Country: Egypt
Year: 1962
Duration: 125'
Sa'id, a janitor in a students' house, steals a watch from one of the students in order to buy medicine for his sick mother. The student Ra'uf justifies his action, putting the blame on their corrupt and merciless society. Time passes and Sa'id, now a professional thief, ends up in prison after being betrayed by his accomplice Alesh. When he is released, he is blinded by hate and turns into an assassin. He repeatedly tries to kill Ra'uf, who has become a journalist. But a tragic end awaits him.
"I think I was able to express the profound meaning of Nagib Mahfuz's novel, even though I preserved my cinematographic style. I immediately understood that I could make my film from this novel, a literary work that shows how much political and social corruption there is in the country" (Kamal Al Sheikh, in an interview with Samir Farid, published in the "Cairo Film Club Bulletin", March 1, 1972).
Biography
film director
Kamal Al Sheikh
Kamal Al Sheikh (1919). Director, screenwriter and editor, he began his artistic career in the editing department of Studio Misr in 1938. In 1943 he edited the film Al Bu'asà (Les misérables), directed by Kamal Salim. He has made over 35 feature films and four documentary short films Sadat al ma'arik (The War Lords, 1953), Mu'ahadat al gialà (The Accord on England's Removal of its Army from Egypt, 1954), Hadihi hiya Suriyya (This is Syria, 1958), Hiwar (Conversation, 1972).
FILMOGRAFIA
Al manzil raqam 13 (La casa numero 13, 1952), Mu'amara (Complotto, 1953), Hayat aw mawt (Vita o morte, 1954), Hubb wa dumu'e (Amore e lacrime, 1955), Al gharib (Lo straniero, co-regia Fattin Abdu Al Wahab, 1956), Hubb wa i'dam (Amore e esecuzione, 1956), Ardu al salam (La terra della pace, 1957), Ardu al ahlam (La terra dei sogni, 1957), Tuggiaru al mawt (I commercianti della morte, 1957), Al malak al saghir (Il piccolo angelo, 1958), Saiyyidatu al qassr (La signora del palazzo, 1958), Min ajli imra'a (Per una donna, 1959), Qalbun yahtariq (Un cuore che brucia, 1959), Min ajli hubbi (Per il mio amore, 1959), Malak wa shaittan (Angelo e diavolo, 1960), Hubbi al wahid (Il mio unico amore, 1960), Lan a'tarif (Non confesserò, 1961), Al liss wa al kilab (Il ladro e i cani, 1962), Al shaittanu al saghir (Il piccolo diavolo, 1963), Al laila al akhira (L'ultima notte, 1963), Al kha'ina (La traditrice, 1965), Thalathat lussus (Tre ladri, film a episodi, co-regia Hasan Al Imam e Fattin Abdu Al Wahab, 1966), Al mukharribun (I sabotatori, 1967), Al ragiul alladhi faqada dhillahu (L' uomo che ha perduto la sua ombra, 1968), Miramar (1969), Bi'ru al hirman (Il pozzo della privazione, 1969), Ghurub wa shuruq (Crepuscolo e aurora, 1970), Shai'un Fi Sadri (Qualcosa nel mio cuore, 1971), Al harib (Il fuggitivo, 1974), Al Man Nuttliqu Al Rassas (Su chi spariamo, 1975), Sana ula hubb (Primo anno d'amore, co-regia Salah Abu Seif, Atif Salem, Hilmi Rafla e Niazi Mustafa, 1976), Wa thlithuhum al shaittan (Il terzo è il diavolo, 1978), Al su'ud ila al hawiya (L'ascesa verso l'abisso, 1978), Al tauws (Il pavone, 1982), Qahiru al zaman (Il domatore del tempo, 1987).
Cast
& Credits
Director: Kamal Al Sheikh.
Plot: Nagib Mahfuz.
Screenplay: Sabri Izzat, Kamal Al Sheikh.
Dialogues: Sabri Izzat.
Director of photography: Kamal Karim.
Art director: Maher Abdu Al Nur.
Editor: Sa'id Al Sheikh.
Sound: Nassri Abdu Al Nur.
Music: André Rider.
Cast and characters: Shadia (Nur), Kamal Al Shinnawi (Ra'uf), Shukri Sarhan (Sa'id), Zein Al Ashmawi (Alesh), Salwa Mahmud (Nabawiyya), Salah Mansur, Adli Kaseb, Fakher Fakher.
Production company: Aflam Giamal Al Leithi.
Italian distribution: Dolar Film.
Plot: Nagib Mahfuz.
Screenplay: Sabri Izzat, Kamal Al Sheikh.
Dialogues: Sabri Izzat.
Director of photography: Kamal Karim.
Art director: Maher Abdu Al Nur.
Editor: Sa'id Al Sheikh.
Sound: Nassri Abdu Al Nur.
Music: André Rider.
Cast and characters: Shadia (Nur), Kamal Al Shinnawi (Ra'uf), Shukri Sarhan (Sa'id), Zein Al Ashmawi (Alesh), Salwa Mahmud (Nabawiyya), Salah Mansur, Adli Kaseb, Fakher Fakher.
Production company: Aflam Giamal Al Leithi.
Italian distribution: Dolar Film.