Youssef Chahine Movies

When a young girl is raped by a police officer, the harsh economical conditions and grim realities of police brutality gradually emerge in this drama from director Youssef Chahine. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A whimsical comedy with a touch of tragedy, Egyptian director Youssef Chahine's Silence...We're Rolling features famed Tunisian singer Latifah as Malak, a pop star whose career and home life are fraught with troubles. Alfi (Ahmed Bedir), the screenwriter of what should be her next hit movie, has writer's block, and her husband has left her for her best friend. One night she meets Lamei, a handsome young man (Ahmed Wafik) who commences to woo her, but her friends and family are all convinced he's nothing but a charming con man out to get her money. Alfi, who also happens to be in love with Malak, conspires with her family to hatch a plot to expose Lamei's true intentions and show Malak who her true loved ones are. ~ Tom Vick, Rovi

Ideas are imperishable, such is the premise of this powerful, upbeat allegory from one of Egypt's most esteemed directors, Youssef Chahine. Ostensibly the true tale of revolutionary Muslim philosopher Averroes who lived in 12th-century Spain when Arabs ruled Anadulsia, it parallels the story of Chahine's own experiences with Islamic fundamentalists when he released his 1994 film L'Emigre because it dared depict a sacred Muslim prophet. During that time, fundamentalists were not content to merely have the film banned, they also threatened Chahine's life. Despite their destructive efforts, the fundamentalists ultimately failed and L'Emigre became one of Egypt's most successful films. Averroes was a follower of Aristotelian thought, an innovative lawyer and an important scientist (he discovered the purpose of the retina) who lived during the rule of the great liberal Caliph Al Mansour. At the time, the Caliph's rivals were part of Magdi Idris, a fundamentalist sect, who sought to destroy his power by cloaking their own political agendas in religious dogma and spreading it liberally amongst the easily influenced peasantry. Averroes' ordeal began when fundamentalists found his many books espousing a humanistic doctrine contrary to their own. Demanding an end to the spread of the philosophers radical, rationalist ideas, they insisted that the Caliph launch a fatwa against Averroes. To this end, all of his books were publicly burned and Averroes himself was exiled. But before the burning occurred, Averroes' faithful students copied each of his detailed Commentaries on Aristotle and smuggled them to Egypt where in time they were passed down to become the cornerstones of modern Western philosophy. While the narrative itself is relatively straightforward with few epic embellishments, the film contains a few decidedly Arabic twists, such as the inclusion of several Egyptian song and dance numbers that Western audiences may find jarring. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

In the third and final film in director Youssef Chahine's Alexandria trilogy, the director plays Yehia, a filmmaker who joins in a hunger strike organized by technicians protesting the inequities of the Egyptian film industry. While struggling for better conditions for his fellow workers, Yehia also finds himself obsessed with both Amir (Amr Abdel-Guelil), a handsome young man he starred in one of his previous films, and Nadia (Yousra), a beautiful woman whom he hopes to use in his next film. The film walks a fine line between narrative and surrealism as Yehia tries to resolve his conflicting attitudes about love, sex, art, and politics. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This big-budget historical epic from acclaimed Egyptian director Youssef Chahine features a crazed turn by Patrice Chereau as Napoleon Bonaparte. The film, an Egyptian-French co-production, deals with Napoleon's occupation of Alexandria and its effect on a typical Egyptian family. Michel Piccoli leads the cast as a general in Napoleon's army who tentatively befriends a local poet. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

Youssef Chahine directed this drama about lovers struggling to find happiness in Egypt during the chaos of World War II. Yehia (Mohsen Mohiedine) is a teenage boy who is fascinated with the glamour of Hollywood movies, and he escapes into a rich fantasy world to free himself from the horror around him. But as he learns more about the horrors of the Nazi occupation of Europe, it becomes harder for him to ignore life's grim realities, especially after he falls in love with a local girl. Meanwhile, a Jewish woman living nearby becomes involved with a man who is Muslim, and a gay soldier from England has an affair with a wealthy Arab. Iskanderija ... Lih? was followed by two sequels, Hadota Misreya and Iskindiriah Kaman Oue Kaman. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Youssef Chahine directs and stars in this bittersweet, neo-realist drama about a crippled newspaper vendor who falls for a gorgeous lemonade seller. Qinawi (Chahine) is in love with Hanouma (Hind Rostom). But Hanouma is engaged to rugged station worker Abu-Serih (Farid Chawqi). As Abu-Serih attempts to unionize the station workers, Qinawi's fixation on Hanouma crosses the threshold from innocent crush to dangerous obsession. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi