العربية
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The best Egyptian cinema films that embodied true stories (Part One)
Stars News Wed, Nov 15, 2023
Art is the mirror of reality, as cinema conveys in its films everything that concerns society, and reflects the situations and events that take place around us.
Egyptian cinema has presented many films whose makers were inspired by real events that sparked controversy among citizens, or made newspaper headlines at some point. Even if the author added some details to it to fit the dramatic context, the phrase “inspired by a true story” remains an attraction for viewers, as they feel that the heroes of the work are ordinary people like them, without falsity or exaggerated heroism.
Aside from biographical films and films that dealt with historical events or the heroism of members of the armed forces and files of the intelligence service, Egyptian cinema presented true stories that happened on the ground and among the people in a number of films that we are presenting to you in these lines.
House No. 13
The film's events revolve around the psychiatrist "Asim Ibrahim", who enters into a relationship with "Sonia", a married dancer, and they plan to kill her husband to obtain his life insurance money. At the same time, “Assem” treats the engineer “Sherif Kamel” for a nervous breakdown, and instead of giving him the appropriate treatment, he gives him medication that increases the tension in his nerves, and exploits him to kill the husband after hypnotizing him, as he gave him a gun and the key to the house. The crime is completed successfully, but Assem forgets the key with Sharif, who wakes up in the morning thinking that he witnessed a disturbing dream. He is surprised to be arrested after his ID card fell from him inside the house and was found by the police. His wife, Nadia, and the lawyer try to prove that Sharif committed the crime while he was deprived of his will.
The film stars Faten Hamama, Mahmoud El-Melegy, and Imad Hamdy. It ranks number 92 on the list of the 100 best films in Egyptian cinema memory. It is taken from a story published by Al-Masry newspaper about a person using hypnosis to commit a murder.
They made me a criminal
The events of the film begin with the child, “Sultan,” whose uncle seizes his inheritance after his father’s death, and throws him on the street, where a gang lures him into stealing. His uncle reports him to the police, and he is placed in a correctional facility for years. After leaving, he tries to find an honorable job, but he fails to do so because of his criminal record. He resorts to theft again, and falls in love with “Yasmina,” a cabaret singer, whose love his uncle competes with. He agrees with the cabaret owner to get rid of “Sultan.” He quarrels with him, and a murder occurs. He is accused of In which “Sultan” is unjustly sentenced to life imprisonment. “Sultan” manages to escape from prison, goes to his uncle’s house, kills him, becomes a real criminal, and surrenders himself to the police.
The film stars Farid Shawqi, Hoda Sultan, and Yehia Shaheen. It is ranked No. 26 on the list of the 100 best films in the memory of Egyptian cinema. It is taken from a true story about a child inside the juvenile reformatory in Qanater al-Khairiya, for which officer Ahmed Shawqi, brother of the artist Farid Shawqi, was responsible. Following the screening of this film, a law was issued providing for exemption from the first case in the criminal record so that the offender can start a new life.
Love and tears
The story of the film revolves around “Fatima,” a simple girl from the city of Port Said, who lives with her father, “Mahmoud Salam,” who is forced to borrow from President “Metwally” after his boats sank. “Metwally” takes advantage of the opportunity and asks to marry “Fatima” in exchange for canceling the debt. Her father is forced to agree, and “Ahmed Ezzat,” the naval officer who has a love relationship with “Fatima,” refuses when he proposes to her. The father backs out of his daughter's marriage at the last minute and kills Metwally. The father dies during his investigation. “Fatima” fails to reach “Ahmed,” and becomes homeless in the streets, so Khawaja “Paulo,” the pimp, tries to exploit her by working in the cabaret. However, “Saniya,” the cabaret singer, saves her from falling into vice and reunites her with “Ahmed.”
The film stars Faten Hamama, Ahmed Ramzy, Zaki Rostom, and Stephen Rusti. The events of the film are inspired by a true story, and most of its scenes were filmed in real places.
Hassan and Naima
The film presented the story of “Naima,” the daughter of Hajj “Metwally,” who falls in love with “Hassan,” the poor singer. Her father refuses their marriage because of his profession, which was inappropriate at this time. “Metwally” seeks to marry his daughter to his relative, “Atwa,” so “Naima” runs away to marry “Hassan.” Her father goes to retrieve her and agrees with “Hassan” that “Naima” will return to her family’s home, and then “Hassan” will come to marry her naturally in front of the people of the country. But as soon as they return home, Metwally imprisons his daughter, beats her, and tries to kill Hassan, who survives death and marries his lover in the end.
The film stars Soad Hosni, Moharram Fouad, and Widad Hamdy. It is taken from a true story that took place in the village of Al-Bahnsa in Bani Mazar in Minya Governorate, but it was not “Hassan’s” profession that was the reason for rejecting his marriage to “Naima,” but rather the difference in religion. The original story ended with a tragic ending, unlike the film. After the family recovered “Naima,” they lured “Hassan,” killed him, and threw his body into the Nile. When the body floated on the water, the crime was revealed and the accused were arrested. As for Naima, she went crazy out of grief for her lover.
We are the students
The film reviewed the lives of three young men who committed a murder. The first, “Hassanein,” is a university student from Upper Egypt who studies law. His uncle asks him to avenge his father’s death. But Hassanein refuses to punish the killer who paid the price for his crime with imprisonment. The second is “Adel,” who is subjected to his father’s ridicule because of his failure in college. He loves his neighbor Siham, but her father refuses to marry him to her, and he marries her to a rich person. The last one is “Samir,” who suffers from his parents’ neglect of him after they separated and each of them married someone else. He has a relationship with “Saadia,” Al-Safarji’s daughter, who is pregnant by him. The three young men are looking for a way to raise money to have Sadia aborted, and they are involved in the murder and robbery of a bar owner. “Saadia” dies during the operation, so they are arrested and tried.