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Keeping up with Film Studies journal literature
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Introduction to Egyptian film
Egypt’s earliest moving-image screening—of the Lumières’ Cinématographe in Alexandria on 5 November 1896—was organized for European residents rather than for Egyptians; and the earliest films shot in Egypt—scenes of Alexandria in 1912—were made by a Frenchman. From cinema’s earliest years, in fact, Egypt has figured as a setting for films made by outsiders. Many of these betray an obsession with Ancient Egypt in general and—from a mummy film dated as early as 1909 through Karl Freund’s classic The Mummy (US, 1933) and the 1999 US remake directed by Stephen Sommers—a particular fascination with the figure of the mummy.
While the Egyptian film industry is the oldest, largest, and most influential in the Arab world (see Arab cinema), local production remained negligible until the coming of sound. The earliest known film made by an Egyptian is a 1922 short, Al bash kateb/The Civil Servant (Mohamed Bayoumi), and it is said that only thirteen Egyptian features were made between 1926 and 1932, the best known being Zeinab (Mohamed Khan, 1930) and Leila ((Istafan Rosti and Wedad Orfi, 1932). Despite competition from films imported from the West, the 1930s saw the beginnings of a relatively successful domestic film industry, helped by substantial backing from Bank Misr: the sophisticated Misr studio opened in 1935. ...
Kuhn, A., & Westwell, G. (2020). Egypt, film in. In A Dictionary of Film Studies. : Oxford University Press. Retrieved 14 Apr. 2021
In the library's collections/Searching the online catalog
You can use one of the links below to search the online catalog:
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motion pictures egyptCall number range PN 1993.5 .E3.
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motion pictures africa northCall number range PN 1993.5 .A35.
Introductory reading(s)
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Animation in the Middle East: practice and aesthetics from Baghdad to Casablanca by Call Number: Sherman Art Library NC 1766 .M628 A55 2017ISBN: 9781784533267The internationally acclaimed films Persepolis and Waltz with Bashir only hinted at the vibrant animation culture that exists within the Middle East and North Africa. In spite of censorship, oppression and war, animation studios have thrived in recent years - in Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Turkey - giving rise to a whole new generation of entrepreneurs and artists. The success of animation in the Middle East is in part a product of a changing cultural climate, which is increasingly calling for art that reflects politics. ... -
The Arab national project in Youssef Chahine's cinema by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9789774163548In a major addition to the academic library on the cinema of Youssef Chahine and on Arab and Egyptian cinema in general, Malek Khouri here presents the most comprehensive and up-to-date study on Chahine's work to appear since his death in 2008. The methodological approach of the book, and more precisely the discussion of the theme of Arab national unity from a post-colonial point of view, emphasizes the ideological underpinnings of this Egyptian director's themes as well as his esthetics. The author focuses on the interaction between Chahine's personal and political preoccupations, his eclectic cinematic style, and his devotion to connecting with a wide audience of filmgoers. The Arab National Project in Youssef Chahine's Cinema is an important contribution to original scholarship in the fields of cultural studies, sociology of film, and history of cinema, and will be of great interest to scholars, students, and cinema lovers all over the world. -
Film in the Middle East and North Africa: creative dissidence by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9780292723276This is the first study to cover cinemas from Iran to Morocco. Nine essays present the region's major national cinemas, devoting special attention to the work of directors who have given image and voice to dissent from political regimes, from patriarchal customs, from fundamentalist movements, and from the West. These country essays are complemented by in-depth discussions of eighteen films that have been selected for both their excellence and their critical engagement with pressing current issues. -
The golden years of Egyptian film: cinema Cairo, 1936-1967 by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1993.5 .E3 G65 2008ISBN: 9789774161735Between the 1930s and the 1960s, the Egyptian cinema industry was at its height, producing hundreds of black-and-white comedies, dramas, and romances, many of which became enduring classics, much loved and watched over and over throughout the Arab world in cinemas and on television. Whatever the genre, love was always a central theme--ideal love, impossible love, love won, love lost. Here in this sumptuous, large-format treatment, Sherif Boraie has gathered over a hundred promotional stills from more than eighty great Egyptian movies. In glorious black-and-white, stars who are household names from Casablanca to Baghdad pucker or pout, cower or scowl, clinch or croon, scheme or triumph. ...
