Studies in the Arab Theater and Cinema [1 ed.] 1138192287, 9781138192287

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ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS: SOCIETY OF THE MIDDLE EAST

Volume 20

STUDIES IN THE ARAB THEATER AND CINEMA

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STUDIES IN THE ARAB THEATER AND CINEMA

JACOB M. LANDAU

First published in 1958 by the University of Pennsylvania Press This edition first published in 2016 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 1958 Jacob M. Landau All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: ISBN: ISBN: ISBN:

978-1-138-19040-5 978-1-315-62817-2 978-1-138-19228-7 978-1-315-63018-2

(Set) (Set) (ebk) (Volume 20) (hbk) (Volume 20) (ebk)

Publisher’s Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent. Disclaimer The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and would welcome correspondence from those they have been unable to trace.

Studies in the Arab Theater and Cinema

JACOB M. LANDAU

Preface by Professor H. A. R . Gibb

Philadelphia U N IV E R S IT Y OF P E N N S Y L V A N IA PRESS

© 1958

BY t h e t r u s t e e s o f t h e u n i v e r s i t y o f PENNSYLVANIA

L I B R A R Y OF C O N G R E S S C A T A L O G U E C A R D N U M B E R SECOND

s b n

PRINTED

5 6- 1 2588

PRINTING, I 969

: 8122-7188-2

IN T H E U N I T E D

S T A T E S OF A M E R I C A

Contents PAGE Preface

ix

Introduction

xi

chapter

I T

he

Background

1.

M im icry

i

2.

The Passion Play

5

3.

The Shadow Play a. The Beginnings b. The Turkish Contribution c. Arabic Performances in M ediaeval Egypt d. Further Development in Egypt e. Shadow Plays in Syria f . North African Shadow Plays g. Characteristics and Importance of the Shadow Theater

9

II T h e A r a b T h e a t e r 1.

The Beginnings a. Local Influences b. Foreign Influences

49

2.

The Theater in Syria and Egypt a. The Birth o f the Theater— Syria b. The Development— Egypt in Isma/il’s Days c. The Increase in the Number o f Troupes

56

3.

T h e Post-War Years and Their Actors

75

a. Abyad and the Classical Theater b. The Progress of the Musical Theater c. The Success o f the Popular Theater d. The Government and the Public e. The Arab Theater in Other Lands

v

VI

CONTENTS

4.

The Plays and Their Thèmes a. Translations b. O riginal Plays

108

5.

Some Arab Playwrights a. Shauqï b. al-Hakïm c. M ahm üdT aim ür

125

III

T

he

A

rab

C

inema

i.

Beginnings and Development a. The Start b. T he Post-War Years c. The Government and the Public d. Arab Cinema in Other Lands

155

2.

Production and Acting ci. Distribution b. Production c. Direction d. Acting e. Some A rab Stars

179

3.

Themes o f the A rab Cinem a a. Script W riting b. Types o f Films c. The M ain Themes

192

Conclusion

203

Bibliography

207

A

List

of

S o m e A r a b i c P l a y s 30 , 1 8 4 8 - 1 9 5 630

216

Abbreviations

274

Index

275

Illustrations Facing page

1. The Cairo Opera House

146

2. Ahmad Shauqi, noted Egyptian poet and playwright

146

3. Taufiq al-Hakim, prolific and subtle Egyptian playwright 146 4. Mahmud Taimur, prominent Egyptian playwright

147

5. Yusuf Wahbl3 famed theater and film star

147

6. Umm Kulthum, operatic singer and film star

162

7. Najlb al-Rlhanf, popular star of stage and screen

162

8. Nur al-Huda, Egyptian film star

163

9. Rural Love Scene from Arabic Film

163

10. Ensemble from Egyptian Film

30

163

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Preface A study o f the Arabic theater is one o f those things which everyone who is interested in the Arab world wants to have, but which qualified scholars usually leave for “ somebody else” to do. I f reason is required, a glance at the pages of notes at the end o f this volume should be answer enough. T o produce a sub­ stantial sheaf, the historian o f the Arabic theater must prowl through the highways and byways o f Arabic journalism during the past century, gleaning from them the insights which alone can transform a shelf of books into a living art. More especially, as the first Western scholar to attempt a major study in this field, Dr. Landau had to seek out everything for himself, for the first extensive work on the subject in Arabic appeared only when this book was already in the publisher’s hands. And to this study of the Arabic stage he has added, for good measure, a study of the older shadow plays of the Near East, and another of the rise and development of the Arabic cinema. Drama is not a native Arab art. Various sociological explana­ tions have been suggested for this fact, but the simplest reason is perhaps the best: that the dramatic art o f Greece, from which the Western theater derives, remained unknown to them. Comedy found its expression in the picaresque tale, embellished for the intellectuals by literary graces and verse; dramatic tragedy in the still more poetic setting of romantic and un­ happy love. Representation came in with the shadow play in the later M iddle Ages, but the attempt to raise it above the level o f popular entertainment was still-born, and even as a continuing popular art it owes more to the Turks than to the Arabs. It was, then, as a self-confessed imitation o f the European theater that the drama was introduced into the Arab world in the nineteenth century. Aspiring actor-managers hitched their ix

X

PREFACE

wagons to Corneille and Molière. Perspiring translators battled with the Anglo-Saxon idioms of Shakespeare and Shaw. But out of all this there has gradually emerged a mixed art, in which A rab elements have been grafted on to a transplanted and acclimatized stock. From the neo-classical dramas of Shauqï to the colloquial vaudeville, poetry and song play a major part, and the old romantic and picaresque themes re­ appear in the new medium, as well as in the still newer medium o f the film. It is in the literary drama, the play as a mode o f written literature, that the new medium may have achieved its greatest successes down to the present time. Alongside this, however, the living theater has steadily enlarged its range and its resources. T he comedy o f manners in particular has made remarkable advances in the hands o f a few talented authors, even achieving a foothold on the international stage. By this achievement the Arab world has found probably its best means o f projecting itself into the consciousness o f the outside world. This fact alone should ensure a welcoming interest in Dr. Landau’s study o f the slow and difficult progress o f the Arabic theater to its present maturity. H. A. R . G ibb Centerfor Middle Eastern Studies Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts

Introduction The Arab theater and cinema have been among the most neglected subjects in the studies o f Oriental literature and research into the history of the theater. The Chinese, Japanese, Indian, and Turkish theater arts have been the subject o f ex­ haustive monographs, sketching their development and analyz­ ing their characteristics. Even more and better-detailed books have been published on these arts, ancient and modern, in European or American countries1. Few studies, however, have been written on the Arab theater. True, some scholarly books have been published on the mediaeval Arabic shadow plays, but even these were, as a rule, concerned with narrowly defined topics or consisted o f annotated editions o f texts. Moreover, no detailed study o f the subject seems to have been published recently. In so far as the odd-hundred-years-old A rab theater is concerned, only two theses on its beginnings have been presented at the Universities of Rom e2 and Cairo3; these works appear to have remained in manuscript form. Even should they be pub­ lished3*1, they would cover, as their titles imply, only a limited portion o f the subject. For the rest, as well as for the develop­ ment o f the Arab cinema, one can turn only to a multitude o f press articles (chiefly in Arabic), none o f which, naturally enough, can aspire to exhaust the subject in a few pages. This work, an attempt to stop this gap in our information, does not claim to be exhaustive. It is intended to be a survey of the development o f the A rab theater and cinema as cultural 1 See, e.g., H . Knudsen, Theaterwissenschaft (1950). 2 For G. R . Orvieto’s Ph.D . thesis see below, Bibliography. 3 I have been as yet unable to consult M uham m ad Y u su f Najm*s thesis, Nash*at al-masrah aWarabi, mentioned in R T (Ruz al-Yusuf), July 19, 1954. 3aA sizable part o f N ajm ’s Arabic study was published in book form (see below, Bibliography) in the year 1956 . 1 succeeded in getting a copy only after my work had been typeset, so that I could make only limited use o f his valuable research on the early Arab theater.

xi

Xll

IN TRO DU CTIO N

and social phenomena rather than a critical study o f their aesthetic values, for which the time has not yet come. Indeed, research into the birth and progress of these arts necessarily sheds light on the penetration o f Western civilization into the Near East during the last hundred years. W hile literature, music, and the plastic arts represent a synthesis of local A rabic tradition and European innovations, the modern theater and cinema in the Arab countries were wholly foreign products transplanted in virgin soil. Even in this case, a synthesis o f ideas and practice was necessary; for the new arts found receptive audiences, trained to appreciate them by a long tradition of Passion plays and shadow plays. Furthermore, the vehicle of expression had to be Arabic. The language, both in its standard literary forms and in its varied spoken dialects, left its imprint on the development o f the theater and cinema. Three main components are brought together in the present work. The first part is devoted to a description and analysis of those elements which contributed, before the nineteenth cen­ tury, towards the awareness o f the dramatic among the A rab populations. It treats therefore of mimicry, the Passion play and, in greater detail, the shadow play, the forerunner o f theater and cinema alike. The second part describes the beginnings and evolution o f the A rab theater in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, its public, the best actors and actresses, and the main themes o f the Arabic drama as well as an analysis o f some o f its exponents. Stress is laid throughout on the cultural and social impact o f the theater on modern Arab literature and society. The third part deals with the theater’s younger sister, the A rab cinema, which— by imitating the theater’s approach, linked to its own technical potentialities— has now become the public’s favorite. As the history o f the A rab cinema is so much shorter than that o f the Arabic theater, both mediaeval and modern, less space has been allotted to it. In addition to the description o f the cinema’s history and a brief analysis of its thematic prob­ lems and the quality o f the stars’ acting, attention has also

IN TRO DUCTIO N

Xlll

been given to the moral and economic aspects o f the Arab cinema. Both the special character o f the government’s assis­ tance and censorship and the unsound economic basis o f the local film production are also dealt with. Most o f the conclu­ sions apply up to the early 1950’s only, as later source-material is somewhat scarce and often not too reliable. The three main parts are followed by a list o f Arab plays since 1848, viz. since the birth of the modern Arab theater. No exhaustive list has yet been compiled, to my knowledge315. This alphabetical list, divided into original and translated plays, is perforce incomplete. M any manuscript plays are being je a ­ lously guarded by various troupes (as elsewhere in the world), while others are broadcast and then forgotten; nor has it been possible to include the many plays or parts thereof published in the daily press. The separate Bibliography incorporates only the main works mentioned in this book; for further literature, the reader is referred to the relevant footnotes. This alpha­ betical Bibliography is divided into three parts: manuscripts (European, Oriental); printed works in European languages (books, articles); printed works in Oriental languages (books, articles). The preparation o f the present book has been a matter of some years. During this period I have had the good fortune of receiving the kind assistance o f many librarians in the Near East as well as in Europe and the United States, who were so good as to allow me to peruse various public collections of manuscripts, books and periodicals. M any people have given me their good advice, time and again. I was particularly for­ tunate in obtaining very important suggestions, as well as un­ failing encouragement, from Professors L. A. M ayer, S. D. Goitein, D. H. Baneth, I. Shamush and H. Peri, of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem; H. A . R. Gibb o f Harvard University sb I obtained a copy o f D agh ir’s important, but incomplete, list in al-Mashriq (see below, Bibliography) only after this book had been typeset, so that I was unable to use it in full.

xiv

IN T RO DU CT IO N

(who was also kind enough to write the Preface to this w ork ); M . Perlmann o f Harvard University; Bernard Lewis o f the University o f London; Fr. Rosenthal o f Y ale University; G. E. von Grunebaum of the University of California at Los A ngeles; N. N. Glatzer o f Brandeis University. Prof. G. L. Della V id a o f Rome and M r. M . H airabedian o f Paris sent me some valuable material in their possession. Dr. and Mrs. J. Weniger, by their generous invitation to stay with them in Rome, en­ abled me to collect materials in Italian libraries. Mrs. M . Klausner and Messrs. G. Fraenkel and A. Levin of T el-A viv; Messrs. G. Weigert and I. Cohen of Jerusalem; and M'r. F. I. Q ubain o f New Haven, Connecticut, read parts o f the manu­ script and offered valuable observations regarding contents and style. M r. Thomas Yoseloff, Director o f the University of Pennsylvania Press, encouraged me continually during the stages o f publication. M y wife patiently assisted me with much o f the technical work that was involved in the preparation of this book, in all its phases. T o them all and to others who have shown interest in this work go my warmest thanks. I alone, how­ ever, assume responsibility for everything said in the following pages. J .M .L .

PART I

THE BACKGROUND

CH APTER 1

Mimicry I n order to understand the rise o f the A rab theater in the early nineteenth century and its later development, it is neces­ sary to consider the dramatic elements in the Near East prior to that century. The fact that there was no regular A rab theater until the nineteenth century may be explained by two main reasons: a. The peoples with whom the Arabs came into close contact had no well-developed theater; b. Women, particularly if un­ veiled, were strictly forbidden to appear on the stage. O nly the combination o f these two reasons4 m ay account for the fact that while a large part of the Greek cultural heritage, in the various fields o f literature, science and thought, was translated into 4 For other, not very convincing, reasons, see Zaki Tulaim at, al-Riwaya al~ tamihiliyya wa-limadha lam yitalijha'l-Arab, in K. (the Egyptian monthly alKitab), vol. I, fasc. i, N ov., 1945, pp. 101-108. Also Ahm ed Abdul W ahhab, A thesis on the drama in Arabic literature (1922), in which the author sets out to prove the dramatic (but not the theatrical) element in classical Arabic literature.

30

2

STUDIES IN THE A RA B T H E A T E R A ND CINEMA

Arabic at various times, no item o f the classical drama found its w ay into A rabic translations until recent years. However, the dramatic element, considered the chief artistic factor in the theater, as being responsible for the impression left on the audience, was not entirely absent from the Muslim Near East. Its main exponent was mimicry in various forms, while in some parts, at least, Passion plays and shadow plays were per­ formed not infrequently. M imicry, since time immemorial, has been a favorite pastime not only o f children but o f adults as well. Its scope is admittedly narrower than that o f the theater, for its range o f subjects is strictly limited to amusing imitation, whether o f voice or m an­ ner, more often than not through exaggeration. This imitation o f the phenomena of life— behavior and manner of speech— was found in Greece as well as in the ancient East. The Babylonians and Parthians are said to have had it in their festivals; it seems probable that mimicry had a part in Jewish festivals as well, mainly on Purim5, although this has not yet been fully proved. Adam M ez, the Orientalist, has already pointed ou t6 that the existence o f greatly varied Arabic dialects might have stimu­ lated mimicry in towns where a conglomerate populace met. One may find in the literature o f the Abbassid period a number o f instances o f mimicry (.Hikäya) not so dissimilar to modern mimicry. Another popular literary form which often contains the elements o f mimicry is the Arabic Maqäma, in which the theme was frequently presented in the guise o f conversation, parts o f which imitated various characters. However, in this genre the artistic-literary factor is more important than in the 5 I. Schipper, Geschichte fun Tiddischer Teater-Kunst un Drame (Yiddish, 1928), vol. I l l , ch. 1. Josef Horovitz, Spuren griechischer Mimen im Orient (1905), pp. 1617. O n the mime in Greek and Rom an times see Hermann Reich, Der Mimus ( I 9° 3)i and O tto W einrich, Epigrammstudien I : Epigramm und Pantomimus, in Sitzungsber. der Heidelberger Ak. der Wiss., Philos.-hist. K l., 1944-1948, 1. Abhand­ lung. O n the mime’s artistic values see A . Kutscher, Grundriss der Theaterwissenschaft, 2nd ed. (1949), part 1. 6 Adam M ez, Abulqasim, Introduction, esp. pp. X V - X V I ; and Horovitz, op. cit., pp. 18-21.

MIMICRY

3

Hikäya, and linguistic sophistication is valued more than successful imitation. This approach limits the realism of the Maqäma1. M imicry pervaded to a larger extent the art o f the story­ tellers in the Near East, who distinguished themselves by their great powers of observation and still greater talents for imita­ tion. O f particular importance are the Turkish meddah (that is, praise-giver) or mukallit (imitator) and the Arabic hakawätl (story-teller).8 Both enlivened their impassionate tales for generations— as they still do today— not only with many ges­ tures (sometimes amounting to a short pantomime), but also with anecdotes spiced with amusing imitations of behavior and speech. A t times they would use this means as a sort of “ comic relief” from the tension their captivating stories would create amongst the listeners. As they seldom found time to dress, they limited themselves to a change of headgear in order to represent various professions, age-groups, and types of different nationalities. T hey often used a handkerchief and a cudgel to aid their mimicry and accompany by the latter’s knockings their imitations o f beasts and birds. In Turkish circles, this fondness for dramatized mimicry persisted at least until the First World W ar9, while with the Arabs it seems to have remained here and there until today. 7 The mimetic element of the Maqäma has been observed by Horovitz, ibid., pp. 21-27. 8 Georg Jacob was among the first to do serious research in the character o f the meddah. He first published a booklet, Aus den Vorträgen eines türkischen Meddah (1900); then he wrote a more detailed work on the subject, Vorträge türkischer Meddahs (1904). Cf. Hermann Paulus, Harschi Vesvese, ein Vortrag des türkischen Meddah*s Nayif Efendi (1905). For bibliographical material cf. Der Islam, IV , I 9 I 3> PP* 130—13 1. See also Nicholas N. M artinovitch, The Turkish theatre ( 1933)» esp« PP* 21 ss., 79 ss. Ed. Saussey, Littérature populaire turque (1936), pp. 73~ 74- Selim Nüzhet Gerçek, Türk Temçasi (1942; Martinovitch, op. cit., p. 125, and Ritter, Karagös, II, p. X I, also mentioned a 1930 ed.), pp. 5-44. Thorough research is still to be done into the character o f the Arab hakawätl. 9 Hartmann’s letters to Fleischer, 2fD M G , vol. X X X , 1876, p. 159; cf. ibid., p. 168. M artinovitch, op. cit., pp. 23-24. For a detailed description o f a meddah*s performance in 1916, approximately, see Friedrich Schrader, Konstantinopel. Vergangenheit und Gegenwart ( 19 17), pp. 127-131. S .A .T .C .—B

4

STUDIES IN THE ARAB T H E A T E R AND CINEMA

One reads about meddahs still being very popular in Algeria in I9°310- As late as the years immediately preceding the First World W ar, a certain Ahm ad Fahim al-Far (The Mouse) was beloved by the Cairene population for his skill in imitating the voices of birds and beasts, and especially in his ability to present scenes of village and harem life. This Ahm ad al-Far used to perform at the head o f a troupe of twelve men, who would also act the roles o f women. T he mimetic farces performed by this troupe were immensely popular11. In our days, these perfor­ mances are limited to the poorer, not yet Europeanized popula­ tion, and their number gradually diminishes. Summing up, mimicry can be considered a highly important dramatic element in mediaeval and modern times, having kept alive popular interest in semitheatrical performances. There did exist, however, certain types of histrionics more akin to the theater as such. The first type which surely merits more than a passing mention is the Passion play. 10 See I. Eberhardt, Pages d* Islam (1920), pp. 58-66. 11 Reich, Der Mimas, vol. I, part 1, p. 667, n. 1. Curt Priifer, Drama^ Arabic,in E R E , vol. I V (1911), pp. 872-873. Priifer had lived in Egypt and later became one o f the Intelligence chiefs o f the Turco-Germ an armies in Syria and Palestine during the First W orld W ar— cf. R. Storrs, Orientations (Defin. ed., 1945), p. 122.

