This is a 24" x 36" Egyptian poster designed by Ragheb for the 1938
film Long Live Love written and directed by Mohammed Karim and
starring Mohamed Abdel Wahab as Mohammad Fathy. Plot summary:
Mohammad Fathy rented a new apartment where one of the windows
happened to face the palace of Taher Pasha, the father of Nadia [Laila
Mourad]. There was a misunderstanding between Fathy and Nadia when he
suspected her of throwing rocks at his balcony, which angered her.
Then he discovered she was the daughter of the sister of his boss at
the Bank of Egypt and that a little girl had been throwing the rocks.
He followed her on a train to Alexandria so he could apologize, and
they fell in love. Fathy decided to marry Nadia. He discovered his
father knew her father Taher Pasha so he called him to get him to
set up an agreement. Nadia's father returned from his trip and
Nadia was surprised to learn he had agreed to her marriage to a rich
boy. Naturally she did not know about Fathy's wealth and she refused
to marry this wealthy boy, but when she discovered he was Fathy they
married.
Cast and crew: Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Laila Mourad, Mohammed Karim,
Abbas Allam, Mohammed Abdel Koudouss, Abdel Moniem Ismail, Zouzou
Mady, Bechara Wakim, Abdel Warith Assir, Abdel Waress
Assar, Mohammad Fadel, Amin Wahba
This is a 27" x 39" undated rerelease Egyptian poster designed by an
unknown artist to promote the 1945 103-minute Anwar Wagdi
black-and-white musical Leila Daughter of the Poor [leila bint
al-foqara] starring Laila Mourad as Leila based on a story by Anwar
Wagdi with screenplay by Kamal Salim and dialogue by Badei Khayri.
Cinematography was by Mohamed Abdel Azim. Plot summary: Leila was a
poor girl living in the Seyyeda Zeinab district of Cairo. A lady
invited her to her mansion and introduced her to Officer Wahid Mokhtar
[Anwar Wagdi]. Leila was impressed by the mansion and its ceremonies
and soon became outgoing and cheerful. Wahid was drawn to Leila and
asked her alleged father Darwish Basha [Bechara Wakim] for her hand in
marriage. Then he learned Darwish Basha was not really her father.
Wahid thought Leila had deceived him; he went to see her in Seyyeda
Zeinab and cancelled the marriage offer. After that Wahid, who still
loved Leila, met Darwish Basha and told him what had happened. Darwish
Basha advised Wahid to apologize to Leila, which he did. Darwish
Basha then pledged he would leave his wealth to Leila and asked
Wahid's father to arrange for Wahid to marry her. The reason the Basha
had left his wealth to Leila became clear to all those who had been
invited to the wedding when her origins became known. Leila left the
wedding in despair, but Wahid persuaded his father to move the wedding
party to Seyyeda Zeinab, where the proceedings were completed.
Cast and crew: Laila Mourad, Anwar Wagdi, Suleiman Naguib, Bechara
Wakim, Marie Munib, Mohammed Al-Bakkar, Mohamed Abdel Azim, Mokhtar
Osman, Adel Adham, Zouzou Hamdy El-Hakim, Souraya Fakhry, Abdel Alim
Khattab, Shafik Noureddin, Badie Khayri, Fouad Shafik, Mohamed
Al-Bakar
This is a 27" x 39" Egyptian poster designed by an unknown artist
to promote an undated rerelease of the 1947 Anwar Wagdi
musical Leila the Rich Girl, a remake of Frank Capra's
1934 It Happened One Night, with story by Anwar Wagdi,
screenplay and dialogue by Badei Khayri and starring Laila Mourad as
Leila. Plot summary: Leila was a pretty girl from a rich family who
had lost her mother. Her father Hassan Rostam Basha [Bechara Wakim]
was dominated by his bossy new wife Monira [Olwiyya Gamil]. Monira had
imposed the bridegroom Gamil [Said Abu Bakr] on Leila because he was
her nephew and she was planning to use him to get the money Leila
would be receiving from her father. However when Gamil approached
Leila during the wedding ceremony she pushed him away and ran out of
the proceedings immediately. The press was full of reports about the
search for the missing bride's car, which was damaged on a bridge and
fell into the water; one of Leila's shoes she had been wearing at the
wedding was found in the car. The journalist Wahid [Anwar Wagdi] went
to the village where the accident had taken place and found Leila's
other shoe. He was surprised by the sound of the enchanting voice of
a young girl sitting on the bank singing in a tortured tone of voice.
