the truth to her.

The film starring Soad Hosni, Omar Sharif, Youssef Wehbe, Abdel Moneim Ibrahim and Hind Rostom, written by John Emerson, and directed by Fatin Abdel Wahab.

Idol of the masses 1967

The film showed the story of “Ibrahim”, the unknown actor and singer who loves the famous singer “Suhair”. When they meet at the band’s rehearsals, she also falls in love with him and prepares for marriage, to everyone’s astonishment. The director of the band seeks to wreak havoc between them and spoil the marriage, so he agrees with an unknown actress to claim that she is “Ibrahim”‘s wife and the mother of his children. On the night of the wedding, Sohair retracts the marriage, and expels Ibrahim from her home in front of the audience. At a time when Suhair plunged into her sorrows and refused to work until she lost her artistic fame, Ibrahim insists on succeeding, until he became a famous singer.  Suhair accidentally sees the picture of the woman who claimed to be Ibrahim’s wife, and knows that she is an actress, and is sure that she was deceived. She seeks to meet her lover, who repels her in order to preserve his dignity, even though he still loves her. So Suhair resorts to the people of the neighborhood to which “Ibrahim” belongs, and they kidnap the band’s manager, and he confesses the truth in front of “Ibrahim”, who rushes to his girlfriend to announce their return together, and their love triumphs despite the separation that lasted for years.

The film starring Shadia, Abdel Halim Hafez, Fouad Al Mohandes, Hassan Fayek, Zeinat Sedky and Youssef Shaaban, written by Mustafa Amin, and directed by Helmy Rafla.

Love in the Prison Cell 1983

The film monitors the corrupt businessman “Al-Sharnoubi” burning one of the old houses he owns, to be demolished and benefit from the value of the land. His lawyer agrees with the poor young man “Salah” to admit burning the house in exchange for a sum of money, an apartment and a workshop, in order to dismiss the accusation against “Al-Sharnoubi”, and promise him that the period of his imprisonment will not exceed 3 months. Salah, who is surprised to be imprisoned for 10 years, agrees. He tries to admit the truth, but no one believes him. In prison, he meets a female prisoner in the women’s prison named “Fayza”, and the two exchange feelings of love, communicate through letters and agree to marry. Fayza is released from prison by Salah, who thinks she will be in Al-Sharnoubi’s care, but he insults her and expels her. Salah escapes from prison with the help of his fellow prisoners. The two lovers decide to take revenge on the businessman.

The film starring Soad Hosni, Adel Imam, Abdel Moneim Madbouly, Yahya Al-Fakharani and Jamil Ratib, written and directed by Mohamed Fadel.

Always darling 1989

The film revolves around an aristocratic girl named “Frida” who succumbs to her father’s pressure and marries a businessman despite her love for Dr. “Ibrahim”, who was rejected by her father because of his poverty. Farida lives a miserable life with her husband in Paris, so she asks for a divorce and returns to Egypt. At the time, “Ibrahim” became a respected doctor. Farida gets a headache and loses consciousness, so her grandmother calls Dr. Ibrahim, who takes her to the hospital, and apologizes to her, expressing his remorse because he lost the most beautiful love for the sake of his wounded dignity, as Farida admits that she still loves him. Ibrahim discovers that she has cancer, so he hides the matter from her and asks her to marry, and her father agrees. The two lovers travel to London, claiming to spend their honeymoon, while “Ibrahim” wanted to verify the truth of her illness, only to discover that her condition was delayed and the doctor told him that she had a few days. Farida faints and goes to the hospital after she wakes up, to find out the truth. The two return to Egypt, when “Farida” dies in the arms of her only love, after she recommended him to always remember the beautiful moments they spent together.

The film starring Nour El Sherif, Bossi, Saeed Abdel Ghani, Sawsan Badr, Naima Wasfi, written by Youssef El Sebaei, and directed by Hussein Kamal.

The first love 2000

The film touched on three young models and their different ideas about love. The first is called “Khaled”, a shy and romantic young man who sees love as the supreme thing in existence. The second is Hassan, the introverted young man who dreams of experiencing love and connection but always fails. As for the third, “Hisham”, he is a womanizer who is all about making girls fall in love with him. Young people get to know “Rania” and her cousin “Wafa”, so that “Khaled” falls in love with “Rania” at first sight, who sees in “Hisham” the knight of her dreams. At the same time, Hassan falls in love with Wafaa and wishes to be associated with her, while she falls in love with Khaled. The events follow in the context of a romantic comedy, where “Rania” discovers that her lover has deceived her. Meanwhile, Wafaa prefers to sacrifice her love for Khaled and walks away to leave room for her cousin. She apologizes to “Hassan” for not reciprocating feelings of love, so he continues his search for true love.

The film starring Mostafa Qamar, Mona Zaki, Hanan Turk, Hani Ramzy Tariq Lotfi, written by Ahmed Al-Bayh, and directed by Saeed Hamed.

Girls love 2004

The film begins with the death of the father, Mustafa Abu Hajar, leaving a will that requires three half-sisters to live together in one house for a year until they receive the inheritance. We learn about the different stories of each of them. The first, “Nada”, is a romantic girl who loves her colleague at the university, but due to the circumstances of her mother’s illness, she refuses to marry him because he wants to travel. The second is Ghada, who is a teaching assistant at the university. She hates men, influenced by her mother, who suffered from her husband’s betrayal, and she thinks that all men are traitors, and it is better not to get attached to them. As for the latter, “Ruqaya”, she has lived all her life in England, struggling between being an oriental Muslim girl who must preserve herself until marriage, and her presence in a Western society that accepts open relations between the sexes. The events deal with the fact that each of them falls in love, where Nada meets a classmate and her old love, and her feelings for him are renewed. Meanwhile, Ghada, who refuses to be engaged, falls in love with a young university student. While “Ruqayya” relates to a young actor who discovers that he does not truly love her, then she falls in love with their neighbor, the psychiatrist “Moheeb”, who helps the three girls overcome their problems with love and connection.