CH APTER 2

The Passion Play Ta'ziya which literally translated means “ Consolation,” was— and still is— the Persian version o f the Mysteries or Pas­ sion play in Christian Europe of the M iddle Ages, revived in twentieth-century Europe and Am erica12. With the possible exception of the ancient Egyptian Mysteries, this seems to be the first Passion play in the Orient13. One should bear in mind, however, that the Ta'ziya shows hardly any resemblance to the Catholic theatrical performances, in either spirit or form. It is more likely a remnant o f religious practices from Zoroastrian Persia, strangled by victorious Islam14. The Persian ritual play, always performed in the first ten days of the Muslim month of Muharram, is mainly a com­ memoration of the slaughter of Hasan, Husain and other members o f ‘A ll’s family almost thirteen centuries ago. This extermination o f the descendants and relatives o f the Prophet of Islam by the new ruling house was one of the important causes which brought about a political and religious cleavage in the Muslim community, traces of which are still noticeable today. The Ta'ziya, while based on ancient practices o f saint com­ memoration, lacks a very important element found in both Eastern and Western Passion plays, i.e., the leading char­ acter’s resurrection. This is even stranger considering the fact that the sectarians who celebrate this ten-day rite do believe in the return o f a scion from the Prophet’s house to serve as a sort o f Messiah. T h e

12 J. T . Smith, The Parish theatre (1917), ch. 5. 13 Joseph Gregor, Weltgeschichte des Theaters (1933), p. 79; cf. ibid., pp. 79-82. 14 C. Barbier de M eynard & S. Guyard, Trois comédies (Paris, 1886), Introd., p. V II.

5

6

STUDIES IN THE ARAB T H E A T E R AND CINEMA

Although the main purpose of the Ta‘ ziya is to represent the suffering and death of the Prophet’s descendants and their followers, culminating on the tenth day in the heart-rending slaughter of Husain, the chief incidents of these events are not always rendered chronologically15. The narrative is frequently interwoven with occasionally irrelevant episodes, such as scenes based on the O ld 16 and the New Testament or on Oriental folk­ lore, meant to relieve the tension caused by the main perfor­ mance. Even then, feelings run so high that many actors, griefstricken, commit suicide ; while the spectators but a generation ago were often driven to such a frenzy that they attacked and manhandled foreigners (mainly Christians) in the streets17. It was this brutality that apparently caused the Persian govern­ ment, under the iron rule o f R izà Shah between the two W orld Wars, to limit the scope o f the Ta'ziya- Performances were re­ portedly renewed, although with somewhat restricted fervor, during M usaddiq’s premiership. The reading o f Ta‘ ziya-s, pub­ lished both in Persian and in translation18, gives but a scant idea o f the impact o f their performance on an excited crowd. A more accurate idea o f these plays and the impression they leave may be formed from the fairly substantial accounts o f the various travelers who witnessed the Tctziya in the last two cen­ turies, usually under the protection of a Persian garb19. 15 Contrast, however, the apparently chronological sequence o f events in Teheran, as reported by the organizer o f the Tctziya to E. Aubin, Le Chiisme et la nationalité persane in R M M , vol. IV , M ar., 1908, pp. 486-487. 18 Strangely enough, this interpolation o f unrelated Biblical stories is a feature o f the Christian Passion Play, too, e.g., see R . T . Fuller, The world's stage— Oberammergau, 1934. A book about the passion play : its history, its meaning and its people, esp. pp. 41-44. I f there has been any mutual influence, this is by no means evident. 17 See also m y *Al ha-teiatron etsel ha-aravim, part 1, in Bamah, fasc. 47, Jan ., 1946, pp. 48-49. 18 A . Chodzko, Théâtre persan (1878). Lewis Pelly, The Miracle Play o f Hasan and Husain (1879). An. de Gubernatis, Storia universale della letteratura, vol. I l l (1883), PP- I09- I 34- P- M . Sykes, The Glory o f the Shiah World (1910). C h . Virolleaud, La passion de Vimam Hosseyn ( 1927). 19 Cf. bibliography by R . Strothmann in the Encyclopaedia o f Islam (sub voce Ta‘ ziya); and o fH . Massé, Croyances et coutumes persanes (1938), vol. I, pp. 122-136.

THE PASSION PLA Y

7

These plays are performed, to the accompaniment of music and with varying degrees of pomp, in the theaters, in the mosques, and in the open air. More often than not the halfrealistic and half-symbolical decoration is striking by its w ealth; blood is real, yet sand is represented by straw. The stage effects, moreover, are often overdone, e.g., Husain’s gory head reciting holy verses, or an armless warrior killing his opponent with a sword which he holds in his teeth20. Men perform the parts of women and wild beasts (the horses, however, are real). A l­ though untrained and a trifle too declamatory, the actors with all their unadulterated enthusiasm are said generally to leave a deep impression, not only on the native audience but also on Europeans present at the performances21. It is probably the sincerity of the actors, combined with the credulity of the masses, that makes the most unreal and fantastic scenes— such as K ing Solomon’s forecasting history’s whole course of events — look and sound convincing to the onlookers. The larger part of the Ta‘ ziya-s were written and performed in Persian22, although some are known to have existed and been shown in Arabic23 and Turkish. The impact of the Tctziya on the majority of the Arabic-speaking communities in the Near East through the centuries, however, was not considerable, as most o f them were Sunnites. Still, it is plausible that the masked See also Ch. Virolleaud, Le théâtre persan ou le drame de Kerbéla (1950). M atthew Arnold, Essays in criticism (1889), ch. V I I . T h . Nôldeke, Sketches from Eastern history (1892), p. 82. H. Lammens, Uislam croyances et institutions, 2nd ed. (1941), pp. 188, 226. H. (i.e. al-Hilàl), vol. X I V , Dec. 1, 1905, pp. 142-144; ibid., vol. X V I I I , M ay 1, 1910, pp. 466-468; cf. al-Muqtabas, vol. I, No. 1, M uharram 1324 (appr. Feb. 1906), pp. 52-53. 20 Fuller details in Jean Hytier, La vie et la mort de la tragédie religieuse persane, in VIslam et V Occident, Cahiers du Sud, 1947, pp. 264-270, and the sources mentioned in his article. 21 Cf. the valuable as yet almost unheeded testimony o f S. G. W. Benjamin, the first Minister of the U .S .A . at Teheran, in his Persia and the Persians (1887), p p .365-406. 22 Not only in Persia but in other countries, such as India— cf. G. Geary, Through Asiatic Turkey, vol. I (1878), App. C. 23 Cf. Jurjï Zaidân, Ta’ rtkh âdâb al-lugha al-arabiyya, vol. IV , p. 152.

8

STUDIES IN THE A RAB T H E A T E R A ND CINEMA

performances prevalent until today among some o f these com­ munities in the first ten days of M uharram 24 were influenced, even possibly derived, from the Tctziya. These were, then, the only dramatic performances of a tragic character in mediaeval Arabic literature; they probably remained the only ones until modern times. Others were more akin to the comedy, out o f which the more important were the so-called shadow plays, many o f which were both written and presented in Arabic. 24 G. Cerbella & M . Ageli, Lefaste musulmane in Tripoli (1949), pp. 15 ss.

CH APTER 3

The Shadow Play a. T

A

he

B e g in n in g s

is histrionics performed by the casting of shadows on a curtain, visible to the audience. This is a pastime which entertained even the rich, intellectual highbrow, but in the main it was an amusement enjoyed by the humblest in various countries. This form o f popular art deserves attention not only because o f its widespread popularity25; it is also the most important forerunner of the theater in the Near East. Puppet shows fall naturally into three categories: marionette plays, hand-puppet plays and shadow plays. The first and the second (almost nonexistent in the Near East) are more im­ portant, while the element of reality appears at its strongest in the last. The common denominator is the puppet’s lack of existence or possibility o f action outside the will o f the hidden manipulator of the strings. The puppet’s unsteady steps be­ tween the ceiling and the floor are a powerful reminder of our own precarious existence between heaven and earth. And truly, the puppet theater goes into all the tragic and the comic in our lives. More generally, puppet shows symbolize the ulti­ mate futility of human life, while shadow plays, in particular, stress the phantom-like aspect o f our life’s course. Consequently, the puppet can never be a true-to-life portrait of a man or a woman; it can only describe a particular trait of character. By eliminating the casual and the individualistic, the puppet becomes a prototype. This is fantasy based on real life and connected with it. The face remains stereotyped, but “ sh ad ow

p la y

”

25 For a survey of its popularity in our times, cf. David ben Shalom, Teia\rdn Bubbot (in Hebrew, 1946), esp. pp. 3 ss.

9

IO

STUDIES IN THE ARAB T H E A T E R AND CINEMA

variations in speech, imitation of movements, and differences o f color enable the puppet show to be quite realistic. Just as the puppet has no possible existence outside the theater hall, it can have no separate existence from the parti­ cular run o f events allotted to it. The event and the puppet are inseparable; hence the scope of individualism is very restricted. It would contradict the puppet’s special style, if anybody were to try to make it express complicated, soul-searching thoughts. Its very inertness and primitiveness make it suitable for general ideas only. It follows that the puppet is most suitable for the interpretation o f popular sketches, while its inherent anonymity has particularly prepared it to voice criticism against the powerful and the rich. W hile an audience is almost uninter­ ruptedly aware o f a stage actor’s conscious portrayal, the very nonsubsistence of the puppet may often lend greater credibility to the words put into its mouth. Because o f the striking contrast between the im aginary vitality o f the puppet and its lifelessness, a comic element is engendered, whose characteristics are perforce clownishly pri­ mitive. This is a kind o f buffoonery— rudeness, naivete, and directness are its main components. Preferably, the simple ridicule is employed, such as comical situations or puns on ambiguous words. The comic effect is heightened, as has been hinted, by the incongruity o f the contrast between the puppet’s lifelessness and its vitality o f movement, the stereotyped nature o f its face and the material which is to be interpreted, its known dependence on the strings and its apparent free will. T he whole effect cannot avoid being grotesque, thus adding another im­ portant comic element to the shadow theater o f all countries. This grotesqueness is fully appreciated by the masses, parti­ cularly when it is demonstrated by abnormal phalli appended to the puppet’s body26. 26 For a further discussion o f these points, see Luzia G lanz, Das Puppenspiel und sein Publikum (1941). K . Fr. Floegel, Geschichte des Grotesk Komischen (5th ed., rev. by Fr. W . Ebeling, 1888; it seems that a later ed. was publ. in 1914).

THE SHADOW PLAY

It is unlikely that the shadow-play theater had its inception in the Arab Near East, for marionettes and hand-puppets are almost nonexistent. Furthermore, the first instances when such shows are mentioned in Arabic are fairly late. One naturally turns to Greece, with its recognized contribution to the de­ velopment of the theater in general. However, although one is familiar with the puppet shows in the Classical World, there is but little information about their real influence on the Oriental shadow plays. Even though the obscene element may have been acquired from Greek mimicry, perhaps through Byzantium, it still seems that the source of the Near Eastern shadow theater was in east and southeast Asia27. The evidence for this hypothesis, although suggestive, is as yet inconclusive. India is the native land of important languages, of a great wealth of folk tales and of the puppet shows28. The few, none too clear allusions to a shadow theater are not convincing. The same applies to Ceylon. The ancient Javanese Wajang, on the other hand, is an easily recognizable kind of shadow play, imbued with a mystic fear o f magic, in which religion, art and poetry are interwoven; the themes treat of gods, kings, and other high-ranking personages29. The figures are more delicately designed, although less varied than in the Near East. While the Siamese shadow play shows traces of Javanese and Indian influence30, there are signs o f an independent development in the Chinese shadow theater, whose figures demonstrate a cer­ tain similarity in their general characteristics to those known to us from the various Islamic shadow theaters31. 27 Reich, Der Mimus, vol. I, part i, pp. 669-675 and passim. Charles Magnin, Histoire des marionettes en Europe (1862), whose arguments are less conclusive. 28 Richard Pischel, Die Heimat des Puppenspiels (1900), passim. U N E S C O ’s Courier, fasc. 3-4 for 1955. 29 Carl Hagemann, Spiele der Völker. Eindrücke und Studien einer Weltfahrt nach Afrika und Ostasien (1921), pp. 149-161. Joseph Gregor, op. cit., p. 76. 30 Gregor, ibid., pp. 77-79. D. Sonakul (Dhani Nivat), Pageantry o f the Siamese stage, in National Geogr. Mag., vol. X C I, Feb., 1947. Id., The Nang (Bangkok, ! 954 )> PP- 4 !J31 Hagemann, op. cit., pp. 444-452.

12

STUDIES IN THE ARA B T H E A T E R A ND CINEMA

According to tradition, China is the home of the shadow theater. Even the designation of this amusement as Ombres ckinoises was current in Europe for a long time. More important is the fact that it was from China, probably through the agency o f the Mongolians, the neighbors o f the Turkish tribes, that shadow plays were introduced into the Muslim Near East in the twelfth or thirteenth century32. Anyw ay, although various communities in the Near East show traces o f having had shadow-play shows at one time or another, the bulk of these performances was shown to Turkish- and Arabic-speaking audiences. Similarly, almost all shadow-play manuscripts from the Near East were found to have been written in these lan­ guages. b. T

he

T

u r k ish

C o n t r ib u t io n

The Turkish shadow theater, although o f great ethnographic importance, and artistic as well as linguistic interest, will be described here only summarily, since it is actually outside the scope o f this study and fairly thorough research has already been done into it33. 32 I have dealt with this matter separately in m y Shadow plays in the Near East, ‘Edöt {Communities) Quarterly, vol. I l l , Nos. 1-2, 1948, passim, esp. p. X X V . See also J. Scherr, Allgemeine Geschichte der Literatur (1861), p. 57. Gf. Georg Jacob, Geschichte des Schattentheaters (1907), pp. 18 ss., to his Das Schattentheater in seiner Wanderung vom Morgenland zum Abendland (1901), p. 6; reviewed by R . Pischel in the D L% , 1902, p. 403. See also Reich, ibid., 1904, pp. 598 ss. Siyavu§gil, Karagöz (1951), pp. 4 ss. 33 Georg Jacob has compiled the most important bibliographies for the Oriental shadow theater. T h e last o f his Appendices to Enno Littm ann’s Arabische Schattenspiele (1901) was a Schattenspiel Bibliographie. Jacob enlarged it several times. In that same year he published a more detailed Schattenspiel Bibliographie, which he reprinted, with important additions, under the name o f Litteratur Uebersieht, at the end o f his Das Schattentheater in seiner Wanderung vom Morgenland zum Abendland (1901). H e rearranged the results of his studies in a yet enlarged Bibliographie über das Schattentheater (2nd enlarged ed., 1902). In 1906 Jacob published an even more detailed bibliography, divided according to the centuries, from the eleventh to the twentieth, called Erwähnungen des Schatten­ theaters in der Welt-Litteratur. In 1912 he published Addenda to it, and in 1925 an enlarged edition. In 1931 he published some typewritten additions (cf. Ritter, Karagös türkische Schattenspiele, II, Introd., p. IX ). Five years later Jacob had ended preparing a typewritten Nachtrags-Bibliographie mit Excerpten als Annalen

THE SHADOW P L A Y

13

The Turkish shadow theater was influenced, to a large ex­ tent, by the mimetic performances o f the meddah34, as well as by popular local representations, named Orta oyunuZ5f a stereo­ typed play with improvisations like the Commedia dell9arte. There might have been a mutual influence, if one remembers the close commercial ties o f Turkey with Venice and Genoa. The manner of improvisation as well as many aspects o f the char­ acters who appear in the Commedia dell9artez* resemble in a strik­ ing w ay those in the Turkish popular show. The shows, which attracted the public in Turkey by their satirical description of local manners and customs, probably date from the twelfth century; however, their roots, like those o f the meddah, are undoubtedly much older and might go back to the Greek mime, possibly through Byzantium37. It should be remembered that dramatic performances, had reached a fairly high standard in Byzantium and that it is quite possible that the Turkish conquerors retained the services o f Byzantine actors38. The sources o f the Turkish shadow play are not very clear and will be examined later on, along with the Arabic ones39. The style of its puppets, whose shadows the audience des Schattentheaters im Morgenland (K iel, 9 January, 1936), in my possession, thanks to Prof. L. A . M ayer, o f the Hebrew University, Jerusalem; I am unaware of its having been printed. See further bibl. material in H. Ritter, Karagös, in the Encyclopaedia of Islam (sub voce); M artinovitch, op. cit., p. 125; Landau, Shadow plays in the Near East, passim, esp. pp. 70-72. 34 See above, chapter 1. 35 M artinovitch, op. cit., pp. 13-21, 49~77* Selim Niizhet Gerçek, op. cit., pp. 1 1 1 - i 59 . 1 prefer throughout the modern, current Turkish transliteration (such as Karagöz). 36 M any works have been written on the Italian Commedia dell9arte and its char­ acters. Among these, mention should be made o f the interesting work o f M aurice Sand, Masques et bouffons ( vol. C l, Nov. 1, 1942, pp. 441-443. 483 Makhba * raqm 13, Cairo, al-Hawadiifa, 1941; 141 pp., 3 Acts. Review ed ibid., Jan. 1, 1942, pp. 106-108 by al-Sirafi; and M ar. 1, 1942, pp. 300— 301, by B. F. (Bishr Faris?). 484 Thus in Taim ur’s al-Yaum khamr, p. 271.