Wahid approached the girl because of her beauty and the sweetness of
her voice. One of the people in the village told him she was the
daughter of the village mayor [Abdel Hamid Zaki]. She was sick and
everyone at her house was waiting for a physician who was on the way
from Cairo. Wahid knocked on the door and claimed he was the doctor
from Cairo looking for the girl. Once he saw her he realized she was
not the one he had seen on the bridge. Wahid and the girl, who said
her name was Farhana, left the mayor's house. Then Wahid learned the
girl with him was really Leila, the runaway bride everyone thought had
been killed because her loose shoes had been found. Back in Cairo
Wahid convinced Leila's father she was still alive by taking him to
the farmer's home where she was hiding. At first Leila thought Wahid
did not love her and was planning to take her back to the misery she
had been fleeing in exchange for reward money; instead Wahid was
finally able to awaken the conscience of Leila's father and make him
aware of the conspiratorial plans of his bossy wife and her nephew.
The basha divorced Monira publicly and Leila immediately went back to
Wahid, who was waiting nearby.
Cast and crew: Frank Capra, Badei Khayri, Abdelhalim Nasr, Olwiyya
Gamil, Bechara Wakim, Hassan Fayek, Said Abu Bakr, Abdel Hamid Zaki,
Abdel Nabi Mohammed, Reyad El Kasabgy, Laila Mourad, Anwar Wagdi
This is a 23.5" x 35" Egyptian poster designed by Al-Zaria for the
1942 film Leila the Schoolgirl written and directed by Togo
Mizrahi and starring Laila Mourad as Leila. Plot summary: Youssef
[Youssef Wahby] is a famous attorney who welcomes his orphan cousin
Leila into his mansion after she completes her studies. Leila brings
happiness to the mansion. This changes Youssef and makes him happy,
but he falls in love with an unfaithful woman. Leila tries to correct
her, but Youssef believes Leila is the one who has a lover and he
throws her out of his house.
The title of this famous film became the title of a television series
written by Magdy Saber and directed by Mohamed Zoheir in which Syrian
actress Safa Soltan plays the part of Laila Mourad. The story in the
film is overshadowed in the minds of many Egyptians by the life of
Laila Mourad herself, who was a non-Zionist Jew converted to Islam.
In the film Mourad plays the part of a runaway who is unwittingly
caught up in the intrigues of a crime ring.
Cast and crew: Anwar Wagdi, Laila Mourad, Abdelhalim Nasr, Bechara Wakim, Zuzu Shakeeb, Farid Shawqi, Ismail Yasseen, Abdel Aziz Mahmoud, Hassan Fayek, Said Abu Bakr, Mokhtar Hussein, Stephan Rosti, Mohamed Choukoukou, Mohamed Salman, Abdel Aziz Mahmoud, Reyad El Kasabgy
This is a 27" x 39" Egyptian poster designed by Hassan Mazhar Gasour
and Ahmed Fouad for the 1952 film Eternal Love [habib al-ruh].
The film was written and directed by its star Anwar Wagdi with
cinematography by Wahid Farid. It tells the story of a talented woman
named Layla [Laila Mourad] who gives up her promising musical
profession for the benefit of her husband Wahid [Anwar Wagdi] who
needs her and demands that she devote herself to him instead of her
career as a performer.