The film starring Laila Elwi, Hanan Turk, Hana Shiha, Ashraf Abdel-Baqi, Ahmed Ezz and Khaled Abu El-Naga, written by Tamer Habib and Nihad Abdel Aziz Mahmoud, directed by Khaled Al-Hajar.

Apple of my eyes 2010

The film revolves around a young man named “Ahmed” who works as a singer in a singing group and whose technical name is “Noor Al-Masry”. He accidentally meets “Sarah”, one of the band’s musicians, who had an accident and lost her sight as a result. The two fall in love amid Sarah’s fear that he is taking pity on her because of her situation. The band travels to Lebanon, and there “Nour” meets a girl he was in a relationship with in the past, and talks about her with his friends to tell them that he does not love her, but was only sympathetic to her, and “Sarah” listens to him and thinks that he means her. Sarah breaks off her relationship with Nour, who does not have time to explain the situation due to the necessity of returning to Egypt after his brother is hospitalized. Sarah traveled abroad for surgery to restore her sight, and got engaged to a psychiatrist, Tariq, who helped her get out of her bad psychological state. Sarah returns to Egypt with her fiancé, who introduces her to a lifelong friend, Ahmed, who was unable to inform his friend of his previous relationship with her. Over time, Sarah discovers that Ahmed is the same as Noor. Tariq knows the truth, so he prefers to stay away, especially when he is sure that their feelings have not changed

The film starring Tamer Hosni, Menna Shalaby, Amr Youssef and Abeer Sabry, written by Tamer Hosni and Ahmed Abdel Fattah, and directed by Wael Ihsan.

Bebo and Bashir 2011

The film tells the story of Bashir, a young man who leaves his father’s house after his marriage and searches for an apartment to live alone. He meets by chance “Abeer” or “Bebo”, the girl who left her family in Port Said and is looking for an apartment to live in in Cairo, where she came to work as a drummer in one of the teams. The two of them live in the same apartment without knowing each other’s existence, due to the different timings of their presence in the apartment. The events unfold in a romantic comedy, especially when Bebo and Bashir fall in love and discover the fact that they are together in the same apartment. To begin a dispute between them over the eligibility of each of the apartment, each of them seeks to implement pranks on the other party to force him to leave the apartment. In the end, the love that united their hearts overcomes problems and disagreements.

The film stars Aser Yassin, Menna Shalaby, Muhammad Mamdouh, Hani Adel, Ezzat Abu Auf and Safia al-Omari, written by Karim Fahmy and Hisham Majid, and directed by Maryam Abu Auf.

Love Broadcasting 2011

In the film, we meet “Hassan”, a decent young man who is serious and regular in his work, who refuses to stay up late and dance, and fails to recognize any girl due to his shyness and extreme frankness. However, his friends convince him to be a playboy, not serious and liberal so that he can integrate into real life, and they invite him to a night out at the disco after they help him change the way he dresses. On the other hand, we find “Laila” a serious girl who is not very different from “Hassan” and who has failed in many relationships because of her desire to take things seriously, so she seeks to persuade the other party to quickly marry. Her friend advises her to change her appearance to be a free girl and move from one guy to another, without looking for a serious connection, and takes her to the disco. Layla meets Hassan, and each tries to impress the other with his new, fake personality, without looking for a serious relationship. With time, each of them emerges from his artificial personality, and love creeps between their hearts, but life puts them through some tests to be sure of the truth of their feelings. To return to their true personality, which resembles the other, and their relationship succeeds in the end. .

The film starring Menna Shalaby, Sherif Salama, Edward, Yousra El Lozy and Mona Hala, written by Mohamed Nair, and directed by Ahmed Samir Farag.

Hepta 2016

In the film, we follow Dr. Shukri Mokhtar, a psychologist who decided to give a final scientific lecture, during which he discusses the idea of love, and the seven stages it goes through through four love stories in different age stages, which varied between childhood, adolescence, youth and maturity, and all of them go through Lots of challenges and ups and downs. The first story revolves around a young child who suffers from family problems between his father and his mother, who suffers from her husband’s neglect of her, which leads her to commit suicide. The second story revolves around a teenage student who confesses his love to his colleague after being in an accident and staying for a long time in the hospital. As for the third story, it revolves between a young man and a young girl who fall in love at first sight, and although the girl is engaged to another person, she decides to break off her engagement to marry her lover, and they have their first child, but this love does not last because of the death of the girl, and their relationship ends in divorce. While the fourth story revolves around a man who is depressed after going through more than one failed love story, he meets his true love by chance and faces some problems with his girlfriend, but he manages to overcome her and continue his life with her. At the end of the movie, we discover that the four stories are for one person who has gone through all these stages in his life.

The film starring Majed El-Kadwany, Amr Youssef, Sherine Reda, Nelly Karim, Yasmine Rais, Dina El-Sherbiny and Ahmed Daoud, written by Mohamed Sadek, directed by Hadi El-Bagouri.

Love story 2019

The film highlights the engineer “Youssef”, who suffers an accident that loses his sight and changes the course of his life. Youssef becomes depressed and tries to adapt to his new life, only to meet a girl named Jamila who begins to help him and does her best to improve his psychological condition. Indeed, Youssef’s life changes for the better after the two fall in love. Youssef travels for surgery to restore his sight. He comes back to surprise Jamila but receives a big shock when she tells him she has cancer. He hides from her the news of regaining his sight until she agrees to start the chemotherapy sessions, and begins to help her overcome her ordeal, and insists on marrying her. Jamila begins receiving treatment as she prepares for the wedding. However, things don’t alwyas go as desired, and Jamila dies, and Youssef lives on the memory of his love for her amid his great sadness for her.

