Country: Egypt
Year: 1959
Duration: 110'
After her father's death, Hanadi is hired as a maid by an engineer. She is seduced by the man, gets pregnant and is killed by her uncle in front of her mother and her sister Amna. In revenge, Amna seduces the man, but doesn't yield herself. But when the two fall in love, the girl decides to leave him. Their story has a tragic end.
"The film is based on the homonymous novel by the great author Taha Husein, and is considered one of the classics of 20th century Arab fiction. But whereas the book has an ending which leaves open the possibility of a love story between the engineer and Amna, the film ends with the involuntary murder-punishment of the engineer for his behavior" (Samir Farid).
Biography
film director
Henry Barakat
Henry Barakat (Cairo, 1914 - 1997). Director, producer, screenwriter and editor, after receiving a law degree from the University of Cairo in 1938, he went to Paris to study cinema. He returned to Egypt at the beginning of the Second World War, and became director's, production, editing and screenwriting assistant for the two stars Aziza Amir and Asia. In 1996 he received the State Medal for artistic merit. He directed two short films for television.
FILMOGRAFIA
Al sharid (Il vagabondo, 1942), Dadha gianahu abi (Lo sbaglio paterno, 1945), El hanem (La signora, 1945), Afrita hanem (La diavolessa, 1949), Wardu al gharam (Fiori d'amore, 1951), El hawà malush dawà (Non c'e' rimedio all'amore, 1952), Ghalttit abb (L'errore di un padre, 1952), Lahnu al khulud (Il canto immortale, 1952), Qalbi ala waladi (Ho paura per il mio bambino, 1953), Irham dumu'i (Pietà per le mie lacrime, 1954), Malish gherak (Non ho che te, 1958), Hasan we Na'ima (Hasan e Na'ima, 1959), Dua'u al karawan (Il richiamo dell'usignolo, 1959), Fi baitina ragiul (Un estraneo nella nostra casa, 1961), Yawm bila ghad (Un giorno senza futuro, 1962), Al haram (Il peccato, 1965), Safarbarlik (1966), Bintu al hares (La figlia del guardiano, 1967), Al hubb al kabir (Il grande amore, 1968), 3 nisà (Tre Donne, film a episodi, co-regia Salah Abu Seif, Mahmud Zul Fiqar, 1968), Imra'a saii'atu al sum'a (Una donna di malaffare, 1973), Al sa'atu taduqqu al ashirata (L'orologio segna le dieci, 1974), Nagham Hayati (La melodia della mia vita, 1975), Afwah wa araneb (Bocche e conigli, 1977), Lastu shaittanan wala malakan (Non sono né diavolo né angelo, 1979), Lailatu al qabid ala Fatima (La notte dell'arresto di Fatima, 1984), Halatu talabbus (In flagranza, 1988), Armalatu ragiulin haii (La vedova di un uomo vivo, 1989), Al muttahama (L'accusata, 1992), Tahqiq ma'a muwattina (Interrogatorio a una cittadina, 1993).
Cast
& Credits
Director: Henry Barakat.
Plot: Taha Husein.
Screenplay: Henry Barakat, Yusuf Giawhar.
Dialogues: Yusuf Giawhar.
Director of photography: Wahid Farid.
Art director: Maher Abdu Al Nur.
Editor: Mohammad Abbas.
Sound: Gregor.
Cast and characters: Fatin Hamama (Amna), Ahmad Mad-har (l'architetto), Zahratu Al Ula (Hanadi), Amina Rizq (Zahra), Mimi Shakib, Abdu Al Alim Khattab, Husein Asar, Ragi` Al Geddawi.
Production company and Italian distribution: Aflam Barakat.
Plot: Taha Husein.
Screenplay: Henry Barakat, Yusuf Giawhar.
Dialogues: Yusuf Giawhar.
Director of photography: Wahid Farid.
Art director: Maher Abdu Al Nur.
Editor: Mohammad Abbas.
Sound: Gregor.
Cast and characters: Fatin Hamama (Amna), Ahmad Mad-har (l'architetto), Zahratu Al Ula (Hanadi), Amina Rizq (Zahra), Mimi Shakib, Abdu Al Alim Khattab, Husein Asar, Ragi` Al Geddawi.
Production company and Italian distribution: Aflam Barakat.