Cast and crew: Youssef Wahby, Mimi Shakeeb, Ferdoos Mohammed,
Ibrahim Emara, Wedad Hamdy, Abdel Nabi Mohammed, Wahid Farid, Anwar
Wagdi, Laila Mourad, Salah Mansour
This is a 27" x 39" Egyptian poster designed by Hassan Mazhar Gasour
for an undated rerelease of the 1938 film Long Live Love
written and directed by Mohammed Karim and starring Mohamed Abdel
Wahab as Mohammad Fathy. Plot summary: Mohammad Fathy rented a new
apartment where one of the windows happened to face the palace of
Taher Pasha, the father of Nadia. There was a misunderstanding between
Fathy and Nadia when he suspected her of throwing rocks at his
balcony, which angered her. Then he discovered she was the daughter
of the sister of his boss at the Bank of Egypt and that a little girl
had been throwing the rocks. He followed her on the train to
Alexandria so he could apologize and they fell in love. Fathy decided
to marry Nadia. He discovered his father knew her father Taher Pasha
so he called him to get him to arrange for an agreement. Nadia's
father returned from his trip and Nadia was surprised to learn he had
agreed to her marriage to a rich boy. Naturally she did not know
about Fathy's wealth and she refused to marry this wealthy boy, but
when she discovered he was Fathy they married.
Cast and crew: Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Laila Mourad, Mohammed Karim, Abbas Allam,
Mohammed Abdel Koudouss, Abdel Moniem Ismail, Zouzou Mady, Laila
Mourad, Bechara Wakim, Abdel Warith Assir, Abdel Waress Assar,
Mohammad Fadel, Amin Wahba
This is an undated rerelease Egyptian poster made to promote the 1948
Anwar Wagdi 123-minute black-and-white film Amber [anbar]
starring Laila Mourad as Amber based on a story by Mohamed Kamel
Hassan with screenplay and dialogue by Anwar Wagdi and cinematography
by Abdelhalim Nasr. Plot summary: Reshwan Basha [Abdel Waress Assar]
is on a sickbed surrounded by family members. They are treating him
quite harshly and refusing to give him water. They have his only
daughter Amber [Laila Mourad] locked in the mansion bedroom. They are
doing these things to force the Basha to tell them where he has hidden
his wealth, which they desire. Anwar [Anwar Wagdi], owner of the Gold
Star Casino, arrives with his attorney Hassan [Hassan Fayek]. While
they are waiting to see the Basha, Anwar suddenly hears a sweet
melodious voice coming from the bedroom. He looks through a panel in
the door and sees Amber singing. After a short conversation with her,
he finds himself surrounded by the members of the gang that wants
Reshwan Basha's wealth. He tells them that he and his attorney Hassan
have come to buy the clothing of Reshwan Basha's late wife. The gang
agrees to sell him the clothing. These garments include a dress Amber
once wore. After Anwar and Hassan leave the gang members take Amber
and her sick old nanny to the bedside of Reshwan Basha, who is about
to die. They leave Amber with her father according to his wishes.
The Basha tells his secret to his daughter while the men in the gang
are eavesdropping outside. The Basha tells his daughter Amber he
married her mother against the wishes of his family, who fought him
throughout the years of the marriage; he was sure they were going to
fight his daughter after he died. This unhappy situation had led him
to sell all of his property and use the money to buy jewelry. He put
the jewels in a chest and hid it. He drew a map to its location and
sewed the map into the collar of a black silk evening dress, the same
dress Amber used to wear when she sang, and the same one Anwar has
purchased. Amber collapses in tears as the members of the gang rush
to the Gold Star Casino, which is a westernized nightclub where the
orchestra, led by Anwar as its trumpet player, plays jazz standards
such as Benny Goodman's I Found a New Baby. These melodies are
mixed with performances by Laila Mourad and others of show tunes
composed by Mohamed Abdel Wahab, some in the style of Western jazz,
others with Egyptian scales and rhythms. Anwar tries to persuade
Horia [Zeinat Sedki], a woman singer in his troupe, to wear the dress
he has purchased, but she vehemently refuses. During the argument the
hidden map comes out of the collar of the dress; Anwar gives it to
Hassan, not knowing its value. After he learns what it is, he and
Amber evade the gang, eventually make their way back to the mansion
and find the hidden chest of jewels. This discovery is followed by a
fight with the covetous gang, then a gala celebratory marriage between
Anwar and Amber.