Selected book titles
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Egyptomania goes to the movies: from archaeology to popular craze to Hollywood fantasy by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1995.9 .E32 C57 2017ISBN: 9781476668284"Egyptomania," the West's obsession with the strange and magnificent world of Ancient Egypt, has for centuries been reflected in architecture, literature and the performing arts. But the discovery of Tutankhamen's tomb in 1922, by a sensation-hungry world newly united by mass media, created a wave of fascination unlike anything before. They called it "Tutmania" and its influence was felt everywhere from fashion to home decor to popular music--and notably in the new medium of film. This study traces the origins of 20th century cinema's obsession with Ancient Egypt through previous eras and relates its recurring themes and ideas to the historical reality of the land of the Pharaohs. -
Popular Egyptian cinema: gender, class, and nation by Call Number: eBookISBN: 9789774160530In this groundbreaking work, film scholar Viola Shafik examines popular and commercial movies from Egypt's film industry, including a number of the biggest box-office hits widely distributed in Egypt and the Arab world. Turning a critical eye on a major player in Egyptian cultural life, Shafik examines these films against the backdrop of the country's overall socio-political development, from the emergence of the film industry in the 1930s, through the Nasser and Sadat eras, up to the era of globalization. ... -
Youssef Chahine by Call Number: Baker-Berry PN 1998.3 .S467 F39 2001ISBN: 9780851708584A discussion of the frequently controversial film maker Youssef Chahine. The book aims to illuminate Chahine's work in the context of modern Egyptian culture and its tumultuous post-war history and how such films as Cairo Station (1958), The Earth (1959) and The Sparrow (1973) dramatized the dilemmas of ordinary Egyptians. He also argues that Chahine's intensely autobiographical trilogy Alexandria...Why? (1978), An Egyptian Story (1985) and Alexandria ... More and More (1989) spoke to the concerns of the broader Egyptian intelligentsia amongst whom he has earned the reputation of being the "poet and thinker" of modern Arab cinema. ...
Other library resource(s)
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African cinema from Oxford Bibliographies Online by Call Number: Electronic resourceThe term “African cinema” generally refers to film production in Sub-Saharan African countries. Compared to the other national cinemas in the world, African cinema can be said to be a recent phenomenon that for many countries within this region only began to materialize after independence in the 1960s. ...
Finding scholarly articles and journals
You can find scholarly literature for film and television studies in a variety of journals. However, if you want to do targeted searching, you can use a subject specific database such as Film & Television Literature Index. You can also use the search box at the top of the page.
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Film & television literature indexCall Number: Electronic resourceThis index covers over 300 journal and magazine titles for film and television reviews, scholarly and critical analysis of cinema and television, and articles of popular interest about film and television. About half the journals and magazines are film periodicals and the other half cover film and television with some regularity. Subject coverage includes film & television theory, preservation & restoration, writing, production, cinematography, technical aspects, and reviews. -
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Screen studies collectionCall Number: Electronic resourceA comprehensive survey of current publications related to film scholarship alongside detailed filmographies. This collection includes the FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Database and the detailed and complementary filmographies created by the American Film Institute (AFI) and the British Film Institute. -
The web of science citation databases by Call Number: Electronic resourceThe online version of 3 separate ISI indexes: Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index and, Social Sciences Citation Index.
Selected movie titles
Find more Egyptian film titles in the library's online catalog.
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Haddūtah Miṣrīyah = An Egyptian story by Call Number: Jones Media DVD #628ISBN: 9781572528857Yehia, now a famous Egyptian director, becomes ill with a heart condition that requires surgery. During the operation, a child embodying his conscience accuses him of betraying his ideals. A trial ensues, in which various witnesses testify about "the defendant." Yehia is forced to confront hidden feelings involving his life, work and country. The child conscience loses the trial, and a redundant organ is expelled from Yehia's body. Will he survive the ordeal? -
Sereṭ ʻAravit = Fīlm ʻArabī = Arabic movie byCall Number: Jones Media DVD #21631So many Israelis still wax nostalgic about that old Friday afternoon ritual, back in the times when television had just one channel. Everyone would watch the Arab movie of the week, but did anybody ever wonder how Israel's official TV station was able to transcend hostile boundaries to obtain these films, and why it insisted on showing movies made by 'the enemy'? The Arabic-language movie from Egypt let some of us escape back to our original homeland, and let others peek out from our 'villa in the jungle' and catch a glimpse of our neighbors across the border. But most of us didn't really want to see the people whose culture, anguish, and aspirations were reflected on our screens. Arabic Movie brings us the stars and the songs, the convoluted plots, and that fleeting moment when we shared the same cultural heroes as everyone else in the Middle East. But this film about the richness and intensity of Egyptian cinema also raises some disturbing questions.
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ʻIndamā tughannī al-marʼah = Quand la femme chante = When a woman sings byCall Number: Jones Media DVD #20560This film examines the impact singers Umm Kulthum and Mounira El-Mahdeya had on Egyptian politics and society during the first half of the 20th century. Through classic film clips, interviews with musicians and scholars, and taped interviews with the two singers themselves, we learn just how far-reaching their influence was.
Internet resource(s)
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The 10 Best Egyptian Movies Every Film Lover Should See from Culture Trip
Egyptian cinema is a flourishing industry, which has spawned an exceptional selection of features over the decades. From epic love stories and heart-wrenching social dramas to political panoramas, these films portray the rich culture that Egypt has to offer, and its influence on the international scene. ...