The film starring Ahmed Hatem, Hana Al-Zahid, Hanan Suleiman, Ola Rushdi and Yasser Al-Tobji, and written and directed by Othman Abu Laban .

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On valentine’s day… 14 love stories brought together celebrities in the time of beautiful art

Lovers celebrate Valentine’s Day every year, specifically on February 14, as it is an occasion to renew the vows of love between lovers. When we talk about love, we must talk about the most famous love stories that brought together artists and artists in the time of fine art. Although most of these great love stories ended in parting, they contained suspenseful details and many tender feelings, which young people still look up to as an example of romance. Therefore, we preferred to present to you on Valentine’s Day 14 love stories that brought together celebrities in the time of beautiful art.

Laila Mourad and Anwar Wagdy.

One of the strangest love stories in the artistic community, just as marriage was strange, separation came strange and strange. The love story between Laila Murad and Anwar Wagdy began in 1947 while they were filming the movie “Laila, the Poor Girl”. And rumors spread about the love story that quickly grew between them. During the filming of the movie, there was a scene depicting the wedding ceremony of the hero and heroine. The audience was surprised that Laila and Anwar had already tied the knot two days ago in the Sharia Court of First Instance in Egypt. The couple’s marriage lasted for 7 years, and despite the fact that they presented many successful films, their personal relationship was tense, due to Anwar Wagdy’s nervousness and extreme jealousy, which was most of the time artistic rather than emotional jealousy. Until the end came when producer Ahmed Salem asked Laila Murad to co-star in one of his films, to show jealousy on Anwar Wagdy, who left the marital home and refused to return unless his wife terminated the contract. However, promotional campaigns for the film had begun to spread, and Mohamed Fawzy began composing the film’s songs, so the producer refused attempts to terminate the contract. Anwar Wagdy returned home with the intention of ending the marriage, which made him divorce his wife in 1954 for a very strange reason. Where Laila Murad woke up one night to the sound of breaking dishes in the kitchen, so she went out to him and found Anwar Wagdy screaming: “The house has no cumin, lady.” She said: “So What, Anwar?! We can send someone to buy some.” Anwar shouted: “ So what?! Well, you are divorced, Laila.” Thus, one of the most famous and strangest love stories between artists ended.

Hoda Sultan and Farid Shawqi

A beautiful story of friendship and love that brought together Hoda Sultan and Farid Shawqi. Its beginning was inside Al-Nahhas Studio, where Farid Shawqi was filming one of his films. Huda Sultan, who was at the beginning of her artistic career, was preparing to sign a contract with the producer, who introduced her to those in the studio. Among them is Farid Shawqi. Where he welcomed her and kept stealing glances at her. Hoda Sultan was feeling hungry and thirsty during the month of Ramadan, so Farid Shawqi approached her and asked her: “Would you like a soda?” Huda Sultan refused and replied: ‘No’. I’m fasting.” Farid Shawqi was surprised and asked her: “Fasting?!” then she answered: “I pray too.. is this too hard to believe?” He answered: with a smile: No, not at all! From that time, Hoda Sultan began following Farid Shawqi’s news and watching all his films, until fate brought them together to co-star in the movie “Opression”. The two converged to begin a journey of friendship and then love, which culminated in marriage in 1951 after the completion of filming the movie, and they had two daughters, “Nahed” and “Maha”.  The story of their love and marriage, which lasted for 18 years, became the path of admiration for their colleagues in the actomh community, until a sudden divorce occurred in 1969, the reason for which no one knows until today. The couple refused to state the reason, despite the many rumors that had spread about them.

Faten Hamama and Omar Sharif

The most famous love stories in the artistic community are the ones that brought together Faten Hamama and Omar Sharif. The first meeting between them was during the filming of the movie “Struggle in the Valley”. At the time, Faten Hamama was married to director Ezzedine Zulficar, but she was not happy with her husband, who was years older than her. Despite her constant objection to the scenes of kisses in her films, she agreed to a kiss scene with Omar Sharif in the film, which caused a state of astonishment for everyone. A scene that ignited the fires of love in their hearts. Faten Hamama decided to separate from her husband, and married Omar Sharif in 1955, after he converted to Islam, and changed his name from Michel Shalhoub to Omar Sharif. During their 19-year marriage, they had their son, Tariq. After the international fame achieved by the movie “Lawrence of Arabia”, Omar Sharif decided to settle in Europe, and Faten Hamama traveled with him. Who decided over time to return to Egypt because of his constant preoccupation with her, and asked him to return with her, but he refused to sacrifice the dream of worldly for her. Therefore, the couple decided to separate in 1966 without a divorce, and Faten Hamama remained married to Omar Sharif on paper for 8 years, before officially filing for divorce in 1974. Despite the marriage of Faten Hamama after that to Dr. Muhammad Abdel Wahab, and her repeated statements that she does not like to talk about her love story with Omar Sharif in consideration of her husband’s feelings, this did not prevent the press and media from constantly highlighting her.

