For avid readers who cherish visualising characters and settings, watching a movie based on a beloved novel can spark conflicting emotions.
While some argue that film adaptations invariably diminish the essence of literature, others find cinematic interpretations to be a superior experience.
However, numerous films have successfully translated the spirit of novels to the screen, leaving a lasting impression on audiences.
Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz (1911-2006), an icon of 20th-century Egyptian literature and the first Arab to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, penned numerous evocative novels.
His works often depicted the intricate lives within Cairo’s impoverished alleyways and the era of the fetewa, a term for the neighbourhood’s strongmen, a period that concluded after the 1952 revolution. His acclaimed 1977 novel, El-Harafish, stands as a prime example.
El-Harafish unfolds as an epic saga, chronicling ten generations of a family residing in an unspecified Egyptian neighbourhood, believed to be Al-Hussein district at the dawn of the Alawite dynasty. This enduring novel has inspired multiple film adaptations.
One notable adaptation, bearing the same title El-Harafish, premiered in 1986. Directed by Hossam El-Din Mostafa, the film featured a star-studded cast, including Mahmoud Yassin, Safia El Emari, Mamdouh Abdel-Alim, Laila Elwi, Salah Kabil, and Sawsan Badr. The narrative centres on Suleiman el-Nagi (Yassin), the fetewa of the impoverished Harafish quarter, who begins taking wealth from the rich and redistributing it to the needy.
As the wealthy plot against him, Saniya (El-Emari) enters his life, eventually marrying him after his divorce from his first wife, Fathia (Badr), and gradually isolates him from the community he once championed.
Another cinematic interpretation, Al-Motared (1985), starring Nour El-Sherif, Tahia Karioka, and SoheirRamzy, draws from the fourth story within the epic of the Harafish.
It recounts the tale of Samaha el-Nagi, grandson of Ashour Al-Nagi, who seeks to marry Mahlabia. Their union is threatened by Al-Fulli, the neighbourhood’s bully who also desires Mahlabia. When Samaha and Mahlabiaattempt to flee, Al-Fulli’s men murder Mahlabia and accuse Samaha of committing this crime, forcing him to seek refuge in Upper Egypt.
El-Tout Wel Nabout (1986) offers another perspective on Mahfouz’s world. The film portrays Hassouna Al-Sabaa(Hamdi Ghaith), a tyrannical fetewa who imposes exorbitant taxes and inflicts harsh oppression upon the neighbourhood. Hassouna targets the family of AshourEl-Nagi (Ezzat el-Alaili), whose fortunes fluctuate dramatically. Hassouna forces Ashour to divorce his wife (Tayseer Fahmy) and leave the district, subsequently attempting to force her into marriage. Ashour, alongside the oppressed residents, rises to challenge this injustice.
Beyond El-Harafish, numerous other works by NaguibMahfouz have been adapted for the screen during his prolific writing career which spanned from the mid-1930s to 2004.
Among his most celebrated works is The Cairo Trilogy(Palace Walk, Palace of Desire, and Sugar Street), published between 1956 and 1957. This trilogy significantly contributed to Mahfouz’s international recognition and is considered a cornerstone of his literary legacy.
The Cairo Trilogy was brought to the silver screen in three films directed by Hassan El Imam in the 1960s and 1970s. It also found a home on television in two drama series in the 1980s, directed by Youssef Marzouk. The epic chronicles the saga of the Ahmed Abdel Gawadfamily against the backdrop of British, and later Turkish and German, occupation, shedding light on the Egyptian resistance movement.
Spanning three generations, the trilogy delves into intellectual and social complexities, national struggles, and the generational tragedy embodied by the character of Kamal Abdel Gawad. Audiences witness Kamal’s childhood in Bayn al-Qasrayn (Palace Walk), gaining insight into his family dynamics and the political climate shaping his formative years, including his experience of the 1919 Revolution. The narrative follows his adolescence and young adulthood in Qasr al-Shawq(Palace of Desire) and his later years in Al-Sukkariyah(Sugar Street).
Another significant novel adapted into film is Khan el-Khalili (1967), starring Samira Ahmed and Hassan Youssef. This work explores the upheaval in the lives of an Egyptian family forced to relocate from their familiar neighbourhood to the working-class Khan el-Khalilidistrict due to intensified bombing during World War II.
The Thief and the Dogs (1962), featuring Shoukry Sarhan, Kamal el-Shinnawy, and Shadia, stands as another compelling adaptation. Inspired by a true story that captivated Egyptian public opinion in 1961, the novel recounts the tale of Mahmoud Amin Suleiman, a man who, after four years of imprisonment, returns to a drastically changed world and seeks revenge against those he perceives as his oppressors.
These and other adaptations continue to live in the memories of film and literature lovers, glorifying the authors penning them and giving insights into the world these authors wanted to paint, using ink and paper.
