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.
Pictured is a 25" x 35" Egyptian stone lithograph poster designed to
promote the 1941 Togo Mizrahi 94-minute black-and-white film A
Thousand and One Nights [alf layla wa layla] starring Ali
Al-Kassar based on story and screenplay by Togo Mizrahi, dialogue by
Badie Khayri and cinematography by Abdelhalim Nasr. Plot summary: One
of the tales told by the legendary Scheherezade becomes the main plot
in this film. While fishing one day a fisherman named Othman Abd
al-Baset [Ali Al-Kassar] finds a child in a floating basket, raises
him and teaches him how to fish. After 20 years or so when the son
(named Morgan) has become a man, Othman is arrested and put in prison
for fishing in a forbidden area, but the daughter of the prince [Aqila Ratib]
intervenes and gets him released. Othman catches a big fish and gives
it to his son to give to the princess as a gift. As Morgan approaches
the home of the princess he hears some beautiful singing and responds
with some beautiful singing of his own. The adviser to the father of
the prince wants to marry the princess to a fake prince so he can take
her money. While fishing one day Othman finds a box and opens
it. This releases a genie (a man dressed in a devil suit with stuffed
horns), who rewards Othman with a magic scepter. Later on, the genie
appears before him again another day and tells him his son Morgan is
in danger. At that moment Morgan is singing as usual under the window
of the princess. They arrest him and turn him over to the adviser, who
realizes because of a star tatooed on his arm that Morgan is the
missing prince, Bahaeddin, [Hamed Morsi] who is also the cousin of this princess. To
prevent Morgan's true identity from becoming known, the adviser orders
him imprisoned and held for execution. Just as they are about to cut
off his head, Othman appears and proves the adviser's treachery. The
princess sees the tattoo, realizes who Morgan is and introduces him to
his real father and mother. The two cousins marry and Othman is
rewarded.
Cast and crew: Ali Al-Kassar, Aqila Ratib, Togo Mizrahi, Hamed Morsi, Mohammad Shukry, Zaki Ibrahim, Zouzou Nabil, Loutfi El Hakim
This is an original 24" x 35.5" Egyptian stone lithograph poster
designed by an unknown artist to promote the 1945 Togo Mizrahi 100-minute black-and-white
film Salama [سلامه] starring Om Kolthum based on a story by Ali Ahmed
Bakathir with dialogue and songs by Bayramn El Tounsi and
cinematography by Abdelhalim Nasr. Plot summary: This film is a
musical melodrama showcasing the singing of Om Kolsum. As the film
begins Salama [Om Kolsum] is shown passing in silence without
returning a greeting from a man sitting with a group of friends. When
asked why Salama did not return his greeting, the man tells her story.
Salama once lived with her companion Shawq as a maid in the home of
Sheikh Abu Wafa. She had a beautiful voice and developed songs during
the day and sang them at night, until Sheikh Abu Wafa got tired of her
songs and sold her and Shawq on the maid market. She was bought by a
libertine named ibn Soheir who commercialized the voice of his new
maid. Salama met and fell in love with a pious man named Sheikh Abdel
Rahman al-Qos [Yehia Chahine] who was ridiculed for his love of a maid
by the other Arabs. When ibn Soheir went bankrupt and sold his maids
and all his property, Abdel Rahman came forward to buy her and marry
her, but found that she had been summoned to the caliph's palace and
had then fled the palace. Abdel Rahman looked for her and became ill;
Salama came looking for him, only to find him just as he was breathing
his last. The scene returns to Salama, her silence and the man
relating the events of her life.
Soon after this film's release director Togo Mizrahi was accused of Zionism and forced out of Egypt. He died in exile in Italy. A brief biography is at cineplot here.
Watch on YouTube
Cast and crew: Om Kolsum, Yehia Chahine, Togo Mizrahi, Zouzou Nabil, Fouad Shafik, Abdel Waress Assar, Abdelhalim Nasr, Fakher Fakher, Stephan Rosti, Ali Ahmed Bakathir, Bayram El Tounsi, Yehia Chahine, Soad Zaki, Sharafnath, Ister Shatta, Mohamed Kamel, Rafia al-Baroudi, Abdel Qader al-Masiri
This film was one of almost 40 by director Togo Mizrahi (1905-1986). It is considered one of his best and features the best acting performance in the long career of singer Om Kolsum (ca. 1900 - 1975). Cinematography was by Abdelhalim Nasr, distributed by Behna Films. Starring Om Kolsum, Yehia Chahine, Zouzou Nabil, Fouad Shafik, Abdel Waress Assar, Fakher Fakher and Stephan Rosti.
Salama (23.5" x 35.5") (1945) - (Om Kolsum) Egyptian blue stone litho film poster printed by Nasr printers.
Salama (23.5" x 35.5") Egyptian stone litho film poster, distributed by Behna films, printed by al-Fann Printers of Alexandria.
Salama Egyptian film program
Salama Egyptian lobby card (12" x 17.5")
Salama undated rerelease Egyptian film poster (27" x 39") art by Ahmed Fouad. This poster shows an iconic image of Om Kolsum as she was known to her fans in stage performances in later years; it is not taken from a scene in the film Salama.
Salama undated rerelease film poster (27" x 39") distributed by al-Qawmia films, printed by Arabic Cinema Printers
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
