Directed by Youssef Chahine • 1963 • Egypt
Starring Ahmed Mazhar, Salah Zulfikar, Nadia Lutfi
Conceived as an ode to Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, this titanic super spectacle, set in the twelfth-century Crusades, is Egyptian cinema’s rebuttal to the Hollywood Christian epic. Ahmed Mazhar—a military-academy classmate of Nasser’s—stars as Saladin, the ruler of the kingdoms surrounding Jerusalem. When Christian invaders slaughter a band of Muslim pilgrims, Saladin sets out to take back the holy land against all odds. Working with an unprecedented budget (so big, in fact, that it bankrupted the producer) and a cast of thousands, director Youssef Chahine’s most large-scale work is a rousing vision of pan-Arab unity realized with the director’s trademark visual dynamism.
Up Next in Directed by Youssef Chahine
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Adieu Bonaparte
Directed by Youssef Chahine • 1985 • Egypt
Starring Michel Piccoli, Mohsen Mohieddin, Mohamed AtefYoussef Chahine’s rich and nuanced exploration of culture clash and connection centers...
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Alexandria . . . Why?
Directed by Youssef Chahine • 1979 • Egypt
Starring Naglaa Fathi, Mahmoud el-Meliguy, Farid ShawqiHaving spent the larger part of the 1960s and ’70s examining the rise and fall of Egypt’s first republic, director Youssef Chahine turned inwards with this kaleidoscopic, semi-autobiographical evo...
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Alexandria: Again and Forever
Directed by Youssef Chahine • 1989 • Egypt
Starring Youssra, Hussein Fahmy, Youssef ChahineThe third installment in a series of four films Youssef Chahine made exploring his own life and times, ALEXANDRIA: AGAIN AND FOREVER stars the director himself as Yehia, a filmmaker whose planned HAMLET ...