SOME ARAB PLA Y W RIG HTS

I5 I

different persons, often having amusingly unsuitable names (the cabaret singer is named ‘Afaf, i.e. Chastity), are ably shown, in contrast to one another, as subservient to circumstances.

iii. Bombs

Taim ur brings the comic element in human nature to the fore both in his historical plays— thus making them readable, despite their tediousness— and in his social dramas, which are fairly akin in character to comedies. However, it is in his comedies that his talents stand truly revealed, apparently since he feels himself more in his element. A comedy of his, A Tea Party, has already been described485. Another one, Bombs (1Qanabiiy%*> merits mention, too. It is termed a comedy487 by its author, and so it is, despite its bitterness. Since Taim ur, an already well-known novelist, started writ­ ing plays at the beginning o f the Second W orld W ar, when Egypt was in greater danger, the pulsation o f the war is felt here again, as earlier in Shelter No. 13. His irony is directed against some town people who, appalled by bombardments, leave for the countryside “ to improve the lot o f the peasants.” Since trouble reaches them there, too, they return to town, “ to take part in the hard times through which the nation is pass­ ing.” Taim ur delights both in revealing the hollowness o f most people’s pretexts, as well as in pointing out the gulf that exists in Egyptian society between town and country488. For descrip­ tions such as these, Taim ur may be considered an important 485 See above, p. 119. 486 Qanabil, Cairo, Lajnat al-nashr li’ l-jami‘ iyyin, 1943; 189 pp., 3 Acts in Literary Arabic. Reviewed by al-Sirafi in M u ., vol. C IV , Feb. 1, 1944, pp. 196-197. 487 Taim ur formerly used the foreign word Kumidiya, afterwards changed it to the Arabic Masldt, the opposite o f M a'sdt (tragedy). T od ay the term Mdhzala or Hazliyya is used, sometimes, for comedy. 488 For reviews o f M ahm ud Taim ur’s other comedies, see M u., vol. X C I X , Nov. 1, 1941, pp. 417-418; ibid., vol. C III , June 1, 1943, pp. 102-103; ibid., vol. C I V , M ar. 1, 1944, p. 300. A , Apr. 4,19 52 , p. 5. A l-N idd \ A pr. 8,1952, p. 6.

!52

STUDIES IN THE ARAB T H E A T E R AND CINEMA

reformer, following, perhaps unconsciously, the precept of ridendo castigat mores. 3. Taimur the Playwright Rightly considered as one o f the leading Arabic story-tellers o f our times, M ahmud Taim ur has made himself a name among the playwrights in a remarkably short period considering that he has been publishing plays only since 1940. Like T auflq al-Hakim, Taim ur takes his subjects and characters out o f all the strata o f Egyptian life, from both village and town. Although the ideas for some o f his plots were inspired by that excellent French publication o f plays in periodical form, La Petite Illustration, the results were purely Egyptian. Then, again, even though the example o f M au ­ passant may be felt in his treatment o f various characters, these are none the less real. Indeed, one o f the great causes of Taim ur’s popularity is the lifelike nature o f his types, many of whom seem copied in toto from everyday society in Egypt. Shauqi portrayed his characters as either very good or very bad; al-Hakim often gives them fantastic attributes; Taim ur, keen observer o f men and human nature, draws them just as they appear to him. T o a great extent, Taim ur succeeded so well because he con­ centrated on com edy-writing: his historical plays are rather artificial, while his dramas are good only when they verge on comedy (e.g. Shelter Mo. 13). By concentrating on the kind o f dramatic composition most suitable to his temper and talents, he improved upon it. The satire, in his comedy o f manners and his comedy o f character— at both o f which he is a master— is less veiled than al-H akim ’s. His readers or his audiences can thus understand him more readily, subtlety being the prerogative o f the enlightened few. In this w ay his satire, when bent on some social reform or other, can carry further with the masses. The presentation o f the material is also more related to the tastes and powers o f comprehension o f his audiences. W hile Shauqi excelled in monologues and al-Hakim in dialogues,

SOME ARAB PLAYW RIGHTS

I 53

Taim ur’s dramatis personae carry on a very lively conversation, better suited to the modern conception of the stage. Hence Taim ur’s style, taken directly from life, has less finish, albeit it is more natural than Shauqi’s or al-H akim ’s. I f Shauqi’s Arabic is o f a highly polished, literary quality and al-Hakim ’s suited to the various characters, Taim ur’s literary Arabic is often mixed with idioms borrowed from the colloquial, while his colloquial Arabic often employs expressions o f a purely literary character. This, at least, is a new and original approach to the language problem, so baffling to all Arab playwrights. A mixture o f the literary and colloquial Arabic may be a solution of this diffi­ culty. Ahm ad Shauqi, T au flq al-Hakim and Mahmud Taim ur have not only helped to arouse interest in the Arab theater among the educated classes in the Near East and North Africa by offering them plays of high dramatic and human standard, but have also indirectly influenced a host of minor talents by setting them high standards to emulate. The first o f the three exercised this influence in the writing of the historical play, the second in drama, and the third in comedy. This influence is to be felt in other A rab countries besides Egypt489. 489 In the season o f 1952-1953, for instance, the A rab theater in Algeria presented, amongst other works, plays by T au fiq al-Hakim and Yu su f W ahbi— cf. B E , Nov. 1, 1952, p. 3.

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PART III

THE ARAB CINEMA

CH APTER 1

Beginnings and Development a. T

he

St a r t

a younger art than the theater, the cinema has had no less forceful an impact on the Arab masses in the Near East and North Africa. T o a certain extent, one can gauge the reaction o f the local public to the cinema from the impression made in mid-nineteenth-century Egypt by the magic lantern, the cinema’s forerunner. Tw o tourists have described its effects: one, a Frenchman, tells us how enchanted the audience was490; his words are amplified by a British tourist, who writes as follows491: A

lth ough

“ When in Egypt in 1853, I had with me a magic lantern. The Arabs were highly delighted with it, never before having seen any­ thing of the kind. One evening I had quite an aristocratic audience 480 Didier, Les nuits du Cam (i860), p. 353, quoted by Prüfer, in ERE, s.v. Drama, Arabic (vol. IV , 1911, p. 874, n. 8). 481J. Gadsby, My wanderings. Being travels in the East (stereotype ed., London, i860), P- 351-

*55

I 56

STUDIES IN THE ARAB T H E A T E R AND CINEMA

in the house of Mustapha Agha, our consular agent at Luxor; the nazir492 of the district, two or three sheikhs and schoolmasters, and several others being present. Mustapha so fell in love with it that he would make me leave it, and gave me in exchange for it a large sepulchral case, containing four wooden cases.”

The contacts o f the various A rab peoples with Western Europe and— to a lesser extent— Am erica grew much closer at the turn o f the century. These contacts aroused great interest in Western technical achievements, which were regarded by the Arab intellectual as the chief reasons for the success o f the West in conquering and ruling Oriental countries. From 1903493, if not earlier, inquisitive readers o f the large Egyptian monthlies o f those days assailed them with an ever-increasing number of questions concerning the technicalities o f cinematic photo­ graphy, the origins o f the cinema and the conditions o f its development in various lands, the possibilities o f synchroniza­ tion, etc.; the editors usually obliged. It is interesting to note that an Arabic novel on the Queen o f Sheba was, a little later, to be inspired by a film seen on this subject in New York494. The interest in the cinema grew even more rapidly in the years immediately preceding the First W orld W ar as well as during the war years, as attested to by the press o f the time496 which carried, in Egypt and Syria, not only short notices on the cinema, but full-length articles written locally or translated from the world press. Such notices and articles, however, reached only a very small 492 I.e., Local Governor. 493 M u., vol. X X V I I I , July 1,1903, p. 615. 494 Emil Zaidan, Malikat Saba, N .Y ., M aktabat al-akhlaq— reviewed in H, vol. X X X I , Apr. 1,1923, p. 778. 495 Ibid., vol. X V I I , Dec. 1, 1908, pp. 190-191; vol. X I X , O ct. 1, 1910, p. 59; Feb. 1, 1911, p. 317; M ar. 1, 1911, pp. 374-375; vol. X X , Dec. 1, 1911, p. 191; vol. X X I I , O ct. 1, 1913, p. 69; Nov. 1913, pp. 132-136; Apr. 1, 1914, P- 557 ; June 1, 1914, pp. 697-698; vol. X X V I , Feb. 1, 1918, pp. 446-447. Al-Muqtabas, vol. V I , fasc. 9, 1911, p. 605. Mu., vol. X X I X , Jan. 1, 1904, p. 97; vol. X X X I , Dec. 1, 1906, p. 1028; vol. X L V I , Feb. 1, 1915, p. 190; vol. X L V I I , O ct. 1, 1915, pp. 401-402; vol. X L V I I I , Apr. 1, 1916, pp. 4 11, 415; vol. L , M ay 1, 1 9 1 7 ^ .5 1 7 .

BEGINNINGS AND DEVELOPM ENT

157

part of the population. Even if it sufficed that one person would read aloud such an article and explain it to a large group o f illiterate villagers, this did not necessarily imply that they had understood it. In any case, curiosity was whetted sharply enough for the population to abandon shadow plays almost completely and flock to see the silent and, afterwards, the sound film, when they were brought to Egypt. Thus the activities of Pathe, which introduced a great many silent films into Egypt, in the years 1904-1911, attracted considerable notice496. It appears that, beginning with the year 1908, short-film shows were given at least twice weekly in Alexandria and Cairo497; and, some time afterwards, at Port Said, Ismailia, and Suez498. However, by far more important was the influence o f the many films brought to entertain the Allied troops stationed in the Near East499. These forces were centered in Egypt and a good number o f cinema halls was erected for their recreation. The influx o f foreign films and the erection o f cinema halls were amongst the various reasons (along with the country’s relatively high proportion o f intellectuals and its favorable climate) which were to make Egypt the center o f the Arab film industry.

b. T

he

P ost -W a r Y

ears

Probably through a desire for emulation, Egyptians were the first among Arabic-speaking peoples to start their own film production. This happened in 1917, at the very height o f the war. After a few shorts, all silent, were produced and presented in Alexandria, a bolder experiment made available a full496 See Ateek, Development o f the cinema in Egypt, in B , fasc. 51, Jan., 1951, p. 5. Landau, The Arab cinema, in M E A , vol. IV , N ov., 1953, p. 349. By courtesy of M E A , I am using parts o f my article. 497 ZakI Tulaim at, Khait min al-fann al-sinim a'ift Mi$rf in /T, vol. I, fasc. 3, Jan., 1946, pp. 416-417. 498 Note on Market fo r films in Port Said district, in The Near East and India, vol. X X X I X , M ay 14, 1931, p. 560. 499 For a different view see Tulaim at, op. cit., in K , vol. I, fasc. 3, Jan., 1946, pp.

417- 418.

158

STUDIES IN T HE A RA B T H E A T E R A N D CINEMA

length silent film, named Why Does the Sea LaughhB0. This was a comedy acted by some o f the Egyptian theater stars o f the time. The well-known comedian, ‘A lï’l-Kassàr, was cast in the lead501. Despite its beginner’s mediocrity, the film was an immense suc­ cess. These early experiments stirred dormant emotions, giving w ay to an enthusiasm no less outspoken than its expression in other lands, upon the introduction o f the cinema. Cinema clubs sprang up in quick succession: their members eagerly dis­ cussed the mastering o f cinema acting technique. Some o f these clubs attempted, time and again, to publish periodicals treating o f film problems, both in their general as well as local aspects. Most o f these— bearing such names as Cinema Stories502 or Orient-Actualités503— were, indeed, short-lived. Their crudeness notwithstanding, they were sincere, earnest indications o f the growing interest in films, and served as models for later publica­ tions o f similar type, devoted to the cinema wholly or in a great part: The Future, The Art World, The Cinemay The Novel and Cinema504, etc. It was not until 1925, however, that serious, well-planned attempts at film production were made in Egypt, under the guidance o f some foreign, notably American, specialists. After approximately two years, these preparations (led by the aristo­ cratic W idâd ‘U rfi505) resulted in four films, the first and best of which was named Laila, starring the late stage actress ‘A ziza A m ir508. Its costs amounted to the modest figure o f ^ E 1,000 509 Named, in colloquial Arabic, Il-bahr byidhak leih?— cf. al-Jumhwr al-mifri, Sep.

24>I 95 L P - 9 501 See above, pp. 90-91. 602 Riwâyât al-sinlmd, publ. in Cairo (1922 or 1923)— cf. H , vol. X X X I , Feb. 1, I 9 23>P- 554 * This periodical translated into Arabic the plots o f famous foreign films. 603 Edited as a m onthly, in French and Arabic, by V ictor Stoioff, the film director. 604 Al-Mustaqbal, Dunyà'lfann, al-Sinimd, Majallat al-qiffa wa*l-sinimd, all pub­ lished in Egypt in the 1940*5. 505 O n whom see M . Am in in AS, Dec. 29, 1954, pp. 16—17. 606 Tulaim àt, in K , vol. I, fasc. 3, J an ., 1946, p. 419. Al-Jumhür al-mifri, Sep. 24, 1951, p. 9. J. Swanson, Mufhakkardt mu*assis find1at al-sinimdft M ifr, a series o f articles in Dunya* l-Kawdkib, 1953-1954.

BEGINNINGS AND DEVELO PM ENT

I 59

( £ E i = 5 . o o at that time; today it equals $2.87). This primi­ tive production, most o f whose scenes had been shot in the streets of Cairo, was a photographed play (even divided into acts) rather than a real film. These shortcomings did not pre­ vent the film from having a six-week run507. However, it was symptomatic o f the rising interest in the screen508 that in that very same year (1927) the Lam a Brothers609 produced, in Alexandria, their first film, A Kiss in the Desert (QublafVl-sahra*). The scenarios o f these films drew their materials— probably following the example o f the Arab theater— from Egyptian or A rab history as well as from everyday life. The warm reception o f these silent films by the public emboldened Yü su f W ahbï, the famous stage actor510, to experiment with a sound film. He accordingly took an A rab film, The Children of the Upper Class (.Aulàd al-dhawât), in which he starred himself, to Paris for synchronization. Thereafter the success o f the Arabic-speaking film was assured in all the Arab lands, particularly as American and West European innovations in studio equipment were in­ troduced and the favorable local climate exploited. In the last generation the young Arab cinema has achieved considerable quantitative progress. In 1934 the largest Arab film company was founded in the vicinity of Cairo and named “ Egypt Studio” {Studio Misr). This was soon followed by other competitors, not only in Egypt but also in other Arab countries. Cinema halls were erected in large numbers in the cities and towns and in smaller numbers in the major villages611: In the year 1929, an Am erican Consular report spoke o f only fifty $

507 S. Zohny, The development o f the film industry, in B , fasc. 35, M ay-June, 1949, PP- 55~56* Ateek, op. cit., ibid., fasc. 51, Jan., 1951, p. 5. E. Sidawi, Le cinéma égyptien, in the Parisian fortnightly Le monde arabe, fasc. 25, June 15, 1952. 608 In Arabic : shàsha. 509 O f whom the best-known, Badr Lam a, died in 1947— cf. The Palestine Post, Apr. 15, 1947. 510 See above, Second Part, ch. 3, b. 511 For some examples, in Egypt and elsewhere, see AY , J u ly 24, 1948, pp. 4, 7-10. Ibid., Aug. 7, 1948, p. 10. Le Journal d 'Egypte, Sep. 15, 1951, p. 4. Filastin, M ay 17, 1952, p. 4. M , June 9, 1952, p. 3.

i6o

STUDIES IN THE ARA B T H E A T E R A ND CINEMA

cinema halls throughout Egypt, o f which only six had a seating capacity o f 1,000 or over512; in 1949 there were already 194, with a seating capacity o f 190,000s18; in 1950 there were some 230, o f which eighty were in Cairo and thirty in Alexandria514; while in 1952 the number had risen to 315, o f which seventy-six were in the open air (Cairo and its suburbs alone had 101). Annual attendance, too, had grown from twelve million in 1938 to forty-two million in 1946 to ninety-two million in 19 5 1515. This considerable rise, particularly in the towns, was due no doubt to the appeal o f the average A rab film to the tempera­ ment and tastes o f the easily entertained, music-loving Egyptian town dweller. Indeed, both the government and the public com­ bined to give the A rab cinema the chance o f its life.

c. T

he

G overnm ent

and the

P u b l ic

In Egypt, the government is doubly interested in the film industry : it is one o f the state’s main sources of hard currency, supplements the government’s indirect taxation (through the taxes paid on the medium and higher-priced tickets), and serves the government’s propaganda machine. T he first point is obviously more important in the present circumstances, for few propaganda films have as yet been produced (even so it is understandable that the government should like to reserve this prerogative for itself). A semi-official Cham ber for Film Industry (Ghurfat sina‘at al-sinimd) is affiliated nowadays with the Ministry o f National Guidance. It is composed o f representatives o f the film studios, o f the producers (companies as well as private enterprises) and 612 Note on The cinematograph in Egypt, in the London weekly The Near East and India, vol. X X X V I , O ct. 10, 1929, p. 409. 518Statesman's Yearbook, 1951, p. 947. For slightly higher figures, cf. U N E S C O , Press, film, radio, vol. I l l , 1949, p. 162. 614 Ateek, op. cit., in B , fasc. 51, Jan. 1951, p. 5. sis U N E S C O , op. cit., vol. I l l , 1949, p. 162. E. Sidawi, Le cinéma égyptien, in Le Monde Arabe, fasc. 25, June 15, 1952, p. 21. Landau, The Arab cinema, in M E A , vol. IV , Nov. 1953, p. 350.

