Love and Revenge (Gharam wa-intiqam)
by Youssef Wahby (Egypt, 1944, 70 min, DigiBeta)
January 30, 2008 6:30 PM
Cantor Film Center, New York University, 36 East 8th Street, New York City.
Synopsis
One of the earliest masterpieces of the Egyptian screen, Love and Revenge is usually known for the tragic death of its star Asmahan before its completion. A stunt double was used for some of the unfinished scenes and the ending was changed to mirror the star’s death. When Wahid, the fiancée of the beautiful singer, Suheir, played by Asmahan, is killed on the eve of their wedding, she vows revenge. Suspicion falls on Gamal Hamdi, a musician friend of the murdered man, who is released from jail due to insufficient evidence. Suheir feigns friendship with Gamal, waiting for him to implicate himself, but as they spend time together they fall deeply in love. The film boasts six wonderful songs by Asmahan, written by some of the greatest of Arab popular composers, like her brother Farid Al-Atrash, and Riyad al-Sunbati, Our version restores a scene with part of an operetta which was cut after the 1952 Revolution because it was thought to glorify the Egyptian royal family.
Post-screening discussion with Karim Tartoussieh
Filmmaker's Biography
Yusuf Wahbi (1897-1982) was one of the pioneers of the Egyptian cinema. In 1930 he established the first film studio in Egypt, financed and acted in the first important Egyptian silent film, “Zaynab”, and was one of the first directors to introduce sound to the Egyptian cinema in 1932. Like Nagib al-Rihani, he came from the popular theater, and elements of this background can be detected in his use of language, staging, mise-en-scene, and inclusion of music. He was recognized as the king of melodrama, and a true auteur, writing, directing and starring in most of his films. He was also among the first to protest against the Hollywood encroachment into the Egyptian market. He collaborated with director Togo Mizrahi in making a series of films with the famous actress and singer Layla Murad. He made over 30 films in his career.