Samia Gamal and Rushdi Abaza

As usual, love stories between artists start behind the scenes in films. This time with the scenes of the movie “The Second Man”, which brought together Samia Gamal and Rushdi Abaza, who was married at the time to an American woman. Where all the staff in the film noticed the mutual admiration between them, which crossed the boundaries of fellowship and friendship, and everyone warned her because of what was known about Rushdi Abaza’s multiple relationships, so that he was nicknamed “Don Juan”. After that, Rushdi Abaza and Samia Gamal traveled a lot to attend and promote the film’s premiere. News of their relationship spread in all newspapers and media outlets, and caused disputes between Rushdie and his American wife. Then Samia decided to move away so that it would not be said that she was the reason for their divorce and the destruction of the family. Rushdi Abaza tried to save his marriage, especially for the sake of his daughter, Qusmat. However, things did not improve between the spouses and the separation took place. Samia returned to communicate with him and strengthened her relationship with his daughter and mother. The echoes of their love story resounded within the artistic community, and many artists, critics and journalists bet that it would end quickly. The second married in 1958, and Samia retired from dancing to take care of her husband and her home, and Al-Dingwan turned into a homely man and a devoted husband. Until Samia was surprised by Rushdie’s marriage to the artist Sabah, disputes flared up between them and Samia left the house and asked for a divorce. Rushdie tried to reconcile with her, and even attempted suicide by shooting himself, had it not been for the intervention of his cousin, who repaired the relationship between him and Samia. With time, Rushdi Abaza began to return to his old way of life, and became up every night and got drunk a lot, and his nervousness increased, especially after the death of his friend, director Ezzedine Zulficar. Samia Gamal has been with her husband for many years, tolerating his mood swings, forgiving him for his behavior, and trying to persuade him to stop drinking. Until she got tired of it, she gave up and filed for divorce in 1977, after 18 years of marriage. Samia Gamal refused to marry after Rushdi Abaza. When I learned of his death, he went to his funeral in disguise so as not to draw attention to her. She also used to visit his grave constantly and recite the Qur’an to him.

Shwikar and Fouad Al Mohandes

Fouad Al Mohandes and Shweikar are the most famous and happiest couple in the artistic community. They were united by a great love story that began in 1963, when they participated in the play “The Executive Secretary”. Where the two exchanged feelings of admiration and strengthened their relationship and became close. Until the time came to present the play “I, He and She”, and Fouad Al-Mohandes was sure of the truth of his feelings, and decided to propose to her on stage. During the presentation of the theatrical performance, he departed from the text, saying: “Will you marry me, Cookie?” Shwikar replied, saying: “Why not?” As for the story of their marriage, it was the strangest thing, as the two were filming the movie “Running from Marriage”, and there was a scene that brought them together while Fouad Al-Mohandes wore a suit and Shwikar wore a bride dress and veil. The two took advantage of this scene and, after filming, went to the marriage registrar at two o’clock in the morning, to get married in the same clothes as the movie. Despite their 20-year marriage, Fouad Al-Mohandes and Shwikar separated in 1983 in complete silence, without either of them stating the reasons for the separation. Nevertheless, a strong friendship remained between them, and they remained in constant contact until the death of Fouad Al-Muhandis.

Magda and Ihab Nafeh

When Magda married Ihab Nafeh, he was not working as an actor at the time, but rather as a fighter pilot. However, their love story was one of the most famous stories in the artistic community, especially after Magda persuaded her husband to enter the world of art, and her participation in the movie “The Naked Truth”, which was the beginning of his long artistic career. The beginning of their love story came when the two met by chance at a party held by the Russian embassy, and a long dialogue took place between them in politics, art and culture. At the end of the ceremony, he insisted on driving her home. When Magda noticed his admiration for her, she told him that she was divorced and her heart was still closed. He replied that he had the key. Indeed, he succeeded in making her fall in love with him, and the couple married in 1963, and they had their daughter, Ghada. The duo separated after 4 years, after differences erupted between them when Ihab Nafeh decided to reside in Lebanon because of his differences with the political leadership at the time, and Magda did not agree to travel with him. But the good relationship between them remained, to the extent that Magda accompanied Ehab Nafeh in the hospital when he fell ill, and she also stood up by herself to receive his condolences after his death.

Shadia and Salah Zulfikar

The first meeting between Shadia and Salah Zulficar came while they were working together in the movie “Oyoun Sahrana” in 1957. Shadia was married at the time to Imad Hamdi, but the relationship between them was tense, and ended in separation in the same year. Feelings of love began to grow between them, but the story of their love remained undisclosed to people. They even presented their second movie “More Precious Than My Life” in 1965. The couple got married after this movie, and their love story became one of the most beautiful love stories in the artistic community. Shadia even felt homesick, but the loss of her fetus frustrated her, especially as she repeatedly lost her dream of having children, which left a huge impact on her psyche, which in turn affected their married life. They divorced in August of 1969. Then their family members and close friends sought to restore their relationship. After showing them that the beautiful love story ends due to minor differences. Indeed, their attempts to get the couple back together in September of the same year succeeded. The differences between them renewed and the final divorce took place in the middle of 1973. You did not find the attempts of friends and close people to reconcile them this time.

Shahira and Mahmoud Yassin

A love story is the longest in the artistic community, the one that brought together Shahira and Mahmoud Yassin, as it spanned half a century since their marriage in 1970. As for the details of the first meeting, it was inside the studio when Mahmoud Yassin was starring in the movie “We Don’t Grow Thistles.” She was famous at the time, a student at the Institute of Dramatic Arts. A love story arose between them, which lasted for several months before the artist Ahmed Zaki asked Mahmoud Yassin to put that relationship in an official framework, for fear of Shahira. Indeed, Mahmoud Yassin proposed to her family, and they married the following year, after a 9-month courtship period. Then they had their two sons, Rania and Amr. Shahira decides to retire, wear the hijab, and devote herself to taking care of her family. Friendly and understanding continued to dominate their marriage, which lasted 50 years, and only one divorce disturbed the relationship between them, but the couple soon returned to each other, and they remained together until the death of Mahmoud Yassin in 2020.