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161

o f the owners o f the larger theater halls. Its efforts are mainly directed towards the co-ordination o f the various branches in the film industry and its development. Some of the problems it has concerned itself with are: the export o f Egyptian films, transfer of sums o f money from abroad, dubbing foreign films with an Arabic-speaking reel, etc.518. The main effort o f the Chamber for Film Industry is directed, however, towards contacting similar institutions abroad for the purpose o f film distribution. M any Egyptian films are shown in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, North Africa, and even in Persia517, the State of Israel518 and Cyprus519, as well as being circulated among the Arab (chiefly Syrian) communities in France, the United States, Brazil and other South American States. Four years after the presiding council of the Biennale Internazionale d’Arte recognized the cinema as an art (1932), Egypt partici­ pated in the Venice Festival with a film, The Story of Wedad (1936), and with a documentary the following year520. Egypt thus was the only Arabic country to take part in this Festival before the Second W orld W ar521. The Egyptian government, naturally enough, has encouraged participation in international 616 Hasan Ram zï, Ghurfat al-sinimâ tas'â li-yakün alfilm al-mifri *àlamiyyan, in R T M ay 24, 1954, P* 34 * Annuaire de la fédération égyptienne de V industrie 19 52-19 53 , P P -I 59- i6o617 In 1951, there was a curious diplomatie incident, when the Egyptian Ambassa­ dor in Teheran was instructed to protest to the Persian Ministry for Foreign Affairs against the apparent practice o f the Persian Film Censorship to relegate Egyptian films to second-rate cinema halls— cf. R T , Aug. 28, 1951, p. 17. 618 W here the Arabic film industry had failed even under the British mandate— cf. the Palestinian al-Muntada, vol. I l l , Sep. 1945, p. 27, and O ct., 1945, P* 22* Nowadays, Arabic newsreels are produced regularly. 519 In the year 1954, some excitement arose among the Egyptian film producers and distributors when they found out that Turkish agents were allegedly smuggling Egyptian films into Cyprus, to the detriment o f the financial interests o f the Egyptian film distributors— cf. R T , Ju ly 19,1954, p. 33. 620 T h e documentary was announced, in French translation, as Le pélérinage musulman à la Mecque (Soc. Misr.)— see F. Paulon, 2000 film a Venezia 1932-1950

(1951)621 It has remained the only Arabic country to participate even after the war (during the war it could not send any films, o f course), excluding Morocco and Algeria— see ibid.

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film festivals, for reasons of foreign commerce and national prestige. Several times at Cannes622, V enice523, Berlin524, and New Delhi525, Egyptian films have been presented and praised. The latest international success o f the Egyptian film industry has been at Cannes, where two melodramatic films were pre­ sented. Struggle in the Valley (Sira6fVl-wâdi, called in French Ciel d'Enfer) and The Beast (al-Wahsh, called in French Le Monstre) both treat o f social subjects— the peasants’ strife against their vicious landlords— and have been applauded, notwith­ standing the patent “ W ild W est” touch in their ending. In ­ deed, part of the sound track of the first one was broadcast on Moscow’s Arabic program 526. As a matter o f fact, there has been for some time unofficial talk about arranging a film festival in Egypt also527. The Egyptian government has aided young directors and actors (of which more later628) and organized film competi­ tions. For instance, the Egyptian parliament approved in 1950 a clause in the Budget o f the M inistry o f Social Affairs for 1951, 622 A t the Cannes Festival at the end o f 1946, E gypt presented six films— see their names in K M , fac. 13, O ct., 1946, p. 175. For later contributions, see E. Sidawi, Le cinéma égyptien, in Le Monde Arabe, fasc. 25, June 15, 1952, p. 21 ; and Ilyàs M aqdisï Ilyâs, NawâhVl-naqs fV l-fïlm al-mifrï, in Dunya l-kawakib, Sep. 15» 1952, p . 25. 523 T h e greatest Egyptian success at Venice was in Sep. 1951, with Son o f the Nile (Ibn al-N il), written, directed and led by Y ah yâ Shàhïn. This was an adaptation o f the Am erican novel Nature Boy, telling the story o f a young peasant married against his will, who has to taste first the disappointment o f city life in Cairo before finding peace in the country. Cf. J E , Sep. 6, 1951, p. 6; B E , Sep. 28, I 95 I> P- 2. For E gypt’s participation in the Venice Film Festival cf. Georges Sadoul in the Parisian Les Lettres Françaises, M arch, 1954. 524 W here Egypt presented, in June 1952,Loyal a revival o f one o f the earliest Egyptian films, based on M uham m ad Husain H aikal’s renowned novel o f country life; it starred R àqiya Ibrahim and Y ah yâ Shàhïn. Cf. B E , Feb. 5, l 95*> P- 5Loyal J Ju ly 1, 1952, P-Loyal 5* Progrès Egyptien, June 28, 1952, p. 2. A , June 30, 1952, p. 5; ibid., Ju ly 2, 1952, p. 10. 625 In Jan., 1953— cf. Landau, The Arab cinema, in M E A , vol. IV , N ov., 1953, P- 350 626 Sadoul, Le septième Festival international du film de Cannes, in Les Lettres Françaises. Apr. 8-15, 1954, p. 6. The Boston Daily Globe, M ar. 28, 1956, p. 28. 527 A , Dec. 4 ,19 5 1, p. 6. 528 See the next chapter.

Honest and trustworthy Honest and trustworthy

Honest and trustworthy Honest and trustworthy Honest and trustworthy Honest and trustworthy

Straightforward or down-to-earth Straightforward or down-to-earth

io. Ensemble from Egyptian Film

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providing for £Eg,ooo to be awarded to the three best films of the year529. Nonetheless, it has had to reduce its £ E io,ooo (originally £E6,ooo) subvention to the Egyptian cinema to £E4,ooo530. This was probably caused by the need for financing Egypt’s part in the armament race in the world in general and in the Near East in particular. It has apparently been found im­ possible to accede to the cinema’s requests for credit and for tax reductions in favor of the film industry531. The Egyptian authorities attempted, indeed, to safeguard the financial inter­ ests o f the local film industry in another w ay: they half­ heartedly forced the cinema owners to accept a minimum per­ centage o f Egyptian films532 (one every month in 1949) but this proved to be no great help. All in all, the Egyptian government’s financial support of the cinema was lukewarm; which fact, however, has not prevented it, as other Arab governments, from supervising the film in­ dustry closely. This supervision is in itself a most interesting indication of undercurrents in the everyday life o f the modern Arab States. The government’s supervision is not only political and social— i.e., intended to stop what it regards as insidious, dangerous propaganda (e.g., Communist533)— but sometimes religious as well. The influence of the Muslim religious circles is still very large in all Arab lands, and they have never quite given up their strongly worded propaganda against the A rab cinema and its damaging effect (according to their opinion) on the morals o f the masses. T o give but a few instances: In 1926-1927, religious dignitaries o f al-Azhar opposed the inception o f the Arab cinema in Egypt, out of fear of the irreverence entailed by 629 Landau, The Arab cinema, in M E A , vol. IV , Nov., 1953, p. 351. 530 M , July 14, 1952, p. 10. 531 A ., Sep. 15, 1952, p. 5, for requests formulated by ‘Abd al-Salam al-Nabulsi. 532 See, e.g., Rushdi K am il, Intiba'at min al-sinima'l-misriyya, in K M , fasc. 12, Sep., 1946, p. 736. Facts about the film industry in Egypt, in B, fasc. 9, Feb., 1947, p. 7. 533 For the Egyptian Government impounding some Communist films (prob. of foreign make), see AT, Dec. 15, 1951, p. 5. S .A .T .C .- M

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the showing o f M uham m ad on the screen534. In 1930 the Society of Muslim Youths (Jam'iyyat al-shubban al-muslimin) pro­ tested to the Egyptian Prime Minister and to the press against a foreign film society’s wish to film in Egypt a story o f the life o f M uhammad and the Four Caliphs535 (the protest was re­ peated on a similar occasion in 1954536). A few years afterwards, the Islamic associations in Egypt demanded in congress that the government exercise a stricter censorship on love films537. T he same demands were put forward by organizations o f a similar character in Palestine638, while in Syria manifestors warned away Muslim women in Ladhiqiyya from attending film shows and sent menacing letters to others539. Preaching in the mosques against women’s attendance o f film shows was de­ cided upon540, while in Damascus a self-styled Society of Friends o f Virtue (Jam'iyyat ansar al-fadila) asked the Minister o f the Interior to prohibit the entrance o f women into the cinema halls and to exercise a stricter moral censorship o f films541. Other demands called attention to the need for censoring pictures starring scantily clad girls or showing Muslims im ­ bibing spirituous liquors. T he French authorities in Syria cleverly exploited these demands and the spirit backing them to tighten their own hold over the cinema542. Still the religious propaganda against the cinema went on unabated. T he Pan534 J. Swanson, op. cit., in Dunya'l-kawakib, Jan. 12, 1954, pp. 26-27. Also A, Dec. 4, 1951, p. 6; and^S*, D ec., 29, 1954, p. 16. 535 Full text in Majallat al-shubban al-muslimin, Ram adan 1348 (Feb. 1930), pp- 356-357536 jp^ j a n 1955, p. 6. 537 Al-Balagh, J u ly 18, 1936, summarized by L .V .V . in O M , vol. X V I , Sep. 1936, P* 53 1588 L .V .V ., ibid., vol. X V I , M ar., 1936, p. 143, based on the Arabic press. 639 Al-Ayyam, Feb. 26, 1935, summarized by V .V ., ibid., vol. X V , M ar., 1935, p. 123. 840 Ibid., ibid. 841 Ibid., M ar. 20, 1939, summarized by id., ibid., vol. X I X , Apr. 1939, p. 215. 842 Decree o f the High Commissioner for Syria No. 165 L/R, publ. in al-Bashir, Sep. 7, 1934, summarized ibid., vol. X I V , O ct. 1934, p. 474.

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Islamic Congress, which met in Karachi in M ay, 1952, seri­ ously passed a measure demanding that all governments of Muslim countries close all cinema halls543! Not less energetic is the recent demand o f the Muslim Ulem a Council in the O ld City of Jerusalem, urging the Jordanian government to draft a bill prohibiting adolescents from attending certain films and to censor the rest more severely from the Muslim ethical point of view 544. The last demand was sensible, but most o f the other requests for religious censorship or denunciations against the evils of the cinema were distinguished mainly for vociferous­ ness. Few people took the campaign o f the religious circles against the cinema seriously: this is one case where religious traditions have crumbled before the expanding tide o f Western ideas and o f desire for entertainment. The Egyptian government has been careful, nonetheless, to censor the cinema for years, so as not to give grounds for com­ plaints to the extremist religious organization, the Muslim Brotherhood (whom successive governments have rightly sus­ pected o f political ambitions). For instance, a sketch named The Neighbor's Daughter [Bint al-jiran) was not permitted to be broadcast, as the setting was the girl’s bedroom545 and its word­ ing was somewhat lewd. Then an Egyptian documentary on the Sudan was withdrawn from Cairo cinemas after a week’s showing because o f scenes o f naked tribesmen546. Censorship has also been necessary, sometimes, to see that no offense be given to foreign states547, or to prevent shooting films prejudicial to Egypt’s interests548. A n extreme case was the reported ban on all films starring Danny K aye and M ickey Rooney throughout 543 A l-N idd\ M ay 22, 1952, p. 9. 544 Reported in J P , Feb. 22, 1954, p. 4. 545 A J , July 14, 1952, p. 8, See M , same date, p. 10, for changes (prob. new restrictions) in the film censorship. 546 Reported by Reuter in J P , M ar. 22, 1954. 547 In the case o f Turkish complaints, see A, Aug. 22, 1940, summarized in O M , vol. X X , O ct., 1940, p. 508. A case o f preventing a misunderstanding with Iraq is mentioned in RY, Apr. 12, 1954, p. 42. 548 M , July 19, 1952, p. 9; ibid., July 21, 1952, p. 8.

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Egypt, the charge against them being that they had donated to Zionist funds during the hostilities in Palestine549. However, film censorship more often served the private aims o f the king and his ministers. Thus, during Faruq’s reign, the film Mismar Juha5b0 was not passed by the censors for many months551, since it satirized the ruling class. T o give another instance, Jurj A byad was not allowed, in 1952, to play or broadcast his inter­ pretation o f Louis X I, for it described a despotic king. The same ban was applied to all shows and films about tyrannical potentates552. T he new regime in Egypt, inaugurated by the armed forces’ coup d'etat on July 23, 1952, did not relax film censorship in any way. I f the religious censorship was loosened after the Muslim Brotherhood had fallen into disfavor, there have been no evi­ dent signs o f it. Even the news that T aha Husain was working on a script treating o f early Muslim history553 is no proof, for the blind man o f letters has always pursued his literary convictions fearlessly, regardless o f others’ political precepts. The govern­ ment tightened the Ministry o f Education’s hold on play per­ formances in schools554 and entrusted all film censorship to the M inistry o f National Guidance555. W hile it passed some films previously vetoed by the king’s censors556, it prohibited the showing o f others in which Faruq’s picture could be seen hung on the wall in a court o f law 557 or which dealt too closely with his life558. T hey not only reimposed the existing censorship on military matters559, but directed their attention chiefly to the 548 Reported by A .P . in The Palestine Post, June 20, 1948. For later instances, cf. A . Hashavya, in T idi'ot aharonot, Jan. 6 ,19 56, p. 13. 560 See above, footnote 412. 551 M J u n e 18, 1952, p. 7. 662 Progres Dimanche, Aug. 17, 1952, p. 5, based on AS. ess rjt , Feb. 15,19 54 , p. 42. 654 A L f Sep. 3, 1952, p. 3. 555 4 J , Dec. 1, 1952, p. 8. 656 Ibid., A ug. 25, 1952, p. 8. 657 Ibid., ibid. TidVotaharonot (Tel-Aviv), M ay 6, 1955, p. 1. 558 4 7 , Dec. 1, 1952, p. 8. 558 Ibid., Ju ly 21, 1952, p. 8.

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16 7

satirical film560, that great danger to any military dictatorship, revoking all permits given by the king’s censors561 and reaffirm­ ing their intention to continue film censorship562. While the censorship on films in Lebanon is mainly intended to protect the public morals and to prevent dissemination o f ideas pre­ judicial to the state563, in Syria it was avowedly exercised on political grounds, as long as the Shlshakli dictatorship lasted564. As one instance of the activities o f political censorship in Syria, one may mention the ban imposed by the authorities on two foreign-made “ pro-Jewish” films— Portrait from Life and Samson and Delilah; and, later, on all films showing Danny K aye, as a reprisal for his interest in the state of Israel565. The matter o f film censorship imposed by the monarchy and continued by the republic in Egypt has been dealt with at some length, because it is one o f the most ardently debated subjects o f the cinema critics566. No less than the theater, the Arab cinema has its own press reviewers. There is hardly any daily, weekly, or monthly in Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, or Iraq, which can afford to ignore the cinema completely; this is true even o f the religious press, which attacks what it considers to be the evil influence o f the cinema on public morals. Some journals write exclusively about the cinema567, but these have few sub­ scribers and must be careful not to antagonize potential ad­ vertisers, i.e. the film societies. Most o f the press reviews treat­ ing o f the cinema— Egypt leads the field here, too— do not write 660 Al-Zaman, Sep. 5, 1952, p. 8. 561 B E , Sep. 15, 1952, p. 3. 562 A J, Nov. 24,1952, p. 8. 663 U N E S C O , Press, film, radio, vol. I l l , 1949, p. 176. 564 Al-Sayyad, M ay 27, 1954, pp. 28-29. 565 Reported by A .N .A . in J P , O ct. 30, 1952; and by I.N .A ., ibid., Aug. 1, 1956, P -3666 See, e.g., ‘Uthm an al-‘AntablI, al-Sinimd’l-mifriyya fV l-a h d al-jadid, in M , A ug. 18, 1952, against Government supervision o f the film industry; and Ilyas M aqdisi Ilyas, NawahVl-naq$ fV l-film al-mifri, in Dunya'l-kawakib, Sep. 15, 1952, p. 25, for it. 567 Examples see in Landau, The Arab cinema, in M E A, vol. IV , Nov. 1953, p. 352. T o them Dunya'l-kawakib should be added.

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only o f government subsidies568 or censorship, but also o f the qualities o f various films and, to a lesser degree, o f cinematic problems in general. W hile a very few have acknowledged the necessity o f government censorship569, most demand either its abolition or that it be based on constructive artistic (instead of religious and socio-political) criteria. The cinema reviewers themselves are, as elsewhere, far from agreeing with one another, except in their tendency to lash the films mercilessly570; this tendency seems to have increased under the republic571. W hile some critics desire the A rab cinema to be true to life only572, others ridicule the tendency to portray only the most up-to-date events573. T he fact remains that while the theater critics in A rab countries strove hard to make the public theater conscious, this has not been necessary in the case o f the cinema, possessed as it is with great powers of attraction. T he critics, therefore, have devoted a large amount of time to apos­ trophizing the producer, director, and minor actors o f every film, accusing them o f incompetence574, without, however, offering much constructive advice for the future. This attitude is usually caused by the fact that only a few o f these critics have true artistic understanding for the cinema; most reviews are, indeed, veiled propaganda for or against vested interests. A n y­ how, the main subject o f the critic— just like his brother, the theater critic (he sometimes covers both fields himself)— is the plot. This is usually described at length and analyzed, but more from the literary than the dramatic aspect; it is sometimes ridi­ culed, particularly because o f its routine, unimaginative end­ ing575. A ll this considered, one can better understand the dis568 E.g., M ahm ud Dhu* 1-Faqar, in al-Zarn&ni O ct* 21, 1952, p. 4. 868 E .g., M uham m ad al-Sharif, in A S, O ct. 30, 1946, p. 17. 670 See the plea for moderation, presented by Farid al-A trash, the renowned singer and actor, in A , Nov. 25, 1953, p. 5. 671 E.g., A J, Aug. 4, 1952, p. 8. 872 ALM isri's film critic, Bairam al-Tunisi, in M , Aug. 4, 1952, p. 8. 673 Cartoon in A T, repr. in B E , Dec. 29, 1952, p. 4. 874 E .g., Fathi Ghanim in AS, Dec. 12, 1954, pp. 46-47. 675 See, e.g., cartoon in R T, M a y 10, 1954, p. 32, describing Y u su f W ahbFs efforts to suggest a new ending for a certain plot.

