It included the most prominent stars and works... A Saudi critic reveals the most famous Egyptian films that were copied

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In a bold move that aroused the interest of artistic and critical circles in Egypt and the Arab world, Saudi writer and researcher Khaled Rabie Al-Sayed succeeded in shedding light on hidden and abundant corners of the Egyptian cinema archive and its giants through his controversial publication “Egyptian Reproduction Cinema.”

From the first moments of its publication, the book turned into an exceptional reference and an open arena for discussion between supporters and opponents, due to its intrusion into a thorny area related to the phenomenon of Egyptianization and artistic reproduction of international and Western cinematic texts and films, without explicit reference in many cases to the original works.

While the work received wide critical praise for its boldness and methodology, it encountered a state of loud controversy over the limits of objective criticism and its treatment of Egyptian art icons such as Adel Imam, Ahmed Helmy, Youssef Shaheen, and Abu Al-Saud Al-Ebiary.

In the details of the book, the Saudi critic highlighted a number of the most prominent classics of Egyptian cinema that relied on copying and transferring their ideas from international works. The film “A Rumor of Love” by Omar Sharif and Souad Hosni in 1961 emerged as an early example of the intelligent Egyptianization of the culture of the 1950s, and it was taken from the American romantic comedy film “Hadith of the Town” issued in 1942.

The book revealed that the phenomenon continued across the decades, extending to reproduction from Indian cinema, as in the film “The Oppressor and the Oppressed” by artist Nour Al-Sharif in 1989, which was adapted from the Indian combat drama film “The Last Road” starring Amitabh Bachchan, in addition to transferring the plot of the famous American crime film “The Scarface” by “Al Pacino” and reformulating it within the drug trade environment through the film “The Emperor” by artist Ahmed Zaki in 1990.

Egyptian cinema adaptations did not stop at action and crime films, but rather extended to include other works, as the American Western film “The Magnificent Seven” - originally adapted from the historical Japanese film “The Seven Samurai” - was reintroduced in a famous Egyptian template through the film “Shams El Zanati” by artist Adel Imam in 1991.

Thriller films witnessed the Egyptianization of Stephen King's famous novel, which was presented internationally in the American film "Dolores Claiborne", to be transformed in Egyptian cinema into the bold social film "The Woman and the Cleaver" by Nabila Obaid and Abu Bakr Ezzat in 1997.

In the field of comedy and fantasy, reliance on foreign templates to project them onto local reality emerged, as happened in the movie “Hamada and Toto Gang” by Adel Imam and Lebleba in 1982, which was inspired by the American comedy “Fun with Dick and Jane” issued in 1967, which dealt with the story of a couple who resort to theft to cover up their financial crisis.

In the same way, the 2009 film “Tir Ent” by artist Ahmed Makki was inspired by its fantasy plot from the American film “Mabhahur” released in 2000, which in turn was adapted from an older British version presented in the late 1960s.

In this comprehensive dialogue with Al-Arabiya.net and Al-Hadath.net, the writer opens his heart and mind to reveal the scenes of six years of research and careful viewing of more than a thousand films, to respond to criticism, explaining the dimensions of his intellectual project, which he describes above all as a letter of love and gratitude to the history of ancient Egyptian cinema.

In the beginning, why did you choose Egyptian cinema from among the cinemas of the Arab world to devote a book to examining its history?

Is there a rich, prolific cinema in the Arab world that is available to all the peoples of the Arab world other than Egyptian cinema? It touched on all types of drama except science fiction, fantasy, and exciting and expensive action, and it covered most of the humanitarian and social topics. It was and still is accessible to Arab and international viewers, not to mention its environmental and cultural characteristics, represented by the dialect, customs, and sociocultural legacies, which every Arab individual has become familiar with, knows, and forms part of his Arab identity.

What is the main message and purpose of the book?

The goal I mentioned in the introduction to the book is to learn about Egyptian films, enjoy them, appreciate what is good, and know what is bad. It is a purely cognitive goal that leads to awareness and enlightenment. The implicit message of the book is a call to stop copying in the entire Arab world. Our Arab history, our culture, our civilizational capabilities, and our characteristics carry hundreds; Rather, there are thousands of topics and stories that can achieve solid cinema, and as you will notice, the book’s approach is pure objectivity.

You mentioned in your book that cloning is the prevailing feature in Egyptian cinema. How did you reach this conclusion?

Yes, this is a compelling and present fact. A number of reputable Egyptian critics who conducted scientific statistics found that copying represents the highest number in Egyptian cinematic production. Among these critics is the distinguished researcher Mahmoud Qassem. I personally came to this conclusion from observations that have continued with me throughout my life, and were concentrated in the last six years in which I devoted myself to watching and comparing Egyptian films with Western originals. I watched more than a thousand authentic and cloned Egyptian films, as well as authentic Western films.

What tools did you use to examine the content of Egyptian cinema, especially since it contains hundreds of films over several decades? Did you use previous studies or testimonies of people who reached the same conclusion?