Shams Al-Baroudi and Hassan Youssef

Lebanon witnessed the beginning of the great love story between Shams Al-Baroudi and Hassan Youssef, while they were filming the movie “Love Journey”. As the two were attracted to each other, Hassan Youssef felt that he had united the girl who could be a wife and mother to his children. The couple married in 1972, and because of his jealousy over her, the husband asked his wife not to act except in front of him. Shams agreed to his request, even though she was at the height of her brilliance and stardom. Despite the intense love they had for each other, the couple separated after two months of marriage due to some disagreements. After the waiting period ended, Shams was preparing to announce her marriage again. However, Hassan Youssef asked her to return to his infallibility. Indeed, the couple remarried in 1973, and their marriage continues until now. They had 4 children, “Nariman”, “Mahmoud”, “Omar” and “Abdullah”. In 1982, after performing the rites of Umrah, Shams Al-Baroudi decided to retire from art and wear the veil, which encouraged her husband to adhere to religion, so he changed the character of the naughty young man who used to present it in films, and began presenting serious personalities, as he participated in many religious dramas. Despite the rumors that haunt Shams Al-Baroudi from time to time, and the constant announcement of her taking off the veil and returning to acting. However, she denies all these news and announces her adherence to the beautiful love story that brings together her family members, preferring the warmth of the home over the lights of fame and stardom.

Bossi and Nour Sharif

The beautiful love story between Bossi and Nour Al Sharif began at a young age, when Bossi was fifteen years old. The duo met behind the scenes of the filming of the series “Cairo and the People”, to start the spark of mutual love between them. When Nour al-Sharif went to ask her father for her hand, he was surprised by her family’s rejection, which was seeking to marry her to a businessman who would guarantee her a comfortable life. However, Bossi stuck to her love and stood up to her parents and insisted on marrying Nour Al Sharif. She even threatened to commit suicide if the family refused their marriage. Her parents were forced to agree, so the couple married in 1972 and had two daughters, “May” and “Sarah”. Their love story became the talk of the artistic community. However, in 2006, the surprise was when the artistic community woke up to the news of the separation of Nour and Bossi after a marriage that lasted about 34 years. Even if one of them reveals the reasons for divorce. The divorce lasted for 9 years, during which time they remained close friends. Until Nour Al Sharif was diagnosed with lung cancer, the two decided to get back together at the beginning of 2015. Bossi stood next to her husband in his ordeal, and accompanied him in the journey of his illness, until he died in August of the same year, and the lover of his life was next to him in his last moments.

Mervat Amin and Hussein Fahmy

Looks full of love and admiration started between Mervat Amin and Hussein Fahmy during the filming of “Nagham Hayati”. Hussein Fahmy was married at the time and had two children, which made them ignore these feelings. Their work together is repeated in several films, and the attraction between them increases, until they fail to hide their love more than that, and rumors start chasing them. Hussein Fahmy used to feel remorse every time he saw his wife wounded. They had no solution but to separate after 12 years of marriage, so Hussein Fahmy decided to marry Mervat Amin during the filming of the movie “A Call After Midnight” in 1974. Even director Helmy Rafla filmed the wedding scene in the movie with the couple’s true joy dress and suit, so that the movie became a wedding celebration. The duo gave birth to their daughter, “Menat Allah”, and lived happily without quarrels and quarrels. Where the husband always accused his wife of being preoccupied with him and taking care of her work more, the differences between them increased with time. The mediation of friends and relatives to reconcile between them failed. The two separated in 1986. Despite the divorce, the good relationship between them continued, in the presence of their daughter, who they were keen to appear with her on all her special occasions.

Somaya Al-Alfi and Farouk Al-Fishawy

A dreamy love story between a young man and a teenage girl. The girl is Somaya Al-Alfi, a first-year student at the Faculty of Arts, and the young man is Farouk Al-Fishawy, who was a student in the last year at the Institute of Dramatic Arts. They met together to present the play “Cinderella” at the Children’s Culture Palace, which brought them together the feelings of love that culminated in their marriage in 1979, while the two were taking their first steps in the world of fame. Their marriage lasted 16 years, during which they got two sons, “Ahmed” and “Omar”. The wife bore in them her husband’s betrayal of her and his multiple whims. But what she cannot bear is his addiction to drugs, and yet she remained by his side until he overcame that crisis and got rid of his addiction completely, after which Somaya filed for divorce in 1995. Despite their divorce, a strong friendship remained between them. They were also the best support for each other, especially after Farouk al-Fishawi’s cancer. Where Somaya stood next to Farouk on the journey of his illness and treatment until God passed away.

Hala Fouad and Ahmed Zaki

An innocent romantic love story that ended quickly because of the stubbornness between its two sides, Hala Fouad and Ahmed Zaki. Although it ended early, its echoes did not end in the heart and conscience of Ahmed Zaki, who always confirmed that Hala Fouad was the love of his life that he lost and lost forever. Therefore, he refused to marry after that until the last day of his life. Indeed, the two got married after a love story that is considered one of the most famous love stories in the film community. The story began when the duo met during the filming of the series “The Man Who Lost His Memory Twice”, and love quickly developed between them. At the time, Hala dreamed of working as a broadcaster, while Ahmed dreamed of stability, marriage, and building a large family that would compensate him for the feeling of orphan and deprivation he suffered in his childhood. He offered her to marry, to help her to be a broadcaster, and to stay away from art so that she would not be distracted from her home and family. Hala agreed, and the marriage took place in 1983, and soon they had their only son, Haitham. Disagreements began between them after Hala announced her desire to continue working in art and acting, which was rejected by Ahmed Zaki, who wanted his wife to quit acting and devote herself to raising their son. In the end, problems overcame love, and quarrels and disagreements abounded, so Hala asked for a divorce after only two years of marriage, and completed her artistic career and remarried, until she retired from art after suffering from cancer. When Ahmed Zaki received the news of Hala Fouad’s death, he fell into a state of hysteria and attempted suicide because of his grief over her passing. He confirmed on more than one occasion that he rushed to divorce her, and his deep regret because he did not know that she loved art to such an extent, and that he wronged her because of his refusal to fulfill her dream of being an actress. To bring the curtain down on their love story with a more tragic end, with the death of Ahmed Zaki of cancer in 2005, and the death of their son, the young actor Haitham Ahmed Zaki in 2019.

