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Dear Raja
 
Many thanks for your funny and moving essay on Esther Jallad and Cinema Dunia.
It brought back great memories of my boyhood in Ramallah.  Allow me to make
small --and perhaps silly corrections:
 
It was mainly Hala and Dumia who refused to stand up during the royal anthem.
They did it out of principle. I believe Esther did it from arthritis.
 
Brigite Bardot and the French. was not the only foreign non-Anglo erotic presence
in our early years. First place should go to Sylvana Mangano--who riveted her
audience in Rizzo Amaro (Bitter Rice) with her scant dress wetted on her substantial
bosom in the rice fields, and Anna Magnani. Later this position was occupied by
Marina Vladi, and the young Sofia Lauren, who I still remember well from her
first appearence (1952 or 53) in Oro di Napoli (Napoli Gold).
 
You have done a great service to the memory of Cinema Dunia, Esther Jallad
and our collective memory of coming to age.
 
Salim
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Dear Raja,

I won't apologise for my delay in acknowledging your last e-mail.
...But I do want you to know how much I enjoyed it - not only the memory
of Esther (an absolutely wonderful description.  In her way Esther
symbolises so much of the "nakbeh" we all experienced) , but also the
nostalgic account of cinema in Ramallah.  My only memory (since I didn't
live in Ramallah all the year round ), is going one afternoon with my
mother to see "Rebecca" - I think I had seen it once before, but we both
enjoyed it!  That must have been in the early sixties (long before the
time your memories begin).

Anahid
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Dear Raja,

a really lovely piece-- I liked so much how you you evoked a time and a lost class
through the figure of esther with her pink eye make-up -- and the crowning moment
that captured it all -- "c'est fini"!

Rema
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Dear Raja,

Totally enjoyable, Wonderful  and moving account. I had nostalgia tears
remembering Esther and Cinema Dunia- A period in the life of RAmallah  all
of us cherish and miss. Love

Vera
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Raja why did you decide not to mention that cinema Dunia had became
a parking lot??
 
Baci
Suad
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Dear Raja,
 
It was wonderful to wake up early this Sunday morning and read your piece on
Cinema Dunia. It broughtme back to those days when I used to take the bus to
Ramallah to visit (with mother)aunt Milya or to see Vladimir or to go see a movie at
one of the 3 movie theaters there if I missed the showing of a movie in Jerusalem.
I remember for example seeing "Gigi" with Leslie Caron and Maurice Chevalier
at al-Walid.
 
It also reminded me of the first movie I saw in my life in Jerusalem. The first theater
to open up there right after 1948 and long before the more popular Nuzha, Hamra
and al-Quds cinema showed any of its flicks, it was the big theater at the Palestine
Archeological Museum. The evening show was by invitation only for  Jerusalemites
who knew some English. You can imagine the kind of audience ! I went with my older
brothers.  The first movie I saw there was "Gilda " with Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford.
The following week they showed there in color "The Loves of Carmen" also starring
Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford which made me think, at the time, that all movies show
no other lovers!
 
You captured the very scent of the place. What a tribute to Esther Jallad. I remember
you talking about her when we met in Paris. I cannot remember anymore the last time
we saw each other. I hope it will not be too long before we see you again with Penny.
 
Lily joins me in sending you both a big embrace.
 
Kamal
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My Dear Raja,

What a moving tribute to Madame Jallad and Cinema Dunia.
Very vivid indeed,add to that her love des chocolat, I can see her savouring every
bite, pursed red lips and all. She was sensual and feminine and added  to
Ramallah that almost exclusive " smell"  of  Jaffa, orange blossoms,the beach , Le
Tennis club that the young men and women of Jaffa  frequented, where filrtations
and affairs were fertile and prospered. I know when Mama , Marie , Esther and Clair
and Eyvette met, it was to that place that their memories often flew , they even
discussed fashion of those days and what they wore, from where they got their hats,
their shoes, their bags. etc and I listened as a child, and later as a young woman,
envious , awed and spellbound to their "glamorous"  escapades of  "freedom ". Ah
ya Raja I do feel nostalgic. You write so beautifullyMy Dear Raja, What a moving
tribute to Madame Jallad and Cinema Dunia.
Very vivid indeed,add to that her love des chocolat, I can see her savouring every
bite, pursed red lips and all. She was sensual and feminine and added  to
Ramallah that almost exclusive " smell"  of  Jaffa, orange blossoms,the beach , Le
Tennis club that the young men and women of Jaffa  frequented, where filrtations
and affairs were fertile and prospered. I know when Mama , Marie , Esther and
Clair and Eyvette met, it was to that place that their memories often flew , they
even discussed fashion of those days and what they wore, from where they got
their hats, their shoes, their bags. etc and I listened as a child, and later as a
young woman, envious , awed and spellbound to their "glamorous"  escapades
of  "freedom ". Ah ya Raja I do feel nostalgic. You write so beautifully

Tania
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Hello Penny,
 
Many thanks. Wanted to respond immediately but was too tired at the time.
As usual,   beautifully   written  and reflecting Raja’s keen sense of observation.
What makes it more notable in this case is that Raja was so young at the time.
 
Reading it brought back vivid memories of Ramallah of the early fifties where
we settled on our return to Palestine from what was supposed to have been a
fortnight’s stay in Egypt. Of course, Mrs. Jallad   is one of the people I remember
and Raja has painted such an accurate picture of what she looked like. However,
whereas my friends and I just looked at the veneer and considered her amusing
and eccentric ,compassionate
Raja saw the sad and lonely woman whose life had been turned upside down
and felt the need to escape from the harsh reality if only for a short while.
 
As children growing up in Ramallah we were aware that our family circumstances
had changed but, as Hala, Hiyam and I talked about it in later years, Dad and Mom
were keen to let us live our childhood and did not burden us with the harsh and
painful realties they were facing in having to re-establish a home and a life for their
daughters and themselves from scratch after loss of home, means of livelihood and
way of life.I believe of the three of us, Hala, though the youngest , was the one most
aware of our parent’s sadness and pain and all their personal sacrifices to provide
us, their daughters, with the best. I, the eldest, was the least aware .Now happy
memories of our life as a family are tinged with  lots of sadness as I think of what my
parents had gone through, and I marvel at the fact that, though heartbroken, they were
never bitter. Hala, Hiyam  and I, after Dad and Mom passed away, often wished we
had asked them about various matters and given them the chance to talk about their
feelings.
 
I found the story of Mrs. Jallad retrieving her jewllery interesting. The only other similar
story is of an American friend retrieving  the gold and money a Palestinian family had
buried in a grave with  the knowledge of the priest who led  him to the grave in question.
 
 The part about “history of cinema” was most informative.
 
Again, I cannot begin to thank you for forwarding the article to me.
 
Siham
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