Hadduta misriya (An Egyptian Story) stars Nour El Sherif and Youssra in 1982. Photo: Misr International Films
Hadduta misriya (An Egyptian Story) stars Nour El Sherif and Youssra in 1982. Photo: Misr International Films
Hadduta misriya (An Egyptian Story) stars Nour El Sherif and Youssra in 1982. Photo: Misr International Films
Hadduta misriya (An Egyptian Story) stars Nour El Sherif and Youssra in 1982. Photo: Misr International Films

Nine must-watch Arabic films from the 1980s starring Noor El-Sherif, Ahmed Zaki and more


Maan Jalal
  • English
  • Arabic

While the Arab films in the 1970s explored modern Arab identity as well as pan Arabism in a grander scale, the 1980s looked more inward.

Some of the most significant films of the decade focused on issues pertaining to the social, economical and political challenges within Egyptian society and particularly those of marginalised communities.

These social issues and personal narratives, within cultural and political contexts, depicted the complexities of Arab societies and the continuing exploration of what it meant to be both Arab and human in the modern world.

The decade also elevated a number of Arab stars. Male leads such as Noor El-Sherif and Ahmed Zaki played significant and various roles to established themselves as serious and diverse actors, while actresses such as Mervat Amin, Elham Shahein, Sherihan and Youssra were introduced to audiences as young and important talents to watch out for.

From dark comedy to psychological thrillers, here are nine of the most important Arab films that defined the 1980s.

1. Ahil Al Qima (People on the Top), 1981

Based on the novel by the renowned Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz and directed by one of Egypt’s most influential directors, Ali Badrakhan, Ahil Al Qima stars some of the greatest actors of the time, such as Soad Hosny, Nour El-Sherif and Ezzat El Alaili.

The film explored complex political and social issues in Egypt at the time through the perspective of Zaatar, a thief who is attempting to leave his criminal past behind and pursue a good life. However, he’s sucked back into a life of crime through the manipulation of Zaghloul, a corrupt businessman.

As Zaatar attempts to untangle himself from this dangerous relationship, he falls in love with Siham, the sister of an important police detective. This complicates his life further and forces Zaatar to face the choices he’s made in his life.

2. El Ar (The Shame), 1982

Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Nour El-Sherif and Hussein Fahmy star in El Ar (The Shame) in 1982. Photo: Cinema Lights production
Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Nour El-Sherif and Hussein Fahmy star in El Ar (The Shame) in 1982. Photo: Cinema Lights production

Family honour, reputation and morality are on the line in this critically acclaimed drama directed by Ali Abdel-Khalek. Starring some the greatest Egyptian lead actors including El-Sherif, Mahmoud Abdel Aziz and Hussein Fahmy, as well as a young Elham Shaheen, the film looks into the lives of an upper middle class family who will do anything to maintain their wealth and status.

The narrative kicks off when patriarch Abdul Tawab, a well-known trader, travels to Alexandria to finalise a secret drug deal but is murdered before the deal goes through.

Kamal, his eldest son, must now tell his siblings the truth about the source of their family's wealth – an empire built on an complex network of drug deals. The family must now decide whether to proceed with the business that got their father murdered in order to secure their inheritance, or to reject it, risking not only financial ruin but to out their father’s secret life to society and ruin their legacy.

3. Hadduta Misriya (An Egyptian Story), 1982

How important is a storyteller to the narrative he weaves? Directed by the renowned Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine, Hadduta Misriya is a fictional biography about a self-centred and highly-strung filmmaker named Yehia Choukry Mourad.

Portrayed by El-Sherif, the story opens as Yehia suffers a heart attack on the set of his latest film. While getting an operation to save his life, his subconscious takes over and Yehia is propelled into a metaphorical courtroom trial where his inner child accuses him of betraying the promises he made to himself in his youth.

Yehia must now face the choices he’s made in life especially in regards to his relationships with the women, primarily his mother, sister and wife.

4. Sawwaq el-Utubis (The Bus Driver), 1982

Sawwaq el-Utubis (The Bus Driver) follows the story of one man attempting to proivde for his family. Photo: Atef El Tayeb films
Sawwaq el-Utubis (The Bus Driver) follows the story of one man attempting to proivde for his family. Photo: Atef El Tayeb films

Starring the leading man of the decade, El-Sherif, along with actress Amin in one of her most memorable roles, the bus driver is an intimate portrait of the social and economical struggles in Egypt at the time.