Dalal Abdulaziz and Samir Ghanem

Since its beginning, the love story that united Dalal Abdel Aziz and Samir Ghanem has been a proverbial in the artistic community. It is one of the most famous stories of successful marriage, which has been known for its strength and continuity for many years. Unusually, the starting point was with Dalal Abdel Aziz, who had fallen in love with Samir Ghanem, and decided to marry him. So she kept chasing him everywhere until feelings of admiration began to grow within him. However, he was afraid of the idea of marriage, especially since the age difference between them was 23 years. After long pursuits for 4 years, and although many of their friends in the artistic community tried to warn Dalal about this marriage and advised her to stay away from him, she insisted on marrying Samir, who agreed after the artist Farid Shawqi’s advice to him to marry Dalal. She did what she wanted, as the couple got married in 1984, and they had their sons “Dunia” and “Amal”. The couple lived happily and peacefully together for 37 years. Until the end of the beautiful journey was written with the death of the duo in 2021, after contracting the Corona virus. To bring the curtain down on the legendary love story between a duo that was not like other duets in the artistic community  .

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On Shadia’s birthday… Learn about the most prominent stations in the life of “the idol of the masses”

On February 8, the birthday of the beautiful artist, Shadia, who has an angelic face and melodious voice. Who left an imprint in the hearts of her fans that continued even after her retirement from art and her death. That is why Shadia is considered an icon in the world of Egyptian cinema, thanks to her unique talent and intelligence in choosing her roles.

Her songs echoed in all Egyptian homes and on various social, national and religious occasions. Critics called her “The Voice of Egypt”. She was famous for playing the roles of the light-hearted girl, so they called her “The Egyptian Cinema”. As for her fans and fans, they called her “the idol of the masses”, especially after the resounding success of her movie of the same name. On the occasion of her birthday, we shed light on the most prominent stations in Shadia’s life.

Her birth and upbringing

Her real name is Fatima Ahmed Kamal El Din Mohamed Shaker. She was born on February 8, 1931, in the New Helmiya District, Abdeen District, Cairo, to an Egyptian mother with roots in Turkey, and a father from Sharkia Governorate, working as an agricultural engineer and supervisor of private property lands.

Early Works

Shadia loved singing and acting since her childhood, and was encouraged by her primary school music teacher. When she was 16 years old, specifically in 1947, Shadia’s artistic start came by chance. That was when her father read an advertisement for a competition organized by the Union of Artists to choose a number of new faces to star in a group of films that the company will produce. Indeed, her father took her to the company’s headquarters, and the competition committee was excited about her. She presented a small role in the movie “Flowers and Thorns”, then director Helmy Rafla chose her to play the lead role in the movie “The Mind on Ijazah” in front of Mohamed Fawzy. Shadia was well received by the audience, and the film was a great success, which made Mohamed Fawzy use her after that in several films such as: “The soul and the body, the owner of the money, the seventh wife, the daughters of Eve.”

His film career

Shadia reached the peak of her success in the fifties and sixties, where she participated in more than 110 films, and presented various roles between drama, comedy and romance, including: “An hour for your heart, people wronged me, my mother-in-law, an atomic bomb, dewdrops, a girl on the beach, a date with life, women don’t know how to weep, a melody of loyalty, a woman’s youth, the thief and dogs, the idol of the masses, Miramar, a bit of fear, we don’t plant thorns, city lights Doubt, my love.”

Shadia formed a successful duet with the artist Salah Zulficar through a series of films, including: “Wake up eyes, more precious than my life, my wife’s dignity, my wife is a general manager, my wife’s imp, a touch of tenderness.” She also formed another successful duet with the artist Rushdi Abaza, with whom she presented films: “My children, Delilah, the hearts of virgins, the road, half an hour of passport, the wife 13.” As for the duet that she formed with the artist Kamal El-Shennawy, it was the most prominent in Egyptian cinema, where they participated together in 33 films, including: An hour for your heart, people have wronged me, have mercy on my love, the unknown woman, the nest of love, the thief and the dogs, on the banks of the Nile. The last films that Shadia participated in was the movie “Do not ask me who I am” in 1984 with Madiha Yousry, Yousra, Sawsan Badr, Farouk al-Fishawy and Hisham Selim.

She also participated in many radio series, including: We do not plant thorns, doubt, my love, and I fell into the sea of honey, tears dried up, first year love, all this love. She has only one experience on the stage through the play “Raya and Sakina” with Suhair Al-Babli, Abdel Moneim Madbouly and Ahmed Badir.

Her singing talent

Shadia enjoyed a pleasant, sweet voice, enveloped by a delicate and tender feeling. She delighted her audience with it and left a great legacy of fun songs for generations to enjoy throughout the ages, which amounted to 650 songs, among which we mention: “My opponents say it for a period, if he departs from you, O Eye, a strange need, and by God, O time, save him, O Sensen, and the life of your eyes, O peace be upon my love and your love, on the nest of love, the drop of dew, with calm, the salvation of the traveler, covered by you.”She is also famous for her patriotic songs such as: “Oh, my beloved, Egypt, stronger than time, the greater homeland, the rising generation, the voice of the masses, enter it safely, tell Egypt, the lesson is over, the most beautiful homelands, O traveler of Port Said, Egypt today is on Eid.” We cannot forget her religious songs, including: Take my hand, I pray to God, O God, accept my supplications, O Lord, repentance, Glory be to You. As well as her social songs, which are still repeated on many occasions to this day, such as: ” O engagement ring, master of the beloved, Mama, my sweet.”

List of the 100 best films in the history of cinema

List of the 100 best films in the history of 6 films by Shadia have been selected as part of

  • The movie “Young Woman” was produced in 1956, starring Tahia Karioka, Shukri Sarhan, Abdel Wareth Asser, Siraj Mounir and Ferdous Muhammad, and directed by Salah Abu Seif. It ranks number 6 on the list.
  • The movie “The Thief and the Dogs” was produced in 1962, starring Shukri Sarhan and Kamal Al-Shennawi, and directed by Kamal Al-Sheikh. It is ranked No. 15.
  • The movie “Something of Fear” was produced in 1969, co-starring Mahmoud Morsi, Yehia Shaheen, Mohamed Tawfiq and Salah Nazmi, and directed by Hussein Kamal. It is ranked No. 19.
  • The movie “Miramar” was produced in 1969, starring Youssef Shaaban, Imad Hamdi, Youssef Wehbe and Abu Bakr Ezzat, and directed by Kamal Al-Sheikh. It is ranked No. 29.
  • The movie “My wife is a general manager” produced in 1966, co-starring Salah Zulfiqar, Adel Imam and Tawfiq Al-Daqn, and directed by Fatin Abdel Wahab. It is ranked No. 35.
  • The movie “The Wife No. 13”, produced in 1962, starring Rushdi Abaza, Abdel Moneim Ibrahim, Hassan Fayek, Zainab Sedky and Wedad Hamdi, and directed by Fatin Abdel Wahab. It is ranked No. 100.

- Retiring art ..

After a busy artistic career that spanned nearly 40 years, Shadia announced in the mid-1980s, specifically in 1984, her retirement from art and the wearing of the hijab. She donated everything she owned for the benefit of charities, and devoted her life to taking care of orphaned children, especially since she did not have any children. She demolished her villa in the pyramid and built a charitable complex in its place that includes a mosque, a Quran memorization house, an orphanage, and a charitable clinic. She donated her apartment on Arab League Street to the Mustafa Mahmoud Association, to establish a center for the treatment of tumors  .

Shadia said in one of the television interviews that she was thinking of retiring before presenting the play “Raya and Sakina”, but when director Hussein Kamal suggested her to participate in a play, and sent her the novel that she liked very much, she decided to present it. During her work in the theater, Shadia would return home late, which helped her to regularly perform the dawn prayer and read the Qur’an on a daily basis, and she used to pray to God to go to his sacred house. Although she was raised in a religious family, working in art kept her busy a lot. Her wish was fulfilled and she went to perform the two rites of Hajj and Umrah, and after her return, Shadia decided to sing only religious songs, and she retired from acting. After a short time, she found herself losing the desire to sing, and she was unable to memorize songs, even religious ones. She quickly went to Sheikh Al Shaarawy and told him that she had promised the audience to sing religious songs, but she could not fulfill this promise. He told her that fulfilling her promise to God is more important than fulfilling her promise to people. Shadia decides to wear the hijab, retire for good, and stay out of the spotlight. She even refused to go to receive a tribute award from a film festival, convinced of Sheikh Al Shaarawy’s advice to stay away from everything related to art, so as not to disturb her new life.

Personal Life

Shadia was married 3 times during her life, and the first marriage was to the artist Imad Hamdi in 1953. She married him despite her family’s refusal because he is 20 years older than her. Their marriage lasted for 3 years, after which Shadia asked for a divorce due to her suffering from his intense jealousy over her. After that, she married radio engineer Aziz Fathi, who was several years younger than her. Their marriage lasted only a few months, when Shadia discovered that he was married and did not tell her, which caused marital disputes between them, especially with his excessive interference in her work, and they ended up in divorce in 1985. Then Shadia decided not to marry and devote herself to art only until she met the artist Salah Zulfikar and fell in love with him, and the couple married in 1965. However, they separated quietly and without problems in 1973, because they did not feel compatibility between them.

Shadia wished to give birth, but her pregnancy was not completed and she lost her fetus several times. Therefore, she considered Ibn Imad Hamdi and the daughters of Salah Zulfikar as if they were her sons, especially since she participated in their upbringing, and she remained in good relations with them even after her divorce.

Her illness and and her death

Shadia was taken to hospital on November 4, 2017, after she fell into a coma as a result of a stroke. She was placed under intensive care until her health condition stabilized. However, she later developed severe pneumonia, which led to respiratory failure. She left our world on November 28, at the age of 86.

صورة 1

A quarrel caused him to join the acting career quitting wrestling for the sake of acting, and the secret of his fear of turkeys. What you do not know about Mohsen Sarhan

February 7 coincides with the anniversary of the departure of one of the symbols of art in the beautiful time, the artist Mohsen Sarhan, who presented a number of films that are considered classics of Egyptian cinema. On this occasion, we will present with you in this report some information about his artistic and personal life. How did a quarrel cause him to enter the art world? And why did he die of fright from the turkey?

His birth and upbringing

Mohsen Sarhan was born on January 6, 1914 in Port Said. He moved to the Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood in Cairo after graduating from university and worked as an employee at the Ministry of Agriculture in 1939. He also joined the National Theater Troupe, and decided to enrich his talent with studies and not only practice art, so he conducted free studies in the arts of cinema and theater in 1944.