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appointment in cinema criticism, as expressed a while ago by one o f its exponents, Muhammad Mustafa. In the Egyptian weekly, al-Sabah, he suggested the following criteria for writing a film review576. Even if the order o f importance o f the points raised may be questioned, one can agree to the justification of most o f them: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

W hat is the theme of the film ? W hat is its moral ? W hat benefit will the public derive from it ? W hat entertainment value does it have ? W hy is there a dearth o f new melodies ? W hat is the plot? Where are the songs?

The A rab cinema public, however, is interested only in the last two points raised by M . Mustafa, i.e., the plot and the music677. This is true both of the rural and the urban popula­ tion (although the former attends film shows less frequently, due to the necessity o f travel678). The rural audiences in the Arab countries are often almost illiterate, or at best have only a smattering of reading and writing, just that half-knowledge which enables them to enjoy cheaper Arabic films, but not enough to make them absorb the literary Arabic theater or foreign films. Often the masses still give their emotions free play by commenting aloud on the plot and the acting, and show their appreciation or displeasure by acclamation or cat­ calling579. Strangely enough, because one expects them to be more literate and possessed o f better taste, this is also true o f town audiences. There is, o f course, a small number o f Europeanized 678 Al-Sabah, first issue o f 1952, summarized by Landau, in M E A , vol. IV , Nov. I 953>P* 352« 677 For the part o f music in the Arab film see below, chs. 2 and 3. 678 See above, the end o f section b, for the distribution o f the cinema halls among the rural and urban population. 679 Landau, in MEA> vol. IV , Nov. 1953, p. 351.

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town dwellers, who hardly ever attend Arabic films or Arabic plays, as a matter of either taste or snobbery. T he others, whether professionals, white-collar workers, or daily workers, in­ clude many who occasionally see Am erican580, British, French581, Italian582, Germ an583 and, lately, Indian584 films. The number o f films may be decreasing, for while in 1948, 518 films were imported and shown, this number dropped to 350 in the year 1950 (245 American, fifty Italian, thirty British, ten French and fifteen from other countries)585. This can prob­ ably be explained by the fact that many audiences do not like or do not understand foreign films. In Jordan, for instance, Charlie Chaplin’s Limelight586 had only a three-day run. The great mass o f the town dwellers who on the average, go to the pictures at least once a week, still prefer (even if less so than the rural population) Arabic films. This means Egyptian films, which predominate among all Arabic-speaking populations of the Near East, even those that have their own film industry. In summing up the development of the A rab cinema, the following characteristics are evident : 1. Although it started much later than the A rab theater, the Arab cinema has already made considerable progress, parti­ cularly in Egypt. 68° p or their influence, probably the strongest, see Mosharrafa, op. cit., vol. II,

pp. 59- 60. 681 Cf., e.g., P E , O ct. II , 1951, p. 3. 882 E.g., The Egyptian Gazette, Aug. 9 ,19 5 1, p. 5; J E , Sep. 6 ,19 5 1, p. 6. 583 For the German films and their small im pact on Egyptian society— probably for language reasons (for people prefer to study English or French)— see Centre d ’études de politique étrangère, La politique islamique de VAllemagne (1939), pp. 78-79, partly based on Illustrierte Zeitung, Nov. 27, 1937. Contrast, on the NeoN azi film penetration, the Hebrew evening paper ha-Dôr (Tel-Aviv), N ov. 5, I 952>P* 3Loyal > Davar, M ar. 16, 1950, p. 2; cf. al-Ithnain, M ay 24, 1954, p. 3, and R Y , June 21, i 954>P- 33 684 D uring the first h a lf o f the year 1954 alone, E gypt imported at least 54 Indian films— see R Y , Ju ly 5, 1954, p. 34. For the general character o f Indian films and film industry, cf. A . Shaw, India and the film , in The Asiatic Review (London), vol. X X X V I I I , July, 1942, pp. 271-279. 685 Ateek, op. cit., ini?, fasc. 51, Jan., 1951, p. 5. 686 Reported in J P , Ju ly 8, 1954, p. 4.

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2. The development o f the Arab cinema has been better marked in its quantitative than in its qualitative values; this is due both to lack of initiative and to glorification o f the box office. 3. The government supports the cinema insufficiently with funds, but imposes a strict censorship— military, political, and moral. This censorship is, in part at least, the outcome of social and religious pressure. 4. Criticism treats chiefly o f the plot and less o f the artistic and technical problems involved. Generally sharp, it tends to educate the public, but succeeds in reaching only the educated class, not the masses that need the critics’ guidance most. 5. The public is greatly attracted towards the Arab cinema (with the exception o f a small, Europeanized upper class). The rural masses have fewer occasions o f attending films than the urban. Both strata, however, are fond o f tear-jerking social films of a musical character. It is to this public that most of the producers and distributors unhesitatingly cater.

d. A r a b C in e m a

in

O

ther

L an d s

An indication o f the success of the Arabic-speaking film pro­ duced in Egypt is that it has adapted itself to the mentality of the public in other Near Eastern lands, despite the fact that the colloquial Arabic of Egypt differs from that of other countries. Indeed, the Egyptian film easily reigns supreme among Arab populations, being the despair of would-be emulators. Egyptian films have the most vogue in Syria587 and Lebanon588. Several attempts to found a film industry there— such as the “ Um ayya Film” at Damascus, in 1935589— were foredoomed to failure. 587 J. W . Crowfoot, Greater Syria and the four freedoms, in J R C A S , vol. X X X I , Apr. 1944, p . 156. 588 For the success in Beirut o f the Egyptian film Night o f Love (Lailat ghardm)— starring Y u suf W ahbi, Laila M urad and Anw ar W ajdi— see Bairut, Nov. 29, I95LP-2.

589 Al-Ayyam, O ct. 22, 1935, summarized in O M , vol. X V , Nov., 1935, p. 576.

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A later attempt to build film studios in Beirut590 has apparently not yet borne fruit. This by no means implies that the people in these two countries do not appreciate the cinema and the Arabic-speaking film. In Lebanon there were in 1949 some forty-eight cinema halls, with a seating capacity o f 24,000. The seventeen halls in Beirut alone had 12,900 seats, Tripoli being next with ten halls containing 4,200 seats. T otal attendance in Lebanon during 1948 was six million, i.e., an average o f five times a year per capita. About half o f the cinema-goers flock to the Egyptian films591, which is remarkable when foreign (especially United States) competition is taken into account. Egyptian films have repeatedly been shot in the wonderful panoramas of the Lebanon, e.g., An Egyptian in the Lebanon (M isrifi Lubnan)592. When filming this picture593, as well as on many other occasions, local talents were given minor roles to interpret. Local artists usually go for screen tests to Cairo to determine their aptitude for the cinema594; others work in the Egyptian film industry and return home afterwards to write their own scenarios or produce local films595. In their attempts at writing, acting, or producing, these young men and women are considerably influenced by the impact o f the steady flow o f foreign films. In Syria, too, the screen is a great attraction. The silent film and, later, French talking films stirred the interest o f the crowds throughout the country. Cinema halls sprang up in quick suc­ cession, and in 1950 there were about fifty 35-mm. cinemas in the whole o f Syria with a seating capacity o f approximately 27,000; since then the number seems to have increased. About h alf o f the cinema halls and two-thirds o f the total seating capacity are in Damascus and Aleppo combined. The rest are 590 Reported by A .N .A ., in The Palestine Post, June 5, 1944. 891 U N E S C O , Press, Film, Radio, vol. I l l , 1949, pp. 176-177. 692 Starring L ola Sidqi and K am al al-Shinawi— cf. the Jordanian daily al-Difa*, A pr. 17, 1952, p. 3 and A pr. 29, 1952, p. 1. 893 Ibid., ibid. 694 Al-Hayat (Lebanon), Feb. 22,1953, p. 6. 895 Ibid., ibid. Also RT, June 21, 1954, p. 33, and al-Sayyad, July 15, 1954, p. 29.

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in other towns or large rural centers. The total yearly atten­ dance was unofficially estimated at 5,000,000, i.e., once a year per capita, approximately696. The predominance o f the Egyptian film is marked in Syria no less than in Lebanon. Arabic-speaking films are imported almost solely from Egypt. Until recently, this was done through some distributors in Beirut, but since the termination o f the customs union between Syria and Lebanon, agents have been appointed in Damascus, and direct importation from Egypt is likely to follow. A ll films, before they are shown, must obtain the approval of a censorship board connected with the Security Department and composed o f three members representing the Security Department, the director of press and propaganda, and the Ministry of Education. One of the duties o f this censorship board is to see that every film without an Arabic sound track should have Arabic subtitles— an interesting manifestation of nationalism. It appears that no less than half the cinema-goers prefer Egyptian films, which is no mean achievement when the com­ petition o f the American and European industry is taken into account (including showings by the United States Information Service, the British Council, and the French Legation). It is usually the villagers and the lower urban classes that prefer the Arabic-speaking films, produced in Egypt. These appeal to them by both their easy-to-understand subject matter and their lan­ guage, even though this is the colloquial Arabic o f Egypt; most audiences can understand it by not too great an effort. The more educated prefer foreign films, chiefly American and French. This need not be taken to mean that any innovation fails to attract the lovers o f the Arabic film: in the Damascus Fair of September, 1954, for instance, the Americans showed Cinerama and drew huge audiences composed o f all classes596a. 5»6 U N E S C O , Press, film, radio, vol. IV , 1950, pp. 365-366. 696aTim*, The Weekly Newsmagazine (N .Y .), Sep. 13, 1954, p. 23; ibid., Nov. 1,

1954»P- 9 -

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It is rather strange that under these circumstances no suc­ cessful, permanent experiment has been made at founding a large Syrian film industry, after the stillbirth o f the “ U m ayya Film .” Since the end o f W orld W ar II, one studio has been built in Damascus. It has a stage, a recording room, and a little laboratory. U ntil 1950 (later activities unknown), it produced only one full-length feature film, other productions being docu­ mentaries and newsreels. T he latter have been financed by the state, and even then exclusively for the parts which the govern­ ment was directly interested in seeing included. Probably the reason for the all too small development o f the Syrian motion picture lies in the lack o f capital and o f both economic and moral support on the part o f the Syrian government. Compared to the theater, the cinema has developed con­ siderably in Jordan. Although no local motion-picture industry was in existence, there were in 1950 some sixteen 35-mm. cinemas and one 16-mm., all o f them together seating some 8,000. O f these cinema halls, five (including the 16-mm. one) were in ‘Amman, as was an open-air one, operated in summer­ time only. The A rab part o f Jerusalem had five, and two new 35-mm. cinemas were then under construction in ‘Amman. T he total yearly attendance was unofficially estimated at over one million, i.e., a little more than one time a year per capita. About 700 different feature films are shown in Jordan every year, divided approximately as follows: American films

45 per cent

Egyptian films

30 per cent

British films

15 per cent

French, Italian and Turkish films

10 per cent 100 per cent

T he exhibitors order the films directly from Beirut or Cairo, where the subtitling is usually done. A ll films have to receive the

BEGINNINGS AND DEVELO PM ENT

175

approval of a censorship board, appointed by the Jordanian Prime Minister. Its chairman is the Undersecretary of State, while the two other members represent the Minister o f the Interior and the Police. Sometimes the board asks the advice o f a representative o f a certain Muslim organization if there is any apprehension as to whether a given film m ay tend to hurt the religious feelings of the population597. In Iraq, patrons favor the cinema consistently. In 1950, there were in the whole country seventy-one 35-mm. cinemas, of which thirty-two were open air ones. About twenty-seven cinema halls were in Baghdad, with Basra and Mosul following suit with seven each. Total seating capacity was about 65,000, and, according to U N E S C O computations5973, had an annual attendance of some 25 million which means five visits a year per capita. Egyptian films led the way with more than half the attendance, followed by American and British films. In 1950, the Baghdad Studios, owned by a cinema proprietor, had a small stage, a recording room, and a modernly equipped laboratory. It produced two films and then closed down. Government efforts597b to renew film production, in 1952, had no success, probably due to inability to compete with the Egyptian motion-picture industry. One hears o f few public shows in Bahrain. In Saudi Arabia or K uw ait films are, as a rule, shown privately in the houses o f the rich. The cause is that the “ Government o f Saudi Arabia does not permit the public showing of films on the grounds that this is prejudicial to ethical and religious ideals” 5970 (sic!). The Arab cinema has had no better luck in North Africa, where many Egyptian films are shown regularly. In 1951, Lybia had twelve 35-mm. cinemas, with a total seating capacity o f 8,400; o f these, eight cinemas were in Tripoli597d. A t the same 597 U N E S C O , Press, film, radio, vol. IV , 1950, pp. 356-357. J P , July 15, 1955, p. 5. 597aU N E S C O , ibid., pp. 357- 359b91bAl-Ahdli (Baghdad), O ct. 22, 1952, p. 2. 597cU N E S C O , Press, film, radio, vol. IV , 1950, p. 365. 597dIbid., vol. V , 1951, p. 265.

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time, the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan had eighteen permanent 35mm. cinemas597®. No attempts at local production are known from either L ybia or the Sudan. The population o f French North Africa has been showing so much interest in the cinema that some modest attempts have been made at local production. During the Second W orld W ar, when the V ich y authorities wanted to tighten their hold over their subjects in North Africa, three propaganda documentaries were dubbed with an Arabic commentary598. From there it was a short step towards local production. Tunisia boasted o f sixty halls in 1949, visited annually by approximately 8,500,000 cinema-goers, who certainly appre­ ciated the Arabic-speaking films imported from Egypt. Local production was begun in 1945 in the single African Studio, and consisted mainly o f documentaries— which the French author­ ities subsidized— and short musical films599. Algeria, which in the same year had some 230 cinema halls, with a seating capacity o f 130,000, was even more attracted by the Arabic film 600. Production, however, was limited to non-native societies, particularly French and American. Special mention should be made here o f the good work done by the W orld Health Organization, which is typical o f the penetration of cinema into the farthest limits of A rab countries. Let the W H O itself sum it u p 601: “ O n the third of August [1950] at the Palais des Nations, members of the staff of W H O and other U N personnel had an opportunity to see films and hear discussions of the visual education programme which the Government of Algeria is carrying out to 697eIbid., pp. 269-272. 898 La Dépêche Tunisienne, Dec. 19, 1941, summarized in O M , vol X X I I , M ay., 1942, p. 218. 599 U N E S C O , Press, film, radio, vol. I l l , 1949, pp. 174-176. See also al-Kawâkib, Feb. 22, 1955, pp. 16-17. 800 U N E S C O , ibid., pp. 158-162. «°1 W H O Newsletter, Nos. 8-9, Aug-Sep., 1950, p. 4. See also the Hebrew educa­ tional weekly Hedha-hinnukh (Tel-Aviv), Sep. 16, 1951, p. 8.

BEGINNINGS AND DEVELOPMENT

177

promote health and elementary hygiene. M. Joseph Meyer, chief of the cinema service of the Government of Algeria, presented an in­ teresting programme of health-propaganda and entertainment films and reported that since 1947 Algeria has made about 40 documen­ taries on various aspects of life in Algeria, the most important of which are those on public health. “ The films are made in sound and silent, 16 and 35 mm. versions and are shown to the population through a variety of distribution services, including mobile cinema vans equipped with 35 mm. pro­ jection facilities and their own electrical generating systems, 16 mm. projectors in schools and other institutions, and the ordinary enter­ tainment cinema houses. The films are made in French and Classic Arabic but since a large proportion of the populace does not under­ stand either of these languages every team includes an interpretertranslator-commentator who replaces the sound track on the film and gives an explanation and commentary in the dialect of the particular section. The work of these commentators is one of the most interesting aspects of the Algerian film programme. Candidates are chosen primarily for their public-spirited interest in the welfare and health of their people, since the desire to improve conditions is fundamental to a successful approach to this work. They are re­ cruited from among members of the teaching and medical profes­ sion, nurses, social workers, religious groups, etc. They are given a thorough training at the Regional Centre of Health Education before they are sent out on their missions. “ In 1949, according to M. Meyer, more than 600,000 spectators saw the educational films presented through mobile cinemas. They travel primarily to villages of the Bled which are cut off from ordinary communications, have no electricity and have rarely seen a film. It is remarkable, he commented, that the Moslem women in these villages, who, as a rule, never venture into public places, come in great numbers to these programmes. After the showings the crowd swarms around the projection team and besieges them with questions. When health films are shown the audience invariably tries to convert the question period into a medical consultation. This is always met with the same counsel: ‘Have confidence in your local health officers and in the welfare workers, go to the clinic nearest you, follow the advice of the doctors and abandon charlatans

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STUDIES IN THE ARA B T H E A T E R A ND CINEMA

who will bring you only trouble.’ The results are most encouraging and many hundreds of villages are now demanding increased modern medical services. The cities are already convinced.”

