Allah yarhamu.
Egypt's great filmmaker, Youssef Chahine, passed away this morning in Cairo, at the age of 82. I was no great fan of most of the films he produced over the past two decades, but his production of the fifties and sixties puts him in the class of one of the world's great filmmakers. Cairo Station (Bab al-Hadid) in particular is quite simply, an almost perfect film. (See my earlier, brief, comments on it here.)
The photo shows Chahine in his role as Qinawi, in Cairo Station, holding a knife to Hanuma (played by Hind Rustum).
Note that the AFP story on Chahine's death linked to above includes a statement by French President Nicolas Sarkozy praising the director. In France, even a right-wing politician who is elected on an anti-immigrant platform is expected to have something favorable to say about an Arab artist with a global reputation. There would be no such expectation of Obama, if he is elected president, especially when it comes to Arab artists. Unless they have been approved as "moderate," i.e., in favor of peace with (read: surrender to) Israel. Which means no Nobel prizes, or favorable statements, about any for Arab artists, post-Naguib Mahfouz (d. 2006). Chahine was not "moderate."
Check out this smart obit in The Guardian. As of this moment, the New York Times has not seen fit to mention his death.
3 comments:
To call Sarkozy a right-wing anti-immigrant candidate is to show no sensitivity to the details of the French election. Which candidate repeatedly demagogued immigrants and talked about sending the kids to reform school and their parents to reeducation Gulags? I'll answer for you since I have to assume you don't know--it was the Socialists.
You are correct that Sarkozy is exactly what America needs, a pro-Israel realist who despises Islam but respects secular Arab culture.
"Despises Islam"?! And this is exactly what the US needs? It is of course true that, on the immigrant question, there was not a lot of difference between Sarkozy and the SP candidate Royale. And both the left and the right in France tend to be what I would call intolerant secularists--detesting public signs of religiosity (like the veil) and at the same time indicating their respect for "secular" Arab culture.
And Sarkozy's use of the term rioters racailles (rabble, scum, riffraff, lowlifes) to describe the rioters in Rance in October-November, 2006, will probably never be forgotten or forgiven.
"And Sarkozy's use of the term rioters racailles (rabble, scum, riffraff, lowlifes) to describe the rioters in Rance in October-November, 2006, will probably never be forgotten or forgiven."
Except by the French voters, who rewarded his honesty by sending him to the Elysee.
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