Saturday, October 5, 2013

A Thousand and One Nights [الف ليلة وليلة] - (Shadia) - (1964)

A Thousand and One Nights [الف ليلة وليلة] (1964) - (Shadia) Egyptian one-sheet

This is an original Egyptian stone litho poster designed by Marcel to promote the 1964 Hassan Al Imam 125-minute color film A Thousand and One Nights [الف ليلة وليلة] starring Shadia as Shahira with screenplay and dialogue by Mohamed Moustapha Sami and cinematography by Abdelhalim Nasr. Plot summary: Hassan [Farid Shawqi] the beggar and his son Shahtut frequented fairs, where Hassan did tricks. They were often away from home. His wife Shahira worked in his absence and entertained her paramour, a genie. However Shahtut discovered the genie's presence once when he come home unexpectedly. He warned his mother he would say somthing to his father. The lover seized him and threatened him, and the boy died in his hands. Shahira fled with the paramour to the desert and he began attacking caravans. He was able to get away from the caliph's men. Shahira had a baby but lost the way with him in the desert. She left him alone in the desert with half an amulet, the other half of which was with the paramour. The caliph's soldiers took him and named him Kazem. Meanwhile Hassan married Ka'ba al-Ghazal and had a baby named Hayat. The soldiers declared a curfew and were beating the people to drive them into their homes. Hayat was knocked to the ground, but she was saved by Fotouh. She thought he was a beggar but discovered he was a gardener in the sultan's palace and fell in love with him. However, Nourhan, a lady from the palace, was eavesdropping on the conversations between Fotouh and Hayat. Kazem grew up and because of his intrigues he bacame a minister who took lovers, among them Zubayda and Nourhan, who brought him news from the palace. The caliph made a plan for his son Noureddin to masquerade as one of the people and present himself to Hayat as the gardener named Fotouh if he was not in agreement with the behavior of his minister Kazem. A caravan came into Baghdad owned by Sheikh Gawal. Hassan the beggar knew him as the old genie enemy who had killed his son, and decided to take revenge against him. The paramour accused him of theft and asked the sultan to cut off his hand, but the caliph died and his son Noureddin took the throne. Hayat was surprised when she learned the new caliph was the palace gardener. The new caliph revoked all the orders Kazem had issued. Zubayda offered to kill the caliph by means of Hassan. Kazem released Hassan and asked him for the hand of his daughter Hayat and to kill the caliph during the dance that would take place at the celebration. However Nourhan intervened at the last minute and intercepted the knife thrust Hassan had directed at the caliph. When Hassan was caught he said it was the genie who had incited him to commit this crime; he had taken advantage of the fact that he was in the same prison, killed him and fled. Kazem fell in love with Hayat. This angered Zubayda, who decided to take revenge. She allowed Hassan into the palace, who dicovered that Kazem was carrying the other part of the amulet, learned he was the son of the genie and attacked him. However Kazem did not die and he ordered that Hassan and his son be burned in the public square. The caliph returned from his journey at that time, revoked Kazem's order and asked Hayat to marry him.

Cast and crew: Shadia, Farid Shawqi, Leila Fawzi, Hassan Al Imam, Mahmoud El-Meliguy, Youssef Chaban, Fakher Fakher, Abdel Khalek Saleh, Nahed Sabri, Mohammad Awad, Aleyah Abdel Monem, Gawaher, Salwa Mahmoud, Zein El-Ashmawy, Mohammad Sabih



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