The Egyptian Cinema: A Positive Influence of over a Century

By Haajar Boutafi

Fez – When you ask any Moroccan about Adil Imam, Ahmed Zaki, Farid Chawqi, Chadia or Fatin Hamama, you will be surprised to hear a list of the movies during the country’s golden age. Not only that but also you will be astonished at how much they remember from their acting dialogues. That is what the Egyptian cinema represents for us: a bond that opened our eyes to a world similar to us, implicit, but different, explicitly.

The Egyptian film industry went through a similar metamorphosis to the international film industry: it witnessed the era of the silent cinema with a number of movies produced by the Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiére; the earliest filmmakers in history – those movies were simple documentaries about Khedive Abbas’s official visits. The turning point started with the Italian – Egyptian production of “Dead Flowers” and “Honor the Bedouin” in 1918. Later, the discovery of the use of sounds and color in filmmaking lead Egypt to be the leading Arab country in movie production for almost a century.

The golden age of the cinema in Egypt gave birth to the classics, comprised of thousands of Egyptian movies with varied, rich and innovative themes, professional actors and actresses which represented different Arab and non-Arab backgrounds, best of the time, quality of sound and picture, the latest fashion worn, and the best British made studios with national and international investments.

While the Arab world at the time was in a state of turmoil under the colonization of the leading European countries, the film industry in Egypt was the only source for fame, wealth and a stable life for many of the famous actors and actresses, escaping wars, family conflicts, colonization, drought, and famine – seeing Egypt as the Eldorado of the Middle East and the famous studios as its last hope for survival.

The themes of the movies were also of a huge influence on the Arab mentality. Thanks to them, there was a cultural and political awareness of the Arab issues, and they were analyzed and discussed through the films. Historically speaking, their cinema contributed in transforming the best of the Islamic and folkloric heritage ingrained within us into memorable flashes of pictures, worth thousands of words. Socially speaking, their cinema addressed many issues related to illiteracy, poverty, crime, the clash between social classes, crimes of honor and others. Psychologically, they showed a deep sight and a sharp knowledge of human nature through unveiling the geneses of human relationships, emotions and psyche.

Moroccans have a long history with Egyptian movies. Much like Indian movies, Egyptian black and white classics were the dreams of thousands of young Moroccans escaping classes and saving each penny earned, found or offered to them for that wonderful moment when they walk through the long, dark hall inside the theater on their way to their seats hypnotized by the cinematic atmosphere and dreamy about the potential events of a title being advertized at the theater main entrance.

The impact of the capital of the Middle East inspired many Moroccans to study filmmaking in Paris, London and New York, and apply their expertise in producing a number of Moroccan films, which were not of the same quality compared to the Egyptian ones nor did they achieve similar fame; but they were indeed a revolution in the cinematic production in Morocco. Moreover, we learned from the Egyptians the love of art; be it acting, belly dancing or singing. We learned from them the love of the country, the love of life and how to dream. In almost every story acted we watched. We could visualize ourselves in it. We enjoyed their vivid imagination and their artistic way of converting it into live scenes deeply fixed in our minds for years.

Thanks to the Egyptian cinema, the Arab world could open a window into different worlds, acknowledging through that the existence of a whole rich civilization that rules the world, once in a lifetime.