October 18, 2006

Khaled El-Hagar Brings Back Egyptian Musicals with MAFEESH GHEIR KIDA

(Posted In Middle East Musical )

Khalid Abu El-Naga.jpg
According to this article, Egyptian director Khaled El-Hagar, is in post-production with Egypt's first musical film, MAFEESH GHEIR KIDA (Nothing But That). Now, just to set the record straight, that's a lie. Admittedly, there haven't been many musicals in recent years, but nearly every classic Egyptian film from the 1940's and 50's was a musical. They had all the great singers like Om Kalthoum and Mohamed Abd El-Wahab and that's why everyone was so obsessed with them. Get it right, man!

Anyway, this new film has a fairly good cast with Nabila Ebeid, Khaled Abu El-Naga (in photo - who made an impressive crossover performance with CIVIC DUTY), Rola Mahmoud, and Ahmed Azmy. And the director Khaled El-Hagar isn't half bad. He's been called 'the Egyptian Almodovar" which seems like a major stretch to me, but his last movie HOB AL-BANAT (Girl's Love) was, albeit, quite predictable, but also fun and light in a Doris Day meets Bollywood sort of way. I'm optimistic, perhaps naively, that this next film will have some of the whimsy that makes Egyptian movies fans so nostalgic for the past.

» Posted by Propagandin at October 18, 2006 12:59 PM
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Reader Comments

the above artical is stupid as the guy who wrote it , he seems never seen any of oteher mr El hagar films , and as mafeesh gher Keda , yes it is frist real egyptian musical film , is not just a story with some songs , the songs are part of the drama , so this person can not just wait to talk right about the film but it seems he is agin stuiped and frustreated person

» Posted by k l hagar at December 4, 2006 03:16 PM

Twitch should be ashamed . Get your facts right before you start shooting your mouth off . Mafeesh Gheir Keda premiered at the recent Cairo Film Festival in Dec 2006 to a highly favourable reception from the main critics and as with most of Mr El Hagar's films - provoked great debate - simply because it IS the first actual MUSICAl for Egyptian cinema . Music and songs have been used in many Egyptian films yes but separate adjuncts from the drama . Odd though it may seem to those of us used to seeing the likes of Cabaret , Chicago , West Side Story etc where the songs are an integral part of the drama - this genre has not existed in Egyptian cinema . Mr El Hagar is once again pushing the boundaries within an industry which is still restricted by censorship etc , urging his contempories to move forward and experiment .Don't belittle his efforts with your sarcastic , patronizing attitudes . History will prove who'll be twitching in the end and it won't be Mr. El Hagar .

» Posted by Jessie B. Parker at February 3, 2007 05:45 PM

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