There are no tools other than watching and watching carefully, then examining the reproduced film elements, such as stories, dramatic plots, dialogues, and methods of acting performance, not to mention the reproduction of music and posters. In my viewings, I relied on a comprehensive chronological survey of everything produced over the past decades. I sometimes found it difficult to watch a movie and could not find it easily, so I did my best to be able to watch what is not available on public platforms.

I mentioned some names of artistic icons and indicated that they are icons of cloning, such as Adel Imam, Ahmed Helmy, and Youssef Shaheen. Do you not see that this is a clear accusation of theft, or is there a difference between it and cloning as an artistic procedure that some people follow in their works?

I do not like to call it theft, even though there are Egyptian critics who have actually called them stolen films, and others have called them adapted films. However, I do not like these two descriptions, because the act of theft causes damage and loss to the party that stole, and quoting means part of a whole, indicating the weakness of the creative resource. However, copying or quoting does not harm the original or the producing party, and the problem with the press and the Arab media in general and Egyptian media in particular is that it made there sanctity. And the names of famous Egyptian filmmakers are sanctified, and this sanctity in itself is a fabricated falsification and veneration. We must always be objective, and I believe that no artist is above objective criticism.

Abu Al-Saud Al-Ebiary is one of the symbols of comedy writing in Egyptian cinema. Do you really think that he relied on Egyptianizing his scenarios and ideas only?

Abu Al-Saud Al-Ebiary is the father of Western cinema cloning, but he also created, innovated, and entertained the Arab masses, and he cannot be described as a sinful thief. He is a professional cloner who works to Egyptianize what he copies, and at the same time puts the Egyptian flavor in the fresh Egyptian spirit. You should note that my book is not a trial and does not intentionally disparage Egyptian cinema in general and its makers. It is, as I told you, a book of love, knowledge, and pleasure. If I did not love Egyptian cinema, I would not have spent this effort and this time watching, thinking, and writing.

What are the ten best Egyptian films in your opinion?

I would be fair if I chose ten films and said they were the best, as this is foolish talk, but be aware that it has happened several times that Egyptian and Arab bodies held referendums for a large number of critics, researchers, and academics, and published the results of the referendums as the 100 best Egyptian films.

Mentioning the names of Adel Imam, Ahmed Helmy, and Youssef Shaheen, what are their best works?

I only gave them as an example in my book, and I will answer you without thinking much. The best film by Adel Imam, in my opinion, is “Al-Harif,” Ahmed Helmy’s “Black Honey,” and Youssef Chahine’s “The Earth.”

Has Egyptian cinema developed over the past twenty years or has it not benefited from the qualitative shift in photography, directing, techniques, and modern human and social stories?

Yes, I have developed a lot in employing narrative techniques, dealing with topics, and directing methods, as well as in narrating details and composing dialogues. Yes, it has evolved, to the point that some of the films produced are very close to sophistication, but despite this development, some directors and producers rely on regurgitating repetitive topics, such as what happened recently with the film “Stories.” This indicates backwardness, not development.

Can artificial intelligence negatively affect cinema, or can we make better use of it?

It is possible to benefit from it, but where does the recognition of uses of artificial intelligence reach, the matter is a matter of global debate, and we should not forget that cinema was built on drama, that is, making everything that is close to reality, especially in visual and audio effects, and designing and building the estimated cinematic tricks that specialists spent their lives in in order to employ them in films. Does a session on a laptop create what can be appreciated and considered as a cinematic work?

If we return to the book... is devoting only one chapter in the book to mentioning the achievements of Egyptian cinema enough to do justice to it, from your point of view?

I did not write my book to do justice to Egyptian cinema. The book has a specific mission, which was my concern, and I mentioned it to you at the beginning of the dialogue. There are dozens of books that have done justice and evaluated Egyptian cinema, and I refuse to make the reader believe that I did not do justice to Egyptian cinema or that I was harsh on it. I hope that you will receive the truth between the lines in my book, to stand on the clear fact that it is a book of love and knowledge.

If Egyptian cinema built its successes on transmission and reproduction, why do we not see other experiences in the Arab world that surpass it?

Yes, this is an important question, and I have said before because it is a rich cinema that has enriched the lives of Arab peoples, generation after generation, and no Arab cinema has reached this level.

What was the reaction to the book from critics and creators?

The truth was that there were amazing reactions in their approval and appreciation of the book. Several important critics wrote about their approval of the book, and more than ten Egyptian journalists reported news and introductions to the book. The Egyptian critic in general is an honest, intelligent and truthful critic. He is not deceived by empty expressions of patriotism or hollow insults. He knows how to differentiate between what is objective and what has paid-for utilitarian purposes. They sensed the sincerity of my love for cinema and Egyptian culture in general, so they were happy. By book.

Were you afraid of the reactions of Egyptian creators to the book?

No, not at all, because I know for sure the sincerity of their culture and the objectivity of their outlook and judgments.

How do you describe Egyptian cinema in one sentence?

It is cinema that influenced the lives of Arab peoples and their culture.