Egyptian films- Doaa Elkarawan- faten Hamama and Ahmed Mazhar

THE NIGHTINGALE'S PRAYER
(1960)
Almost made it to the Oscar by reaching the final list before the Five nominated forigen movies
1960
Berlin International festival select the movie for main competition
1963
Winner of Best actress award in the national state competition that covered movies for 1959,1960,1961 and
1962
Same awards for Actor Ahmed Mazhar, Zahra Elola and Henry Barakat
Best ten movies based on polls by Fonon magazine 1984
1996
Best 100 films selection during 100 years Cinema celebration in Egypt
Venice International festival selects the movie to be part of the programs, outside of the competition, 2002

Based on the novel by the great Egyptian novelist, Taha Hussein, "The Nightingale's Prayer" stars the first
lady of the Arab silver screen, Faten Hamama. This compelling tale of love and betrayal, set in the upper
Egyptian countryside, follows the story of Amna (Faten Hamama) as she plots her revenge on the engineer
(Ahmed Mazhar) who destroyed her family's honor. A gripping portrait of a courageous young woman's
rebellion against tradition and poverty, this film is an undiscovered masterpiece of world cinema.

Which is more powerful, Love or Revenge?,
4 September 2005
By: Ahmed Saber

For over an hour and half of enjoyment watching this
magnificent story and special movie you will ask your
self this question, which is more powerful?

Amna (played by the Legendary Faten Hamama) is a
young sister that witnesses the death of her older
sister by her Uncle, the guy that abandoned her
family and left them with no support. She hears from
her mother that her sister was killed because she
dishonors the family and based on their culture, she
deserved to die. Amna doesn't think so; she believes
that her uncle was the one to blame for what they are
suffering from. She switches her focus and revenge to
the engineer who fooled her sister and lied to her
(role played by Ahmed Mazhar) and was a direct
cause for her death. Amna moves to his house to
work as maid and tried to poison him many times, but
her plans always fails. She discovers after a while
that she can't kill, she doesn't have the power to kill.
The engineer's intrest for Amna started was getting
more and more. The more she resisted, the more he
was attracted to her and finally he loved her. The
poor girl thought that by making him falling in love
with her would destroy his life. What she didn't count
for was her heart started to click signals for that guy.
Her plan was to dig a hole for him and through him in
it, but she fell in the hole with him.

She faced him with the truth, and who she is. She
decided to leave him and get away from him. She
knows that her plan was failed and she needs to get
away. It was about time for her uncle (the guy who
killed her sister) to find where she is and was after
her death to keep his family pride and honor
shinning!!!!!!!!!!!

In her way out of the house, she sees him and she
knows that he has bad intention, but the engineer
sees him too, and takes the bullet in his back to
protect her and save her life.

It's a sad ending that you will never forget.

There are no enough words to describe how this
picture is great. A story by Taha Hussein (the Dean
of the Arabic Literature), Faten Hamama (The lady of
the Arabic Screen), Ahmed Mazhar, Amina Rizk,
Zahrat El-Olla and running this show by someone like
Henry Barakat is something deserves great
appreciation after watching it.

Reviewed by Jane Sloan, Rutgers University
California
5/5/2004

The Nightingale's Prayer is a compelling
melodrama, an important example of Egyptian
cinema at the height of its popularity not only in
Egypt, but also in nearby Arab countries. The story
is of two young women and their mother who are
banished from their idyllic, isolated village by an
uncle who is shamed by his brother's adulterous
behavior. In the city, they are dispersed to various
houses as servants, and one of the sisters is
seduced by her bachelor employer. Fleeing to the
"safe haven" offered by their uncle, they instead
witness him murder the girl. Anma, left alone with
her mother, blames her for trusting the uncle, and
flees back to the city on her own. There, she vows
revenge on the bachelor and maneuvers to work in
his house. Unable to follow through with her plan to
poison him, she instead seeks to torture him by
making him fall in love with her, managing at the
same time to instill in him a new compassion for
others. This particular course of events is handled
at length and with great subtlety and respect for the
characters' intelligence. Even as their love for one
another becomes clear, Anma cannot forget the
injustice done her sister and her master's part in it –
"Uncle killed her, the victim, and let you go free!"

Dialog and events address issues such as the
Europeanization of the middle class via
colonialization, the harsher codes of the countryside
compared to the city, and the moral responsibility of
individuals who take advantage of their position in
society. Along side the fascinating lead actress, the
script sketches many interesting characters who are
distinct types, and who function in surprising ways.
Fine acting and a sophisticated flashback narrative
make the story consistently compelling.

It is variously known as The Curlew's Cry/Cry of
the Plover/Du'a' al-Karawan/Doa al Karawan. The
digital restoration is good and the DVD includes
access to 24 sections within the film, English and
French subtitles, press materials, and a very
interesting "restoration demo" that shows the gains
in stability and definition of the enhanced version.
Highly recommended for public or academic
libraries with an interest in world cinema, as there
are so few examples of this significant regional
cinema available, as well as Muslim culture, and the
condition of women in the world.