Cast and crew: Laila Mourad, Anwar Wagdi, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Abdelhalim Nasr, Mohamed Kamel Hassan, Bechara Wakim, Hassan Fayek, Said Abu Bakr, Ismail Yasseen, Mahmoud Choukoukou, Elias Moadab, Stephan Rosti, Farid Shawqi, Reyad El Kasabgy, Zeinat Sedki, Abdel Moneim Ismail, Aziz Osman, Abdel Waress Assar
This is a 27" x 39" Egyptian poster designed by Wahib Fahmy to promote
the 1950 Henry Barakat 125-minute black-and-white film The Shores
of Love [shati al-gharam] starring Laila Mourad based on story and
screenplay by Henry Barakat with dialogue by Ali Al-Zarkani and
Youssef Isa and cinematography by Abelhalim Nasr. Plot summary: The
Egyptian mediterranean resort of Mersa Matruh provides a picturesque
setting for this romantic drama. Adel [Hussein Sedki] was a young man
who did not know the meaning of love. He spent his time at
racetracks, dance halls and in the arms of prostitutes. While on a
beach vacation at Mersa Matruh, Adel fell in love with a schoolteacher
named Laila [Laila Mourad] and asked her father for permission to
marry her. The father agreed and Adel took Laila with him back to
Cairo. Adel's aunt and her husband were surprised by his sudden
marriage, because the aunt had been planning for him to marry her
daugher Mona so she could use Adel's wealth to lift her family out of
bankruptcy. On the other hand Adel's mistress Soheir [Taheya
Cariocca] had also been hoping to marry him. The aunt devised a
scheme to disrupt the marriage by accusing Laila of being unfaithful
and she succeeded with it because Adel believed her. He sent Laila
back to her father in Mersa Matruh. However Adel then learned his
aunt was just after his money and that the accusation was false, so he
went to Mersa Matruh to correct the mistake and bring his wife back to
Cairo again.
Cast and crew: Henry Barakat, Taheya Cariocca, Laila Mourad, Mohsen Sarhan, Hussein Sedki, Salah Mansour, Abdelhalim Nasr, Ali Al-Zarkani, Youssef Esa, Samiha Ayyoub, Stephan Rosti, Zaki Ibrahim, Gom'a Idris, Mimi Shakeeb, Mona, Edmond Tuema, Nahed Farid, Shafik Noureddin
Long Live Love [yayha al-hob] (1938) - (Mohamed Abdel Wahab) Egyptian film poster
This is the first printing of a 27.5" x 39" Egyptian film poster
designed by an unknown artist and printed by al-Raghaeb Printers to
promote the 1938 Mohammed Karim film Long Live Love [yahya
al-hob] starring Mohamed Abdel Wahab and Laila Mourad based on story
and dialogue by Abbas Allam and screenplay by Mohammed Karim with
cinematography by Georges Benoit. The film was produced and
distributed by Mohamed Abdel Wahab Films. Plot summary: Mohammad
Fathy rented a new apartment where one of the windows happened to face
the palace of Taher Pasha, the father of Nadia. There was a
misunderstanding between Fathy and Nadia when he accused her of
throwing rocks at his balcony, which angered her. Then he discovered
she was the daughter of the sister of his boss at the Bank of Egypt
where he worked, and that a little girl had been throwing the rocks.
He realized he owed Nadia an apology. He followed her on the train to
Alexandria so he could do that and they fell in love. Fathy decided
to marry Nadia. He discovered his father knew her father Taher Pasha
so he called him to get him to make arrangements. When Nadia's father
returned from a trip she was surprised to learn he had arranged for
her to marry a rich boy. Naturally she did not know about Fathy's
wealth and she refused to marry this wealthy boy, but when she
realized he was Fathy they married.