Possibly inspired by the shows, Algerian actors and actresses began to organize. One o f them, Ashwàq, was chosen to act in an Egyptian film (Wahiba malikat al-ghajar) 602, while another, K arim a, got an important though silent role in Carol R eed’s Outcast of the Islands603. Later, K arim a appears to try her luck in the film industry in Ita ly604. Similar work, preparing A rab actors and speakers for their work in a future local film industry, was also undertaken in Morocco. This, having equal success, was continued under the patronage o f the French residency, which has also supplied funds for the local production o f films serving simultaneously the purposes of instruction and propaganda605. These various films, despite their local success, have not succeeded in changing an iota the loyalty o f the population to the Egyptian A rabic­ speaking film. M any natives still remember proudly the first M oroccan film, The Seventh Door (al-Bâb al-sâbiÉ), produced during the very brief period o f thirteen weeks in the year 1946. This was originally filmed in French, with French actors; but, at the same time, an Arabic version was prepared, with the M oroccan stars, Qibsï (as the hero) and Kulthüm (as the heroine). The film was shown not only locally, but exported to France, to be shown before A rab audiences there606. T he local companies, who share the single film studio in R abat, have been producing two to four Arabic-speaking films a year and hope to raise the number to six. T he cinema halls— numbering in 1949 about a hundred, with a seating capacity o f 65,ooo607 could easily show more locally made films, were these available. 602 Al-Mu$awwar, Nov. 14, 1951. 603 B E , Aug. 23, 1952, p. 5. 604 See the Belgian weekly Ciné Revue, Apr. 15, 1954, p. 30. 605 Landau, in M E A , vol. IV , N ov., 1953, p. 358. 608 See the Cairene weekly al-Ghara’ib, vol. I, Nov. 20, 1946, p. 14. 607 U N E S C O , Press, film, radio, vol. I l l , 1949, p. 170.

CHAPTER 2

Production and Acting a. D ist r ib u t io n T h e success of the Egyptian film in other lands is to be attri­ buted, to an extent, to the great care bestowed on its distribu­ tion608 both by the Egyptian government— interested, as it is, in the foreign currency attainable thereby609— and the pro­ ducers. These, soon realizing the relationship between distribu­ tion in Egypt and abroad and their profits, became their own distributors, notwithstanding the work and fatigue involved610. While the Egyptian government naturally took into account the film industry’s interests in its commercial treaties with other states (e.g., with Germ any611), producers were more than worried about the growing number o f foreign films imported yearly into Egypt (some 312 in the year 1953612). Therefore, they urged the Egyptian authorities, time and again, to protect this industry by higher tariffs, particularly after France had raised the custom duties on Egyptian films613. A t the same time they busied themselves personally in distributing their films locally and abroad614. This in itself should not be taken to mean that the management o f production took only a little o f their time. b. P r o d u c t io n

The monopoly o f the Egyptian film in the Arab Near East 608 In Arabic: T a u zi *. 809 See above, Third Part, ch. I, the beginning o f section c. 810 Article al-Film al-mi$rifVl-aqtar al-sharqiyya, in AS, Dec. 30, 1953. 611 Af, July 14, 1952, p. 10. 612 R Y , Feb: 15, 1954, p. 42. 613 4 7 , Dec. 1,1952, p. 8. 814 E.g., al-Haydt, Feb. 22, 1953, p. 6. For a list o f the main countries importing Egyptian films, see U N E S C O , Press, film, radio, vol. I l l , 1949, pp. 163-164. S . A . T . C . —N

179

l 80

STUDIES IN THE ARAB T H E A T E R AND CINEMA

is beginning to attract even the attention of Hollywood financciers615. It reached its peak during the Second W orld W ar, due to lack of any competition from the Italian and German cinema. Despite war-time restrictions, six new studios began to function in the war years, bringing the total number to eighteen616. The number o f producers617, on both a great and a small scale,was over sixty618. Even if some o f these had to close down, others took their place. Because of its inflated profits, the film industry became highly commercialized, attaching more importance to quantity than to quality. Seventy new films were shown in 1946619, a number which has been maintained and sometimes surpassed620. It dropped slightly afterwards: thirty-three new films in 1948, fifty-eight in 1949, fifty-seven in 1950, fifty-three in 1951 ; since 1952 it has risen again to seventy621. Egypt still remains, along with the Argentine, tenth on the world film list (judging by the number o f films it produces), and allegedly fourth on the list o f exporters622. The film industry’s income is considerable, especially when one considers the relatively low cost o f living in Egypt. The larger companies, in particular, have been doing good busi­ ness623. The total gross revenues o f the film industry in 1952 amounted 615 Mosharrafa, op. cit., vol. II, p. 60. 616 M . Saad El-Din, Theatre and cinema, in B , fasc. 12, M ay, 1947, p. 86. 617 In A rabic : muntijün. 618 A J , N ov. 24, 1952, p. 8. 619 Saad El-Din, op. cit., in B , M ay, 1947, p. 86. Facts about the film industry in Egypt, ibid., fasc. 9, Feb. 1947, p. 7. Contrast, however, U N E S C O , Press, film, radio, vol. I l l , 1949, which gives slightly lower figures for these years. 620 Fathï A b ü ’ 1-Fadl, al-Qi^a f ï fin a'at al-sïnimâ’l-mifriyya, in A, June 9, 1952, p. 3, Cf. al-Atrash, ibid., Nov. 25, 1953, p. 5. 621 Annuaire de la fédération égyptienne de Vindustrie 1952-1953 (1953), p. 157. C on­ trast, however, Ateek, op. cit., in B , fasc. 51, Jan., 1951, p. 6; and U N E S C O , Vinformation à travers le monde, relevant paragraphs reprinted in P E , Jan. 1, 1952, p. 5. The number allegedly fell to 62 in 1953 and rose to 84 in 1954— cf. Variety (N .Y.), Apr. 6, 1955. 622 P E , ibid. 623 M , June 3, 1952, p. 3, published a suggestive Profit-and-Loss sheet, pertaining to the Egyptian Com pany for Acting and Cinem a (Shirkat Mi$r lïl-tam thîl wa*l-sînimâ), for the year 1951.

PRODUCTION AND ACTING

181

to £ E 2 ,150,000, and in 1953 they rose to £E2,7c>o,ooo624. The film companies have, o f course, to reckon also with great ex­ penditure. The rather strange apportionment of this expendi­ ture is another indication o f what the public insists on. An Egyptian film hardly ever costs more than ££50,000, sometimes even less than £E25,ooo625. O f this amount, some ££250 to ££500 is paid to the script writer626, generally627, and another £E2,ooo to the art director, and £ E 1,000 to the photography director628; while a large part o f the rest o f the expenses goes towards the salary of the actors. O nly low-cost films pay their actors sums o f from £ E i,o o o to £E4,ooo629. The more re­ nowned stars, it is rumored, receive much m ore: Asmahan, up to £ E 10,000 per film 630, Laila Murad, some £ E 10,000i2,ooo631; Um m Kulthum approximately £ E 15,000-18,000632; while others, like Muhammad ‘Abd al-Wahhab, are paid £ E 18,000 or more per film 633 (or earn, like the late Camelia— Miss Lilian Cohen— some £E20,ooo a year634). In other words a much greater percentage out of the total expenditure than is customary in the world film industry635 goes to the actors. One can understand the attraction o f the screen to the stage actors, «24 /er, July 26,1954, p. 33. 625 U N E S C O , op. cit., vol. I l l , 1949, p. 164. Ph. Toynbee, Egypt's Arabic film monopoly, in J P , June 2, 1950, p.4. 626 4 J , Aug. 4, 1952, p. 8; ibid., Dec. 8, 1952, p. 8; al-Jail al-jadid, Dec. 7, 1953, p. 36. 627 w ith veiy rare exceptions, such as that o f T aha Husain, who received (true, after a suit of law) ¿£4,440— see A S, Dec. 30, 1953; cf. also B E , June 13, 1952, P- 3 628 4 7 , Nov. 24, 1952, p. 8. For the exception, M uhammad Karim , who is said to take no less than ¿£4,000 for every film, see Jalil al-Bundari, Azmat mukhrijin f V l-sinima* l-mifriyya, in AS, O ct. 28, 1953, p. 26. 629 A J , July 28, 1952, p. 8; ibid., Aug. 4, 1952, p. 8. 630 A .N .A ., in J P , July 3, 1944. 831 Facts about the film industry in Egypt, in B , fasc. 9, Feb. 1947, p. 8. Toynbee, op. cit., in J P , June 2, 1950, p. 4. 632 Facts , ibid., ibid. Also A S, Dec. 30,1953. 633 Saad El-Din, op. cit., in B , M ay, 1947, pp. 86-87; Toynbee, op. cit., in J P , June 2,1950, p. 4; Landau, in M E A , vol. IV , N ov., 1953, pp. 356-357. 034 Colin Legum, M iss Cohenfrom Cairo, in J P , Feb. 10,1950, p. 4. 636 Cf. Prof. R . M aggi, Filmindustria riflessi economici (1934), ch. 3. O n the whole problem see F. H. Ricketson, The management o f motion picture theatres (1938).

182

STUDIES IN THE A RAB T H E A T E R A ND CINEMA

many o f whom still get paid, for instance, a paltry £E20 per month636! The double significance o f this is clear: since the public hankers first and foremost for the stars, the latter obtain the lion’s share o f the film’s budget; this means that the script writing, direction, decoration, lighting, photography, and all other elements o f production inevitably suffer. It is only the largest film companies that are able, after facing all the ex­ penditure, to devote a part o f their gains to the acquisition of much-needed up-to-date machinery, some o f it even for technicolor637. The greatest o f these companies is Studio Misr which, founded in I 934 638, has withstood a terrible fire on its premises which ruined expensive equipment and some com­ pletely new finished or half-finished films639. The above studios really belong to the Egyptian Com pany for Acting and Cinema, but they filmed and sometimes distributed pictures for other companies as well. Studio Misr enjoyed this privilege because o f its new photographic equipment and other modern apparatus, ably distributed throughout its many large filming studios640. Second only to it is the Studio Jalal near Cairo, so-called after its founder. This last film company is said to be the proud possessor o f modern equipment, specially suited for fine soundrecording641. c. D ir e c t io n

Since so many producers manage both the production and distribution, they have had to leave the direction642 o f shooting the films to others, though previously they undertook the job themselves. The directors were at first foreigners— there is only 638 A l-Z am O ct. 21, 1952, p. 4; cf. ibid., A ug. 29, 1952, p. 4. T h e directors of theatrical troupes get more, o f course— cf. R T, Jan. 5,19 54 , p. 42. 837 Saad El-Din, op. cit., in B , M ay, 1947, p. 86. 638 See above, Third Part, ch. 1, section b. 839 Details in al-Mufawwar, June 1 3 , 1 9 5 i,p . 31. 840 AS, Nov. 28, 1951, p. 13, cf. A T , Apr. 19, 1952. For a contradictory view see R T, M ay 31, 1954, p. 34. 841 Al-Mufawwar, July 23, 1954, p. 33. 642 In A rabic : Ikhraj.

P RODUCTION AND ACTING

a little literature in Arabic on production and direction643— but afterwards Egyptians. O f the foreigners, special mention should be made o f André Vigneau, the technical director o f Studio Misr, a Frenchman of great ability, who has shot some o f the company’s best documentaries644. M any o f the Egyptian direc­ tors have had little, if any, particular training, being recruited from the ranks of the actors. Indeed, it was not uncommon for a producer to be his own art director and leading actor; and even nowadays one may hear o f the director starring or, at least, acting in the film which is being shot at the tim e646. The strenuous, persistent demands of the cinema critics for speciali­ zation646 have done but little to change this practice, since acting is a so much more fruitful source o f income than art direction647. This attitude is one o f the main retarding factors in the Egyptian film industry; it is, perhaps, to be observed best in the status of art direction (which apparently includes, in Egypt, all branches o f direction). A t the end o f the year 1953 there were about forty film directors in Egypt648. For a relatively long time they had tried their hand at directing various films, a good number o f which were failures due to lack o f proper artistic and technical advice. Nowadays, almost every director has cautiously specialized in one certain type of film (comedy, tragedy, melodrama), the choice depending upon his experience. Since it is the directors’ duty to choose the script, they are in a great measure responsible for the development o f the Arab cinema. Most o f these directors have an insufficient knowledge o f the problems involved as they have come to their work either from acting or from film criticism. Extremely few have had the benefit o f special study. 643 Such as Muçtafâ Ibrahim Husain’s handbook Farm al-film (M , J u ly 14, 1952, p. 10) or Talba R adw ân’s Sinâ'at al-sïnimà (ibid., M ay 19, 1952, p. 5; A, same date, p. 5), 644 M . Jacobs, The cinema, in B, fasc. 24, M ay 1948, p. 39. 646 4 7 , Nov. 24,1952, p. 8, for an example. 646 E.g., ibid., Aug. 4, 1952, p. 8. 647 See above, the previous Section. 648 Jalïl al-Bundàrï, op. cit., in AS, O ct. 28, 1953, p. 26.

184

STUDIES IN THE ARAB T H E A T E R A ND CINEMA

Among these one should mention Yusuf W ahbl, who studied in Italy; French-taught Ahm ad Badrkhan, a director o f musical films: and German-taught M uhammad K arim . Most o f the others are either auto-didacts or students who follow unwaveringly the patterns of their masters649. Although some directors may have a knowledge o f music (an integral part o f almost every Egyptian film), they have only a slight notion about the gestures and the tone required from the actors or about the proper background and decorations. Few are wise enough to secure the needed assistance o f well-trained specialists in design650 or costumes651. Thus anachronisms and incongruities652 which might easily have been avoided find a place in a large number o f Egyptian films. Unfortunately— possibly because many directors and monteurs do not have enough contacts with the day-to-day life o f the people— 653 photography is frequently unimaginative. The camera is all too often employed inside the studio, using time and again the same decorations— economical devices, no doubt, but hardly praise­ worthy. Even so, the pictures are sometimes inadequately cu t654. When shooting a film, a variety of techniques is used, but not always accurately, for the resulting effect is often at the expense o f the smoothness o f continuity. The sequence of the film is thus sometimes stilted while the montage (mounting) is, now and then, done rather carelessly: very seldom are all available possibilities o f montage considered in the light of their respective merits. The synchronization o f the sound track is satisfactory, sometimes well-nigh perfect. However, discerning critics agree that production and direction stress music (of late, American music is being introduced) to such an extent that a majority o f 649 Id., ibid. 650 Such as the able Ahm ad Khurshid— see A , Apr. 23, 1952, p. 8. 651 Such as Yvonne M ad i (the actress Zozo M ad i’s sister)— see A Y , Ju ly 5, 1952, p. 8, cf. on these problems M . Verdone (ed.), La moda e il costume nel film (1950). 652 F or instances see Rushdi Kam iTs Intibd'at etc., in K M , fasc. 12, Sep., 1946, p. 737. Id., Haul al-sinimd*l-mi$riyya, ibid., fasc. 26, Nov. 1947, pp. 291 ss. 653 Cf. al-Tafirir (organ o f the Egyptian arm y), First issue, Sep. 17, 1952, p. 23. 654 Ph. Toynbee, op. cit., in J P , June 2, 1950, p. 4.

PRODUCTION AND ACTING

18 5

the films are predominantly musical at the expense of the visual element and the plot. In other words, the blending of sight and sound, while technically elaborate, is not always pleasing to a trained audience655. The Arab public, however, likes it this way, in the same manner in which it expects their film stars to be primarily good singers. d. A

c t in g

Since the Arab film industry is particularly developed in Egypt, the most famous Arab stars656 are found there. Often even the actors starring in films produced in Lebanon or else­ where in the Near East are of Egyptian origin or have been trained there657. It is there, too, that the film actors’ union658 is most active. Having an educated membership, it finds no diffi­ culty in safeguarding the working conditions and financial pre­ rogatives which it considers its due. It includes not only theater and cinema actors659 but also technical workers660, including film directors661 though not the script writers, who are a part of the union o f writers and musicians662. The producers, also, have an opposing organization to look after their interests663. The actors’ union is organized as are other trade-unions in Egypt, i.e., following the Western pattern o f a council, headed by a president, a vice president, first and second secretaries and a treasurer664. The council, elected by a general assembly665 strives to guard the union’s professional standards and financial 655 Landau, in M E A , vol. IV , N ov., 1953, pp. 353~354* O n the required standards see K . London, Film music (London, 1936). 656 In A ra b ic: najm or munajjam. 667 For examples see Landau, in M E A , vol. IV , Nov., 1953, p. 356. 658 In A rabic: niqabat al-mumaththilin. 659 A J Sep. 28, 1952, p. 6. Al-Zamdn, O ct. 22, 1952, p. 4. R T, June 7, 1954, p. 35. 660 4 7 , Nov. 24,1952, p. 8. 661 Al-Zwnan, Sep. 12, 1952, p. 4. 662 O n which see ibid., O ct. 21, 1952, p. 4; M , June 16, 1952, p. 12. 663 A J, Dec. 22,1952, p. 8. 664 Ibid., Sep. 28,1952, p. 6. 665 Al-Nidd', Apr. 8,1952, p. 6. Al-Kawdkib, Jan. 4,19 55, p. 20.

