The era between the 60s and 70s (and part of the 80s) was the best time of movies in the Middle East. Over 100 movies were made per year in Egypt and Lebanon (up to today) has produced over 500 films. I don't know too much about the older Lebanese cinema, however I can make the guess that the movies back then were much better than what they are now and if not, then that's just the case with Egypt.
The 60s and 70s movies were amazing. Plots were somewhat original, actors were good at what they did, and the movies weren't boring. In Egypt, plenty of the musicians were also actors. They'd take that opportunity to "advertise" their singing skills right there in the movie. That is why I think that the Egyptian cinema in general has more characteristics of Bollywood than it does anything else.
One thing I love about the older movies, like I said, was the plots. They made sense. They were unique. In fact, some of the movies are so unique that no other cinema in the world can use it as a precedent for their own movies. This is because some of the features of Egyptian (and Arab movies in general) are unique to the Arab world. Those particular societies have their own past and their own present. Particular aspects that may not seem taboo abroad would definitely find itself among the "adults only" portion of movies back in the Middle East. The comedy films shown on screen in the Arab world is something that is definitely cannot be shown elsewhere. This is also because people foreign to the Middle East wouldn't find it funny and so on.
Aspects of the older movies such as the effects and cinematography can easily be dismissed. This is because the movie's plot and acting would cover up for those lesser qualities. The older movies were also different than the modern movies in a sense that the older movies tried to exhibit something new to the world. What I mean by that is the older movies were much more focused on discovering new plots and story lines, while some indeed did actually talk about Egyptian society, it wasn't their main priority. The case is much different with modern movies, however I'll leave that discussion for a different post.
Some people disagree with the including the 70s and 80s as a time period in which the movies of Egypt were actually good. However I personally believe that many of the older actors today were in their prime during that time period. In fact, if it wasn't for that time period then they probably wouldn't be regarded as prominent these days by the new generation of actors that are appearing.
The older actors of the Egypt especially would attract my attention very well when they would combine together and form a masterpiece film. The ensemble cast would be so effective in the acting and the plot's success would essentially lead to the film's success all over the nation.
In the end, I loved the older movies. Newer movies, not so much (although some are very good) however I'll leave that for some other post or something.
The 60s and 70s movies were amazing. Plots were somewhat original, actors were good at what they did, and the movies weren't boring. In Egypt, plenty of the musicians were also actors. They'd take that opportunity to "advertise" their singing skills right there in the movie. That is why I think that the Egyptian cinema in general has more characteristics of Bollywood than it does anything else.
One thing I love about the older movies, like I said, was the plots. They made sense. They were unique. In fact, some of the movies are so unique that no other cinema in the world can use it as a precedent for their own movies. This is because some of the features of Egyptian (and Arab movies in general) are unique to the Arab world. Those particular societies have their own past and their own present. Particular aspects that may not seem taboo abroad would definitely find itself among the "adults only" portion of movies back in the Middle East. The comedy films shown on screen in the Arab world is something that is definitely cannot be shown elsewhere. This is also because people foreign to the Middle East wouldn't find it funny and so on.
Aspects of the older movies such as the effects and cinematography can easily be dismissed. This is because the movie's plot and acting would cover up for those lesser qualities. The older movies were also different than the modern movies in a sense that the older movies tried to exhibit something new to the world. What I mean by that is the older movies were much more focused on discovering new plots and story lines, while some indeed did actually talk about Egyptian society, it wasn't their main priority. The case is much different with modern movies, however I'll leave that discussion for a different post.
Some people disagree with the including the 70s and 80s as a time period in which the movies of Egypt were actually good. However I personally believe that many of the older actors today were in their prime during that time period. In fact, if it wasn't for that time period then they probably wouldn't be regarded as prominent these days by the new generation of actors that are appearing.
The older actors of the Egypt especially would attract my attention very well when they would combine together and form a masterpiece film. The ensemble cast would be so effective in the acting and the plot's success would essentially lead to the film's success all over the nation.
In the end, I loved the older movies. Newer movies, not so much (although some are very good) however I'll leave that for some other post or something.
No comments:
Post a Comment