As the world marks the Fête de la Musique this week, a myriad of thoughts come to mind as far as the film industry is concerned.
Russian composer Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) once said: “Film music should have the same relationship to the film drama that somebody’s piano playing in my living room has to the book I am reading.”
Stravinsky’s words may serve as a good introduction as we prepare for Tuesday’s World Music Day. From the very beginning and throughout its evolution, the Egyptian film industry capitalised on musicals.
In 1932, Italian film director, Mario Volpe, who was resident in Egypt, produced the first Arabic-speaking musical movie “Inshudat El-Fouad” (Heart’s Song). Singer and melody-maker Zakaria Ahmed (1896-1961) starred in the film, which opened the door for hundreds of musicals from the 1930s onwards.
The success of “Inshudat El-Fouad” encouraged Mohamed Abdel Wahab (1898-1991), another singer and melody-maker, to co-star in “El-Warda El-Bida” (The White Rose) in 1933.
Audience outreach
Umm Kulthum (1898-1975) joined the race with her first musical “Widad” in 1937. By the late 1930s, the Egyptian film industry gained momentum spearheaded by musicals.
In 1941, mezzo-soprano Asmahan (1912-1944) and her brother singer and composer Farid al-Atrash (1910-1974) co-starred in “Entissar El-Shabab” (Victory of Youth) in 1941. The movie was a milestone in the evolution of Arab musicals, paving the way for generations of singers and melody-makers to make headways over nearly eight decades.
Until the 1960s there was no television, therefore singers (males and females) found the silver screen as a means for audience outreach. The majority of musicals featured belly dancing as well.
In 1944, singer-cum-composer Mohamed Fawzy (1918-1966) co-starred in his film “Seif El-Gallad” (Executioner’s Sword). Al-Atrash and Fawzy led the music scene between the 1940s through the 1960s, producing blockbuster musicals in co-operation with the best female singers, belly dancers and directors.
Filmmakers and directors like Ahmed Badrakhan (1909-1969), Henry Barakat (1914-1997), Hussein Fawzy (1904-1962) and Youssef Chahine (1926-2008) produced many musicals between the 1940s and 1970s.
Halim-Farid race
Singer Abdel Halim Hafez, aka Halim, (1929-1977) co-starred in four movies in 1955. The films were “Lahn El-Wafaa” (Devotion Melody), “Ayamna El-Helwa” (Sweet Days), “Layali El-Hob” (Love Nights) and “Ayyam We Layali” (Days & Nights).
By the late 1950s, Halim and al-Atrash raced one another in the production of musicals. Such a race has tremendously enriched the music scene and the film industry in general.
Al-Atrash, whose debut was 14 years before Halim’s, developed his musicals in the mid-1950s. He used to feature belly dancing in his previous movies. For instance, the plot of “Afrita Hanem” (Miss Devil), which was directed by Barakat in 1949, was about a poor musician who would join forces with a belly dancer to produce an operetta. That was a cliché, mainly used by al-Atrash and Fawzy.
Halim put an end to such a cliché in his 16 films. Al-Atrash starred in “Qesset Hobbi” (My Love Story) in 1955, the same year Halim appeared in four films. The plot of “Qesset Hobbi” was a romance, featuring no belly dancing. Moreover, the film’s songs reflected the dramatic crescendo and melancholy.
In 1957, Chahine directed “Enta Habibi” (You Are My Love), starring al-Atrash and singer Shadia (1931-2017). “Enta Habibi” was a romantic comedy, a genre that Chahine would repeat in his musical “Sukout Hansawwar” (Silence… We’re Rolling) in 2001.
Halim’s last appearance was in “Abi Foq El-Shagara” (My Father Is on the Tree), directed by Hussein Kamal in 1969. Kamal’s film was a blockbuster for so many weeks in Egypt and some Arab countries.
In the same year, al-Atrash, co-starred in “El-Hobb El-Kebir” (The Great Love), with Faten Hamama, the then Middle East’s biggest female star. The movie, produced and directed by Barakat, was also a blockbuster in both Lebanon and Egypt.
Special flavour
Some Arab and Egyptian musicals had a very special flavor. Chahine directed “Biyaa El-Khawatem” (The Ring Seller) in 1965. Lebanese singer Fairuz starred in the movie, which features a number of her best hits. Chahine’s artistic talent along with the music of Assi and Mansour Rahbani produced Fairuz’s best appearance on the big screen.
Fatin Abdel Wahab (1913-1972) directed “Adwaa El-Madina” (City Lights) in 1972. Shadia starred in the comic musical, which featured a number of songs composed by Baligh Hamdy (1931-1993).
Director Hassan el-Imam produced in 1972 “Khalli Balak Men Zuzu” (Watch Out for Zuzu), which is one of the best musicals on the Arab silver screen. The film’s music was composed by Kamal el-Tawil (1923-2003).
In 1992, director Khairy Beshara produced Ice Cream in Glym, which is a sociopolitical drama knitted in a light romantic musical, co-starred Amr Diab and Simon.
The plot was about a singer trying to make a career in an evil, manipulative reality. The same plot was frequently used by al-Atrash, Fawzy and Halim in their musicals.
However, Beshara sought to disclose the social changes in the 1980s as a result of “infitah”, or open-door policy, introduced by late president Anwar el-Sadat in the mid-1970s.
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