Loyal

STUDIES IN THE A RA B T H E A T E R AND CINEMA

needs, by protesting against dismissals, preventing the com­ petition of foreign or native actors and technicians (not affili­ ated with the union), arranging loans on easy terms, and grant­ ing pensions to the disabled and the old666. Therefore it finds little time, if any, to deal with the artistic or technical factors667 which might have been an important common denominator for the members of this union. The actors also need the moral backing o f their union: con­ servative opinion, backed by propaganda deriving from ortho­ dox Muslim circles, still regards the whole profession as disre­ putable and socially inferior. This campaign is more bitter than the campaign against the theater, since the impact o f the cinema on the Arab masses is greater and reaches wider audi­ ences. M any families would feel themselves dishonored, even today, should one o f their daughters choose to be an actress668. It is perhaps this watchfulness by a not inconsiderable part of the public that makes actors and actresses wary o f scandal. Thus, in contrast to Hollywood and the European film world, there is but little gossip about the A rab stars, and what there is, is relatively innocent. T o give a few instances: Sabah, a pretty Lebanese cabaret singer who became a film actress669— fondly called by her fans “ Blackbird o f the (Nile) V alley” (Shuhrurat alwadi)— was reported670 (falsely, it appears), to be about to marry a rich sheikh from K uw ait and leave the screen; one of the most talented film stars, Laila M urad, was accused (wrongly) o f aiding Israel in the Egypt-Israel w ar671 and her films were banned, for a time, in Jordan672, Syria, and in Egypt 666 M J u l y 14,1952, p. 1 0 . 4 7 , Ju ly 21, *952, P* 8887 See ‘U thm an al-‘A n tabirs referendum on H al addat niqabat al-stnima risalataha, in M , June 9, 1952, p. 8 and Husain Sidqi’s reaction to the various replies ibid., June 16,1952, p. 12. 868 Landau, in M E A , vol. IV , Nov. 1953, p. 356. 688 Details see in the Lebanese daily Kull shaV, July 27, 1952, p. 6. 870 Al-Zam O ct. 21, 1952, p. 4. 871 Ibid., O ct. 21, 1952, p. 4; PE, Sep. 13, 1952, p. 6; Teleghrdph (Beirut), Sep. 15-16, 1952, p . 2. 872 J P , O ct. 6, 1952, based on Radio Ram allah.

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itself673; an attractive belly-dancer turned film actress, Tahiyya Kariyoka, was arrested as a Communist suspect674; the Egyptian film crooner, Farid al-Atrash, allegedly seemed to be entertain­ ing hopes (vain ones) o f marrying nineteen-year-old ex-Queen Narim an675. An exception must be made, however, in the favor — or, rather, in the disfavor— of Samiya Jamal, the Egyptian film actress who left her country to act in an American film and marry an American, a certain rich actor named Mr. King. In her case, every suggestion of scandal was bruited about in the Arabic press676 and avidly gulped down by the public. The exception might have been caused either by wrath at her marrying a foreigner and a Christian at that, or, better still, by the envy o f other stars and starlets. For in Egypt and other Arab countries, no less than in other lands, the com­ petition between various stage and screen actors (with all its contiguous phenomena) is very bitter. M any are the actors, however renowned they may be, who compete for a part in various films677. I f there are comparatively few “ new faces,” 678 this is not due to lack of interest in the cinema. Young boys and girls, oblivious of future competition that awaits them, are attracted to the Arab cinema, not only by their desire for fame, but also by their craving for financial gain. Instances have already been given679 to show that the cinema-acting profession in the Arab countries is highly remunerative. When one remembers that in most Arab countries the cost of living is fairly low— if compared, for 673 Ibid., O ct. 15,1952, based on A.P. 674 Reported by U .P ., in J P , Nov. 5, 1953, P- 3 * See the impressions o f the actress, after she had been set free, in R T , M ar. 22, 1954, p. 33. 676 Reported by Reuter, in J P , Jan. 29,1954, p. 1. 878 E.g., A J , Aug. 25, 1952, p. 8; al-Jihdd, M ar. 5, 1956, p. 3; A S, M ay 20, 1953, pp. 24-25; al-Sayy&d, June 3, 1954, p. 29. H er autobiography was serialized in the cinema weekly al-Kawakib , 1954-1955. 877 See, e.g., A T , July 5,1952, p. 8, for a three-sided competition. 878 Leila Mourad, A year o f the Egyptian cinema, in The Arab World (London), No. 21, O ct., 1954, p. 14. 879 See above, p. 181.

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example, with that in the United States, Great Britain, France, or Switzerland— and the income tax is reasonable, one can well understand why the film stars manage to live so luxuri­ ously. It is this luxury which appeals to the many youths at­ tracted to the film industry, some o f whom have no true talent for it680. The fire of their hope is further fanned by the fact that only a few of the Arab actors o f stage and screen were of aristocratic origin (which, traditionally, led social life in all its aspects). The greater part came from lowly families681, like the aspirants themselves. One o f the main hindrances to the progress o f the Arab cinema is the lack of specialization o f these many young actors (and o f many of the old ones, too). Egypt is the only Arab country that has a small Higher School for the Cinema [KulU iyyat al-sinima), supervised by the Ministry of Education, but this can train only a very limited number o f students682. M any actors would like to study abroad, but are too poor to afford it (currency regulations are another, though less serious, obstacle). The various Arab governments have never spent much money on film actors’ studies abroad; the Egyptian government did so683, but stopped this financial aid a few years ago684, appar­ ently through lack o f both interest in and funds for the purpose. It was only occasionally that Egyptian minor actors as well as assistant directors could participate in filming pictures abroad. When Yu su f W ahbi was invited to act Pharaoh’s part in a French film in 1952, he insisted on having Egyptian assistants take part685. 680 For such an instance cf. al-‘Antabli, op. cit., in M ., June 9, 1952, p. 8. 681 Husain R ifqi’l-Sharuni, al-Sinima fV l-ja ish , in Jaishuna, Nos. 257-260 (un­ dated), pp. 45-46. 882 M ., Apr. 20, 1952, p. 5. This School’s inadequateness probably prompted M uhammad Hammada to demand the foundation o f an Institute for the Cinema, o f an academic standard. Cf. his article al-Sinimdl-misriyya f i khatar, in A S, Apr. 15, 1953, p. 5. 688 See, e.g., B E , M ay 31, 1949, p. 6. 684 Af., June 30, 1952, p. 10. 685 Yusuf Wahbiyatahaddath ‘an al-shu'un alfanniyya , in al-Zaman, O ct. 21, 1952, p. 4.

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The much-admired screen stars are mostly stage actors like Jurj Abyad, Yusuf W ahbi, the late ‘A ll’l-Kassar or N ajib alR ihani, whose art has already been described686, in addition to a few successful singers, famed for their opera performances687. Y usuf W ahbi is probably the most renowned. He has forsaken the theater almost completely688 spending large sums on pro­ ducing and directing Arabic films, as well as much time on script writing and starring in his own films. Indeed his connec­ tion with the Arab cinema dates from its early infancy689. This indefatigable veteran, adored by his audiences, is one of the foremost protagonists o f local themes and local actors as the mainstay of the Arab cinema, even though he holds that actors should, like himself, study and seek experience abroad. While so many Arab actors base their skill on the imitation of certain foreign stars, W ahbi has tried for years to develop a style based on the Egyptian character. It is this prevalent lack of originality that makes it so difficult to point out any truly outstanding screen actors or actresses, who not only look kissable and can sing and dance (great assets, just as in the Arab theater), but also know how to act. Besides the above-named, some mention should be made o f M uham ­ mad Salman. A Lebanese from a poor villagers’ family, Salman left his country at the age o f twenty-five, arriving in Cairo with a suitcase containing all his worldly possessions— a suit and pyjamas. Now he has become known for his sonorous voice and above-average acting in various Egyptian film melodramas. The Lebanese melodies he sings in his films (which have reached as far as Brazil) were considered such an important service to his native country that, in 1952, the Lebanese government 686 See above, Second Part, Ch. 3. 687 E.g., Um m Kulthum . These are really operatic actors and as such should be the subject o f a separate study. 688 Cf. al-Kawakib, Jan. 18, 1955, pp. 8-9. 689 See the preceding chapter.

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decorated him 690. Even more popular is the able comedian Ismà‘ïl Yàsïn, who has a charm all his own in rendering the most absurd situation lovably believable. One o f his best crea­ tions is Phantoms' House (Bait al-ashbah), in which he makes love to a gorilla691. Other younger actors hold some promise, but it is too early to judge whether they possess real talent. Am ong the film actresses, besides Lailâ M uràd and the others already nam ed692, Shàdiya deserves some mention. Born to a family o f Turkish origin, she was a cabaret singer whose rise on the screen was meteoric: beginning in 1948 with a part in the film The Mind on Vacation (al^A qlfi ijâza), Shàdiya went from one success to another, playing in the next four years in forty films, in many of which she had the leading role698. Her great asset is the happy combination o f a good voice, pretty face, and graceful acting. M ore character acting m ay be ob­ served in the screen interpretations o f the Lebanese actress, Nfir al-Hudà. She is not only possessed o f an excellent voice for her singing parts, but she can act admirably the parts o f suffering people, with both true-to-life pathos and restrained dignity. Her able interpretation o f suffering humanity must be based, it seems, on her own knowledge o f the common people with whom her childhood was spent. These experiences, however, seem to have left no external signs on her, for she is charmingly youthful, thus being eminently suited to act the traditional part o f the innocent-looking, music-loving girl come to grips with life694. She succeeds, moreover, in adding a touchingly human element to every part she acts696. This is not the case o f another innocentlooking Egyptian actress, Fàtin Hamàma. Conscious o f her suc­ cess in the role o f the innocent teen-ager falling in love for the 690 Kull shaV Ju ly 27,1952, p. 6; ibid., A u g. 3, 1952, p. 6. 891 A , O ct. 27, 1951, p. 6; cf. R T , O ct. 30, 1951. Also th e Syrian weekly aUDunyà, Nov. 26,1954, pp. 9 ,1 4 -1 5 . 892 See above, pp. 181-187. 693 K ull sh a ï, Aug. 3, 1952, p. 6. Also R T , M ar. 15,19 54 , pp. 32-33. 694 M . Hairabèdian, Une grande artiste du cinéma égyptien Nour-El-Houda (ms., 6 pp.) 695 For general material on the actors* interpretation in theater and cinema, see C . Tam berlani, V interprétazione nel teatro e nel cinema ( 1941 ).

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19 1

first time, she persists in acting this part alone696. This proce­ dure is likely, in the long run, to diminish her popularity. Summing up, one finds the following main traits in the Arab film industry: 1. Distribution is aided by the government, but many pro­ ducers undertake this task themselves, both in their own country (Egypt) and abroad. 2. There is an emphasis on the quantity o f production (about seventy films a year), rather than on its quality. This is brought about by the large profits of the film industry. 3. The film directors and their technical assistants lack a sufficient standard o f specialization, which is often harmful to the montage of new films. 4. The visual element in the film is somewhat neglected, thus bowing to the music-loving public. 5. Actors and actresses, while under suspicion by the religious circles and always menaced with scandals (although less so than in the West), are amply compensated by large remuneration. This attracts many youngsters to the cinema. 6. W hile many screen actors and actresses still imitate great film stars, there are already a few original Arab actors and actresses who, besides a good voice and an ability to dance, have the knack for good character acting. 696 See art. on Fatin Ham am a in RY, Jan. 11, 1954, p. 35. Cf. ibid., Apr. 4, 1954, p. 42, Apr. 12, 1954, p. 33, and M ay 3, 1954, p. 32, for her failure to act this part in real life.

CHAPTER 3

Themes of the Arab Cinema a. S c r ip t W r it in g

great drawbacks in the A rab cinema is the faulty script697 writing. T he lack o f specialization is, perhaps, even more obvious in script writing— exclusively done by local authors— than in the technique o f montage, where the local film industry has had the benefit o f foreign guidance. W ith few exceptions, script writing in Egypt is done by people connected with the cinema in various ways, some o f them directors or actors. A few o f these write occasionally, others make a living at it. In the latter category ‘A ll’l-ZarqanI may be cited as a typical exam ple: he allegedly manages to write some ten scripts a year, with almost clocklike regularity698. Another author boasts o f writing a script— without the songs, it is true— in no more than three hours699. It is evident that at this rate the quality o f the scripts is bound to suffer. The result has been an amazing repetition o f the practice customary in the nineteenth-century Arabic theater: T he plots o f diverse Am erican and European films were adapted to Egyptian surroundings and new scripts were “ created.” As the name o f the foreign film was often intentionally concealed700, the original plot was many times quite unrecognizable in its Egyptianized form. Others, on the contrary, were so inefficiently patched up that the critics had no difficulty whatsoever in nam­ ing the original plot o f the foreign film, which made a large part O

ne of th e

697 In Arabic: sindriyo (i.e., scenario). 698 Al-Jail al-jadtd, Dec. 7, 1953, p. 36. See also A Y , Dec. 25, 1948, p. 10 and Jan . 1, 1949, p. 10. 699 5 kuttab wa-$ ara'fVl-sinima, in AS, Dec. 9, 1953. 700 Farid al-Atrashyatlubfath al-bab *aid mifra'aih, ibid., Dec. 16, 1953, p. 9.

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of the public feel that it had been cheated701. It appears that this doubtful practice was almost unknown before the Second World War. It apparently started702 with the late Ahm ad Salim’s thinly veiled adaptation o f Random Harvest. This was one o f the Egyptian films presented at the Cannes Film Festival at the end of 1946703. Named The Unknown Past (al-MadVlmajhul) and starring the gifted Laila M urad in Greer Garson’s part704, this Arabic film was such a success that it encouraged emulators in adaptation. A smaller number of script writers get their inspiration from various foreign or local novels and stories. Most script writers, be they original minds, story plagiarists, or foreign-film adapters must however conform to certain rules. The usual procedure is for the producer to hire, first o f all, his director and make a contract with some great star; then he asks for a script of a cer­ tain type to suit his stars. The following advertisement in the press705 is fairly characteristic of the practice which subordin­ ates the script writer’s work to the actor’s inclination: “ The £Abd al-Wahhab Film [Company] requests the honorable writers and authors to present a story, suitable for a cinematographic film starred by the musician ‘Abd al-Wahhab and directed by Muhammad Karim. The conditions are that the story be humane, or social, or patriotic, and that its events be modern (recent). Every writer should present a story with clear ideas and events, not longer than two foolscap pages. This should reach the ‘Abd al-Wahhab Film [Company], 25, Tauflq Street, Cairo, not later than September

J5>1952 ” b . T y p e s o f F il m s

Since the greatest profits in the Arab film industry are de701 Fathi A bu’l-Fadl, op. cit., in A, June 9, 1952. 702 Jalll al-Bundari, Hal ‘indana kuttdb sindriyo in AS, O ct. 21, 1953, p. 22. 703 K M ,fa s c. 13, O ct. 1946, p. 175. 704 Fully reviewed by Rushdi K am il, ibid., fasc. 8, M ay, 1946, pp. 706-708. W gt (Gideon W eigert), in J P , Aug. 22, 1950, p. 2. 705 Transl. from M , Aug. 27, 1952, p. 5. For some ways to improve script writing, see, e.g., E. V ale, The technique of screenplay writing (1944).

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rived from feature films with an interesting plot, both the pro­ ducers and the public demand more o f these from the script writers, who turn out, therefore, few original stories and many adaptations. This approach not only hampers the Arabic fea­ ture film 706 but also leaves little place for documentaries and instructional films707. Documentary films produced without governmental assis­ tance are rare. It aided a newsreel (Jarïdat Misr al-ndtiqa), show­ ing pictures o f life in Egypt and abroad; since sending its photo­ graphers abroad proved too expensive708, most o f the foreign parts o f this newsreel were apparently obtained under an ex­ change system with four film companies (American, British, French, and Italian) 709. Even though the government does not seem to aid financially the preparation o f other documentaries (on the police organization710 and the 1952 revolution711), re­ flecting the spirit o f the times, it still places all the necessary facilities at the disposal o f the producers and directors. The same applies to the private filming o f pictures on religious sub­ jects, aiming at diffusing better knowledge on religious matters in A rab lands. Am ong the best o f these films is the one de­ scribing the pilgrimage to the Holy Places o f Islam (Al-hajj ild bait Allah al-haram), which, after being the cause o f a diplomatic incident between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in 1936712, was sub­ sequently modified713 and entered in the contest o f the Venetian 706 C f Tulaim ât’s exposition o f this problem in his al-Qi$$afï *àlam al-sïnimâ, publ. in K , vol. I, fasc. 6, Apr. 1946, pp. 902-908. 707 For documentaries and their place in the world film industry, see M . Herbier (éd.), Intelligence du cinématographe (1946), esp. ch. 5, pp. 403 ss.; and the miscel­ lany Cinéma d'aujourd'hui, publ. by Congrès International du Ciném a à Bâle (1945), esp. pp. 16 3 « . ,08 A J , Dec. 1,19 5 2, p. 8. 709 O f these, only the French company demands financial remuneration besides the exchange— see ibid., Dec. 22, 1952, p. 8. It seems that recently the production o f this newsreel was discontinued, at least for the time being. 710 Ibid., ibid.; al-Akhbar, O ct. 22, 1952, p. 8. 711 ^45, Dec. 30, 1953. Lately, the government itself produces documentaries. 712 O M , vol. X V I , Apr. 1936, p. 237, based on the Egyptian press. 718 Ibid., vol. X I X , Jan. 1939, p. 66, based on Minbar al-sharq o f Cairo, Nov. 22, 1938.

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Biennale714. Its success prompted others to follow715, notwith­ standing the delicate problem of religious opposition to the cinema in general. The governments have undertaken however (in Egypt, particularly) the financing o f several educational and political films. Even so, when compared to other film industries716, only a small number of Arab films has been devoted to instructional aims. One feels that neither the government nor the film industry has fully grasped the need o f the local populations for instructional films in Arabic. During the Second World War, passive defense was ex­ plained to the population by film shows717. Several 16-mm. short documentaries have been prepared by the Egyptian Ministries of Health, Agriculture, and Social Affairs. The Ministry o f Health strives to teach the peasants hygiene; that of Agriculture modern developments in fieldwork; and that of Social Affairs fuller co-operation718. The latter distributed, in Ï951, two films on social activity in Egypt, the first dealing with the reforms carried out by social centers in rural areas, the second with the activities of private social organizations. These two films were produced, however, in French, primarily for propaganda purposes— so that they could be sent abroad719. The same purpose is evident in two other documentaries, Sugar and The Pyramids120. The Ministry o f Education in Egypt, more than other ministries, has come under the fire of the critics, who have continually pointed out the danger o f the cinema for the 714 See above, footnote 520. 714 M , June 29,1952, p. 5; A J , Ju ly 14,1952, p. 8. 716 P. Thévenard & G . Tassel, Le Cinéma scientifiquefrançais. 717 A ., June 18, Nov. 3 & 4, 1941— summarized in O M , vol. X X I , Sep., 1941, p. 477 and vol. X X I I , Jan., 1942, p. 23. 718 U N E S C O , Press, film, radio, vol. I l l , 1949, p. 165. 719 Al-Baldgh, July 3, 1941, summarized ibid., vol. X X I , O ct., 1941, p. 530. A L , Dec. 7, 1951, p. 6. J E , Dec. 22, 1951. Landau, in M E A , vol. IV , Nov., 1953, P- 354720 M . Jacobs, The Cinema, in B , fasc. 24, M ay, 1948, p. 39.