Cast and crew: Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Laila Mourad, Mohammed Karim, Abbas Allam, Mohammed Abdel Koudouss, Abdel Moniem Ismail, Zouzou Mady, Laila Mourad, Bechara Wakim, Abdel Warith Assir, Abdel Waress Assar, Mohammad Fadel, Amin Wahba
This is an undated rerelease promotional poster designed by Abdul
Ghani for the 1949 100-minute Anwar Wagdi black-and-white film The
Flirtation of Girls starring Naguib Al Rihani with screenplay by Anwar
Wagdi, dialogue by Naguib Al Rihani and Badi Kheiri and cinematography
by Abdelhalim Nasr. Plot summary: Hamam (Naguib Al Rihani) was an
Arabic language teacher suffering from persistent and almost laughable
bad luck and misfortune. Hamam got the opportunity to give lessons to
Laila (Laila Mourad), the daughter of a rich pasha who had failed
Arabic, and he fell in love with her. He knew she was the victim of a
playboy (Mahmoud El-Meliguy). Hamam went out with her one night, not
realizing she was going to meet the boy at a cabaret. The girl went
inside and Hamam became worred about her and asked a dashing pilot
(Anwar Wagdi) to help him get her out. The officer was dazzled by
Laila's beauty and stayed with them, although Hamam and Laila tried to
get rid of him. They hid in the home of the famous artist Youssef
Wahby (as himself). The artist spoke warmly to the girl and while
speaking with Hamam he realized he was in love with Laila while she
had no feelings for him and advised him to let her go if he loved her.
When they left the home of Youssef Wahby they found the officer
waiting for them. Love glowed between the girl and the pilot, but
there were tears of sadness and joy in the eyes of Hamam. This film
is analyzed in considerable depth in "The Golden Age before the Golden
Age: Commercial Egyptian Cinema before the 1960s" by Walter Armbrust
in Mass Mediations: New Approaches to Popular Culture in the Middle
East and Beyond ed. Walter Armbrust, University of California
Press, 2000. It is on film critic Ahmad Al-Hadari's 2007 list of the
100 most important Egyptian films.
Cast and crew: Naguib Al Rihani, Anwar Wagdi, Laila Mourad, Mahmoud El-Meliguy, Suleiman Naguib, Mohamed Abdel Wahab, Abdel Waress Assar, Youssef Wahby, Stephan Rosti, Zeinat Sedki, Farid Shawqi, Said Abu Bakr, Ferdoos Mohammed, Abdelhalim Nasr, Abdel Hamid Zaki, Abdel Moneim Ismail, Mohamed Kamel, Badi Kheiri, Fouad Al-Rashidi, Abdel Magid Shukry
Eternal Love [habib al-ruh] (1952) - (Anwar Wagdi) Egyptian stone litho film poster
This film was directed by its star Anwar Wagdi with cinematography
by Wahid Farid. It tells the story of a talented woman (Laila Mourad)
who gives up a promising musical career for the benefit of a husband
who needs her and demands that she devote herself to him instead of
her life as a performer. The poster was designed by Gasour.
Cast and crew: Youssef Wahby, Mimi Shakeeb, Ferdoos Mohammed, Ibrahim Emara, Wedad Hamdy, Abdel Nabi Mohammed, Wahid Farid, Anwar Wagdi, Laila Mourad, Salah Mansour
Stormy Night [leilet momtera] (1939) - (Laila Mourad) Egyptian one-sheet
This old poster (27" x 39") is in remarkably good shape for its age, printed with stone lithography in Alexandria by Dar al-Tabaa. This was Laila Mourad's second film and her first starring role, directed with story and screenplay by Togo Mizrahi, cinematography Abdelhalim Nasr. Starring Laila Mourad, Youssef Wahby, Taheyya Cariocca, Ferdoos Mohammed, Stephan Rosti and Mansi Fahmi
