19° TORINO FILM FESTIVAL
Animated Films
AL DIFA'U AL WATANI
by David Frenkel, Harry Frenkel, Salomon Frenkel
Country: Egypt
Year: 1939
Duration: 14'
Mish Mish Effendi goes to vivisit his girlfriend Bahiyya, who asks him to marry her. It is evening at a cabaret: Mish Mish Effendi does a tap dance number and Bahiyya does a belly dance. Mixed in with the audience that is applauding are Laurel and Hardy, Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, dressed according to local custom. Suddenly, the radio announces that the international situation has become so critical that it is feared the country will go to war: the Défense Nationale needs the generosity of every citizen. Once the war breaks out, Mish Mish Effendi stands out for his bravery and his ingenious solutions. He is carried in triumph when victory is celebrated. With the return to peace, Mish Mish Effendi and Bahiyya can get married.
Biography
film director
Harry, Salomon, David Frenkel
The Frenkel brothers, Harry (1902-1974), Salomon (1912-2001) and David (1914-1994), are originally from Byelorussia. At the beginning of the First World War, the Frenkel family moved to Alexandria, Egypt. Around 1933, fascinated by the first animated drawings by Walt Disney, they decided to make animated films: their first short film (which has been lost) was made in 1935. In 1936, their film Mafish Faida was the first of a series of cartoons featuring Mish-Mish Effendi. In 1947 they began making commercials, an activity they continued in France, where they moved in 1951. The commercial failure of Rêve du beau Danube Bleu put an end to their career in 1963. Their films, which were re-discovered in 1995, have been restored and presented in various festivals.
FILMOGRAFIA
Marco Monkey un singe sympa (1935), Mafish faida (Niente da fare, 1936), Mish Mish el shater (Mish Mish, il coraggioso, 1939), Al difa'u al watani (La difesa nazionale, 1940), Bill hana wel shifav (Buon Appetito, 1946), Mish Mish yarqus ma'a Sabah (Mish Mish danza con Sabah, 1948), Al walad al nagib (Il figliol prodigo, 1951), Bravo Osman (1949), Simfoniyya ala difaf al Nil (Sinfonia sulle rive del Nilo, 1949), Sunlight (1949), Abu ras nashfa (Testa dura, 1950), Une expérience atomique (1951), Aventures et fantaisies (1952-1960), Mon chien, mon âme et moi (1952-1960), C'est arrivé au zoo (1952-1960), Le stylo magique (1952-1960), Le grand triomphe (1952-1960), Noël parisien (1952-1960), La Bolte magique (1952-1960), Le Trésor insaisissable (1952-1960), Rêve du beau Danube Bleu (1965).
Cast
& Credits
Director: Harry, Salomon e David Frenkel.
Production company: Studio Frenkel Films, Il Cairo.
Production company: Studio Frenkel Films, Il Cairo.