Early Works

The acting debut of the artist Mohsen Sarhan came in 1937 by chance, when we intervened to break up a quarrel. Where he was known to be a boxer and was one of the shining sports stars among the youth sports clubs. One day, he was sitting with a friend at the “Byron” Café on Imad Street, and a quarrel broke out between the waiter and one of the customers. When his friend tried to intervene to end the quarrel, the customer tried to hit him, so Mohsen Sarhan intervened to defend his friend and hit the customer. Coincidentally, director and author Ahmed Galal was among those seated, and he was impressed by Mohsen’s courage, and asked him to visit him in his office at Lotus Film Company, and there he contracted with him to star in the movie “Bint Al Basha Al Mudir” in front of Asia Dagher and Mary Queenie. which was introduced in 1938. After the great success achieved by Mohsen Sarhan in the film, Ahmed Galal nominated him in 1940 to star in his second film, “Fish for Women”, after which the cinematic championships followed.

His film career

The cinematic films in which Sami Sarhan participated reached nearly 120 films, the most famous of which are: ” The life of darkness, Laila the girl of the schools, long live the sixes, the sanctuary of the Pasha, the safety rail, the beach of love, on your way, the beach girl, the victory of Islam, Samara, the flower seller, the struggle in the mountain, Shaima, wolves that do not eat meat, underwater hell, birth and its owner Gabe, a fallen woman.

Mohsen Sarhan formed a successful duet with the two great artists, Shadia and Wawtah Hamama. He presented with the first a number of films, including: “To whom shall I complain, people’s secrets, a father’s mistake, my soul was wronged, hopes, bear witness, people.” While presented with the second films: “I am the daughter of people, you have a day, you oppressor, the cup of torment, from the sweat of my forehead, the comfort of my heart, the son of the halal.”

Mohsen Sarhan continued to work in cinema until his death, and he was playing small roles that almost reached one scene, and the last works in which he participated was the movie “Love in Brackets” and the movie “Circle of Death” and they were shown in January of 1993, one month before his death .

As for the TV drama, Mohsen Sarhan participated in nearly 50 TV series, including: “Your husband, Set Hanim, the detective inspector, ladies and gentlemen, the pickpocket, nothing matters, the madmen’s nest, my side without restrictions, Jamal Al-Din Al-Afghani, One Thousand and One Nights, he and she, a woman and three faces.” He also performed in many plays, including: “Moulin Rouge, Beginning and End”.

List of the 100 best films in the history of cinema

One of Mohsen Sarhan’s films was selected in the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema, which is the film “For You, O Unjust”, which was produced in 1951. It stars Faten Hamama, Mahmoud El Meligy, Abdel Warith Asser and Wedad Hamdi, the story of Naguib Mahfouz, the script of Salah Abu Seif, the dialogue of Mr. Badir, and directed by Salah Abu Seif. It ranks number 47 on the list.

Awards and Honors

During his artistic career, Mohsen Sarhan received many awards and honors, including the Order of the Republic in 1964, and a certificate of appreciation from the Egyptian Society of Film Writers and Critics in 1985. The Television Shield in 1985.

Phobia of turkeys and cockroaches

Despite the enormity of his build and athletic body, and the strength and daring that Mohsen Sarhan enjoyed as a result of his practice of boxing, he was very afraid and would feel terrified if he saw a turkey. This is due to an accident that happened to him while he was a young child. Where a turkey attacked him and took a peck in his hand several times, Sami kept screaming until people rescued him with difficulty after the rooster left traces of its beak on his hands.

 Mohsen Sarhan was also suffering from a phobia of cockroaches, which caused him in many embarrassing situations where he would panic if he saw a cockroach and keep jumping in his place like a small child. He may even leave the place immediately if one of those with him mentions the word cockroach. He was very careful to take all necessary measures, to ensure that there were no cockroaches in his house.

His relationship with Shukri Sarhan and Khaled Sarhan

The relationship between the four artists, Mohsen Sarhan, Shukry Sarhan, Salah Sarhan and Sami Sarhan, is always talked about. It is known that Salah Sarhan is the older brother, Shukri is the middle brother, while Sami Sarhan is the youngest. It has been said that Mohsen Sarhan is their fourth brother, when in fact he is their cousin.

When the artist Khaled Sarhan appeared, he started talking about a kinship between him and the late artist Mohsen Sarhan. Sometimes it was said that he was his son, and sometimes that he was his nephew. However, Khaled Sarhan denied these rumors, pointing out that he is not related to the artist Mohsen Sarhan or the artist Shukri Sarhan. It’s just a common name, as none of his family members was an actor.

His Marriage

Mohsen Sarhan married 4 times during his life, he also had 4 children. The first marriage was to a woman from outside the artistic community, and his wife died after she gave birth to a son and daughter, “Ibrahim, Amal”. Then came the second and most famous marriage in Mohsen Sarhan’s marriage, and he was with the artist Samiha Ayoub, whom he admired when they participated together in the movie “The Homeless”, in which she presented the character of his sister. Their marriage lasted for nearly two years, during which time they had one son, “Mahmoud”. The third marriage was also to a woman from outside the artistic community, and it did not last for long, as the divorce took place after only two months. The fourth marriage, which lasted from 1952 until his death in 1993, was from a woman named Hana Mohsen Daoud. Her family opposed this marriage because of the large age difference between them, which exceeds 19 years. However, she insisted on marrying him, and her family boycotted her after completing the marriage and did not forgive her until she gave birth to her only daughter, Amal.

His Death

Mohsen Sarhan traveled in 1993, to perform the Umrah of the month of Shaaban, accompanied by his close friend, artist Yahya Shaheen. Specifically on the night of the half of Sha ‘ban, Mohsen Sarhan felt severe abdominal and chest pain, went to the hospital for treatment, and the doctor asked him to go home. Mohsen Sarhan left our world an hour later, on February 7, 1993, at the age of 79, after suffering a heart attack.