The film follows Hassan, the only male sibling among his five sisters, who is facing a moral dilemma after his father’s workshop has been suspended over tax issues and is due to be sold at auction. Hassan, who works as a bus driver, must find a way to support his family despite the economic obstacles in his way while also carving out a life for himself.

5. El-Avukatoo (The Lawyer), 1983

Starring one of the Arab world’s most famous comedians, Adel Emam, and famed Egyptian actress Youssra in one of her earliest roles, El-Avukatoo is a dark and moralising comedy about a manipulative, resourceful lawyer who employs unethical methods to win his cases.

However, when one of his plans go awry, he’s sentenced to one month in jail, where he meets a drug lord and a corrupt police officer. Their conversations behind bars leads him to confront the moral nuances of the law and the consequences of the choices he’s made.

6. Al Hob Fawk Hadabat Al Haram (Love Above the Pyramid's Plateau), 1985

Al Hob Fawk Hadabat Al Haram (Love Above the Pyramid's Plateau) in 1985 follows the trials of a young impoverished couple. Photo: Atef El Tayeb films
Al Hob Fawk Hadabat Al Haram (Love Above the Pyramid's Plateau) in 1985 follows the trials of a young impoverished couple. Photo: Atef El Tayeb films

Based on another Mahfouz novel, the film follows the story of a young couple facing the socio-economic challenges of Egypt during the 1980s. They are simply trying to exercise their right to be together.

Due to financial constraints, a young man must marry his fiancee in secret. As they attempt to build a life together, they are denied even the private space and time to be truly intimate. Their attempts to be alone lead them to the pyramids plateau, where they are arrested and must face more of the challenges of poverty and societal pressures.

7. El-Toq wa el-Iswerah (The Collar and the Bracelet), 1986

Set in the village of Karnak in Egypt during the early 1930s, the film is based on the novel by critically acclaimed author Yahia Al Tahir Abdulla, and is considered one of the few films that portrays the experiences of women in upper Egypt.

The film follows Hazina, who lives with her paralysed husband, and their daughter and granddaughter, both portrayed by the actress Sherihan.

As the family awaits the return of their son from Sudan, their life is riddled with the hardships women face in a patriarchal society. Each of the female characters attempt to navigate through the conventions, pressure and shame placed on women within the sociocultural dynamics in the context of pre-Second World War Egypt.

8. Al Baree' (The Innocent), 1986

Perhaps one of the most controversial films of the decade, Al Baree’ was subjected to much criticism and faced significant censorship due to its critique of military and government practices in Egypt.

Zaki plays Ahmed Sabe' El Leil, a young farmer conscripted into the Egyptian army. As he navigates harsh military life, Ahmed finds that he is being used as a pawn and manipulated into believing that political activists are enemies of his homeland that he must actively fight.

As Ahmed becomes enlightened to the tactics and methods used against civilians and political dissidents, he begins to question the system and must face not only his superiors but himself when he decides to do what is right and not what is expected of him.

9. Zawgat Ragoul Mohem (The Wife of an Important Man), 1987

The psychological thriller centres on the life of a young woman, Mona, played by Amin, who marries a respected police officer, Hisham, played by Zaki.

While Hisham’s reputation as a decent and upstanding man is initially what attracted Mona to him, she quickly sees beyond this facade once they begin their married life. Hisham is an obsessive, authoritarian, unstable and dogmatic husband who transforms Mona’s reality into an abusive and hellish existence. As she navigates how to live with him or how to escape, Mona’s life is a personification of the misuse of oppressive power dynamics in society.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is dialysis?

Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.

It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.

There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.

In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.

In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.

It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

No%20Windmills%20in%20Basra
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Diaa%20Jubaili%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPages%3A%20180%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EPublisher%3A%20Deep%20Vellum%20Publishing%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results

2pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: Mouheeb, Tom Marquand (jockey), Nicholas Bachalard (trainer)

2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Honourable Justice, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dark Silver, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash

4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Dark Of Night. Antonio Fresu, Al Muhairi.

4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Habah, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson

Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

If you go

Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.

Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com

A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com

WHAT IS GRAPHENE?

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. 

The specs

Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 582bhp

Torque: 730Nm

Price: Dh649,000

On sale: now  

French Touch

Carla Bruni

(Verve)

Shubh Mangal Saavdhan
Directed by: RS Prasanna
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Bhumi Pednekar

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
A MINECRAFT MOVIE

Director: Jared Hess

Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa

Rating: 3/5

Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.

Updated: August 21, 2024, 3:04 AM`