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younger generation721. Others have accused it o f saving money by not using educational films in schools722. This is only partly true. The Ministry apparently has a special section dealing with audio-visual aids, including the film, in schools723; films are also used for instruction in the armed forces724. Too many o f these however, are o f foreign make, not fully suitable for the local public. I f the Arab governments were none too quick to grasp the educational and teaching value o f the film, they were very quick indeed to sense its usefulness as propaganda. As early as 1937, the press was pointing out the possibilities of film pro­ paganda725. Even in Iraq, where the film industry is only in its infancy, the authorities were planning in the year 1952 the preparation of a film describing Iraq’s progress726. In this field too, however, Egypt was leading the way, as an outcome o f its experience and potentialities. T o give a few instances727: the Egyptian Minister for Propaganda laid plans for a documen­ tary to show other countries the paintings of native children728; after the army revolution, a propaganda film about life in the Egyptian countryside was planned, in Arabic and French729; while other films, inspired and backed by the new regime, were to describe its new organization, the “ Popular Front730.” Negotiations were conducted with American film companies to prepare some propaganda documentaries for E gypt731. A n American documentary on the plight of the Arab refugees was 721 E.g., in al-Mu$awwar, June 29, 1951, p. 5. 722 M , July 14, 1952, p. 10; A , Nov. 26,1952. 723 A , Sep. 20, 1952, p. 4. 724 Ibid., M ay 10, 1952. For further details cf. U N E S C O , op. cit.f vol. I l l (1949), pp. 163 jj. 725 E.g., Ahm ad K am al Surur, al-DV aya li-Mi$r bVl-sinimd, in a.l-Rddyu’l-misri, Jan. 9, 1937, pp. 6, 11. 726 Al-Ahali (Baghdad), O ct. 22, 1952, p. 2. 727 See also above, the documentaries, in French, on social life in Egypt. 728 A, Apr. 9, 1952, p. 8. 729 Al-Z,aman> Aug. 29, 1952, p. 4; ibid., O ct. 21, 1952, p. 4. 730 4 7 , M ar. 2,1953, p. 8.

731 Ibid., ibid.

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dubbed (post-synchronized) for Arabic and shown to over­ flowing audiences732. Furthermore, an Egyptian-produced pro­ paganda film, Bloody Palestine, was reported in 1954 as nearing completion733; its aim seems to have been the vindication o f the Arab defeat in Palestine six years before. c. T

he

M

a in

T

hemes

The themes dealt with by the Arab cinema differ very little from those o f the A rab theater734 and therefore they will be ac­ corded less space. A characteristic common to most feature films735 is the musical part which sometimes gets the greatest attention736; this is even more evident than in the Arab theater. Suited as it is to the audience’s taste, this often makes the film more pleasantly elaborate to the ear than to the eye. The musical score, although perfect in itself, is hardly ever given successfully as a background to the plot, even in the type of film that requires such an interplay737. One has too often the im­ pression that one attends not a musical film, but, say, a photo­ graphed revue738. There seem to be two main currents o f thematic interpreta­ tion in the Arab cinema. Firstly the realistic, which demands a true portrayal o f everyday life739 (chiefly in high society), even if this be exaggerated740. Secondly, the nonrealistic, which re­ gards the cinema as an art, not photographic only, and wants it, as such, to describe even the most fantastic situations if they give food for thought. This difference of opinion is not new, nor 732 R adio Cairo, O ct. 11, 1951, evening news bulletin; A Y , June 14, 1952, p. 5. 733J P , Sep. 21, 1954, based on Filastin. Lately, E gypt’s army has produced m any films. 734 See above, Second Part, ch. 4. 735 In many shorter films, too, such as those mentioned in A J , July 28, 1952, p. 8. 736 For a typical example see W G T in J P , O ct. 13,1954. 737 L. Chiarini (ed.), La musica net film (1950) discusses these problems more fully. 738 E.g., the film The Circus Girl {Fatat al-sirk)— cf. al-Mu$awwar> Sep. 21, 1951, p. 2. 739 See, for this point o f view (of the majority), K am al ‘Atiyya, al-Q i^a al-sinimd’iyya, in A J , O ct. 31, 1952, p. 8. 740 E .g., always showing the Sudanese as waiters, janitors and hawkers— cf. the protest ibid., Dec. 22, 1952, p. 8.

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is it confined to the A rab countries alone. In them, however, it seems that realistic films are preferred, possibly because their generally unsophisticated character lends itself more easily to understanding. Therefore the simple, lively film is attended by larger audiences, a fact appreciated o f course by the business section o f the film industry. The themes o f the Arabic feature films fall naturally into the following classification: the farce, the historical play, the melo­ drama, the drama, the comedy, and the political film. 1. The Farce This genre is as popular with the rural masses and the less educated urban class as the stage farce, possibly even more, because o f its technical potentialities. A good ex­ ample may be The Woman's Play (.La'bat al-sitt), starring Tahiyya Kariydka, Bishara W aklm , and the late N ajib al-R ihanl. This film was presented at the Cannes Film Festival late in the year 1946741. It describes the adventures o f luckless Hasan (alR lhani) and his wife (Kariyoka) who becomes a film star. T he comic effect, rather rough though it is, is obtained: i. by am­ biguous situations, such as Hasan entering a room at night, not to seduce a girl, but to hunt for cigarette stubs; or the Lebanese suitor who mistakenly believes the girl to be unmarried, ii. by slapstick, such as Hasan trying to understand the wishes o f a deaf-mute customer; the jilted man with the funny name of Balalaika, receiving a cream cake full in the face; a row in a cabaret, etc.742. W ere it not for the slapstick, the film would have the elements o f true comedy. 2. Historical Films There have not been many historical films worthy o f the name. Lately the popularity o f the historical film seems to be on the wane, since the public— whose nationalist aspirations, gathering new force from the historical film, have 741 K M , fasc. 13, O ct., 1946, p. 175. 742 For the details o f the plot, see Rushdi K am il, in K M , fasc. 7, Apr. 1946, pp. 523-524. Later, K am il considered this film as the only successful one in that season— cf. ibid., fasc. 12, Sep. 1946, p. 737.

THEMES OF THE ARAB CINEMA

I99

been largely fulfilled— prefers films on modern topics. cAntar and ‘Abla, starring K óká and Siráj M unir, treats of love and war­ fare in Pre-Islamic A rabia743 in a w ay more suited to the life­ like Oriental background than in certain Hollywood films on this subject744. Among other historical films745, special mention should be made o f the exquisite Habbdba, admirable in its pre­ sentation o f life and manners at the Court o f the Caliph Y azid II: Among the singing and dancing frolics at this Court, the film shows Habbába, the caliph’s beloved, quietly going forward to her tragic end amid the endless rivalries o f the ruler’s family and courtiers748. Other noteworthy films, such as Salah al-Din, stress— with no little success— glorious epochs in Islamic history. Some historical films show deep interest in and sincere enthusiasm for the past. 3. Melodramas Melodramas are probably the best-liked films. In this category one does not necessarily count only musical films for there is hardly an Arab film which is not largely musical. The melodramatic film treats o f an exciting trend o f events, usually o f an oversentimental quality, breath-taking and tearjerking. The favorite themes are: the evil influence o f games of chance, the young wife choking her aged husband whose wealth she plans to inherit, the youth attacking the poor girl after having made her drunk (all in The Time of Wonders747); the woman haunted by her own or her parents’ past (A Might of Love748) ; and the girl suffering because o f her father’s drunken­ ness ( The Cup of Affliction749). Other melodramas o f the screen describe the criminal possibilities involved in the inheritance 748 A topic dealt with in the Arabic theater, too,e.g., by Shauqi— see above, Second Part, ch. 5, section a. 744 M . Hairabédian, Les films égyptiens et ceux de Hollywood (1950), pp. 28-29. Reviewed by Landau, in H H , vol. V , W inter 1954, pp. 145-146. 745 Hairabédian, ibid., pp. 22-23. 746 Landau, in M E A , vol. I V , N ov., 1953, p. 355. 747 Zaman a l-ajd 'ib , starring Zóz6 N abil— cf. al-Nidd', Ju ly 22,1952, p. 8. 748 Lailat gharam— cf. B E , M ay 13, 1952, p. 5. 749 Ka's al-adhdb, starring Fa tin H amaina and Muhsin Sirhán— cf. M , Ju ly 21, 1952»P- 5 ; 4 7 >Aug. 4, 1952, p. 8.

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laws750, how the unscrupulous woman breaks a home (Master Hasan751) and the disastrous impact of city life and luxury on the unsophisticated, simple rural life752. Such emotion-stirring effects are the only ones calculated to move the audience and increase the tension753, since (until recently) one saw little caressing and even less kissing in the Arab film. 4. Dramas W hile many dramas tend to become melodramas, in a large measure because of the public clamor, there are still many good dramas shown on the screen; indeed, more than on the stage. Most of the themes are borrowed from contemporary family life and social relations in Egypt: a woman’s jealousy o f her husband, a physician who refuses to divulge his professional secrets to her (,Nahid754) ; the only son of a rich family, enamored of a poor neighbor whom he saves from the imminent danger of prostitution ( The Poor755) ; the toil and misery o f the working class ( The Locksmith's Son756); and the exploitation by the rich feudal Pasha of his ignorant rural tenants {My Father's Secret757). Other topics portray in-law relations, the husband who sus­ pects his wife unjustly o f betrayal758, the man falling in love with a married woman, the struggle of the girl who wants to choose her husband by herself, and the suffering o f orphans, many o f whom turn into criminals759. The social film, with its blatant 760 Man al-jdni?, starring Am ina R izq — cf. W .G .T ., in The Palestine Post, Sep. 23, 1948751 Al-Usta Hasan, starring Farid Shauqi— cf. A , July 2, 1952, p. 10. 752 See also ibid., Ju ly 15, 1952, p. 5. 763 Bitterly critical o f this tendency is ‘A bd al-L atif Ibrahim , al-Shasha al-baidd * f t Mi$r, in K M , fasc. 9, June, 1946, pp. 139-140. 754 Ndhid , starring R aqiya Ibrahim and Y u su f W ahbi— cf. A L , Apr. 1, 1952, p. 10. 755 Al-M as akin, starring Tahiyya Kariyoka, M aryam Fakhr al-DIn and Husain Sidql— cf. A J , July 14, 1952, p. 8. 756 Ibn al-haddad, starring Y u su f W ahbi— cf. W .G .T . in J P , Jan. n , 1954, p. 2. 757 Sirr abt, starring Sabah and Bishara W aklm — cf. id., ibid., Apr. 19, 1954, p. 2. See also above, T hird Part, ch. 1, section c. 758 Kidtu ahdimu baiti, starring R aq iya Ibrahim and Muhsin Sirhan— cf. R T , Feb. *5» 1954»PP* 32- 33 * 759 See A , Ju ly 15, 1952, p. 5. R T , M ar. 15, 1954, pp. 32-33. For a fairly typical plot, see Rushdl K am il, 4Audat al-qafila, in K M , fasc. 10, Ju ly, 1946, pp. 337338; and W .G .T ., in J P , Dec. 28,1943.

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call for reform (in no little measure the result of W ahbï’s efforts), has become a great favorite with the masses. It is significant that modern Arab society encourages the social film, for it undoubtedly has an educational impact on the masses and considerable influence on social change. 5. Comedies It does happen, as is so often the case in the Arab theater, that a film comedy actually turns into a farce because of the slapstick involved. However, one feels that better pro­ gress in the comedy has been achieved in the A rab cinema than in the Arab theater. Abü Halmüs, for instance, described the comic situations involved in the public and private life o f a diplomat, this time a chargé d'affaires160. More charming, even though somewhat naïve, is the theme o f the musical comedy, ‘Anbar. This is the story o f a girl, back from school, who finds her aging father besieged by relatives, all trying to find where he has hidden his money; the girl, ‘Anbar, together with a young casino-owner in love with her, joins the search; this turns up­ roariously funny when it becomes known that the only map registering the treasure’s hiding-place had been sewn in an old costume sold to the casino701. 6. Political Films The tendency to use the stage762 and screen for political purposes already evidenced in certain short docu­ mentaries763, has entered the arena o f the Arabic feature film, too. Not only was the showing o f Cecil B. de M ille’s Samson and Delilah forbidden in E gypt764, probably because it showed a Jew victorious over his neighbors, but also the cinema took an active part, side by side with the theater, in Egypt’s political struggle with Great Britain. In the years 1951-1952, for instance, the 780 Starring Zôzô Shakîb, Najïb al-Rïhânï and ‘Abbâs Fàris— cf. Hairabèdian, Les films égyptiens etc., p. 22. Rushdï K âm il, Abü Halmüs, in K M , fasc. 27, Dec., ■ 947.P P - 448- 45 '• 761 Starring Lailâ M urâd, Anw ar W ajdï and the able comedian Shokôkô— re­ viewed at length by Ibn Zaidün in al-Mu$awwar, Nov. 12, 1948, pp. 38-39. 762 See above, pp. 120-122. 763 See the present chapter, section b. 761 Reported in the Hebrew weekly Dèvar ha-shavü*a (Tel-Aviv), Sep. 28,1951.

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military incidents were film ed765; and in addition the bitter anti-British film, Danishwai, was revived766. Others were quickly filmed, such as the above Juhà's Nail (Misrnar Juha)1*1 and another one, Kilü gg> describing the bloody clashes at that spot768. In summing up the thematic problems o f the Arab cinema, one notices the following characteristics : 1. The script writers, with a few exceptions, have seldom specialized in this branch; they write rapidly but seldom create new plots. They more often adapt stories from foreign films or foreign novels. 2. The script writers are further hampered by the demands being made of them to write scripts suiting only certain directors and actors. 3. The documentary film, whether educational or political in nature, is as yet in its infancy. Its possibilities have not been properly realized or fully utilized by the A rab governments. 4. The feature film is mainly musical, revue-like, even when music is integrally unnecessary. Love plays an important part (next to music), but without the sexy character predominant in the themes o f many Am erican films769. 5. Though all types o f films may be found, the sentimental melodrama and the farcical comedy generally predominate770, since they are the ones that receive the widest acclaim. 765 Hilm i R aflah, the film director, in A L , Dec. 7, 1951, p. 2. 766 Ibid., Dec. 19 ,19 5 1, p. 2. 767 See above, footnote 412. 768 A Y , Jan. 13,1952, p. 8. 769 See, e.g., M . Wolfenstein & N . Leites, An analysis o f themes and plots, in The motion picture industry— Annals o f the Amer. Acad, o f Political and Social Science,

N ov., 1947, pp. 41-48. 770 This may be seen even by counting the plots o f films summarized by Haira bèdian in his Les films égyptiens etc.

Conclusion h i s s t u d y has tried to describe the evolution and to trace the main characteristics o f the theater and cinema in the Arab countries. It has been shown how the Passion plays, on one hand, got little enough hold on the Sunnite Arabs, but more acclaim among the Shiite ones. Shadow plays, on the other hand, although of foreign origin, soon became popular and served for ages, along with mimetic performances, as one o f the main entertainments for the crowds. Their importance is more ethnographical than literary. Although not devoid, occasion­ ally, o f artistic merits, the main service of the shadow theater to posterity is in its preservation o f the ancient mimetic humor for future generations and in the keeping alive o f a certain interest in dramatic performances among the population. The Arab theater, modern successor to the shadow play, although basically an imitation o f European techniques, has worked out for itself a modus vivendi based on a synthesis o f the foreign and the local. From its very beginnings, the Arab theater was headed towards finding a pleasing combination of the text and the music. This was contradistinct from the opera, in that the text was spoken and the music sung, separately. It was this approach that left its mark on both the musical and the popular (comic) theater, while its lack brought about the downfall o f the champions o f the classical theater. These efforts to please the audience have hindered the Arab theater from reaching a higher artistic and literary level. Most actors and actresses— whose appearance on the stage was wellnigh a revolution— are content in reaping applause for their singing and do not cultivate seriously enough their acting technique. M any playwrights, too, lower their standards to suit the taste o f their audiences, as regards both subject and treat­ ment. The dramatic output of the very few, who let their 203

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personal outlook and creative genius direct their pens, is at best read, but hardly ever produced. This applies both to original and translated plays, the latter still having less success than the earlier, adapted ones which can be digested without any effort. This attitude has lately cramped the activities o f the theater considerably771. The new régime in Egypt has done but little to encourage the A rab theater, whose exponents are almost unanimously pessimistic as to its future. Personal misunder­ standings have recently worsened the confusion. O n one hand, plays that did not support openly the new regime have been stigmatized as being behind the times. O n the other, those treating favorably the new social trends— and there are many such plays— have been described as fawning upon ‘A bd alNâsir’s régime as well as catering to the wishes o f the masses. A Public Committee, appointed by the Government, included neither notable playwrights nor distinguished actors, so that it obtained but little cooperation and support from those it was designed to assist and advise. Recent reductions in entrance fees, probably intended to allow competition with the cinema, were hardly applauded by the actors. These regrettable condi­ tions o f the theater in Egypt are to be found at present, in varying degrees, elsewhere in the A rab countries. Not less than the theater, the A rab cinema is centered in Egypt. The Egyptian film industry has passed through three main periods. It first shot experimental, amateurish films. Dur­ ing the Second W orld W ar it passed through a period o f un­ rivaled prosperity, caused by the difficulty of importing foreign films into the A rab countries. Nowadays, in the post-War period, the import o f American, European, and Indian films has forced the producers and directors to pay some attention to the quality of their films. T he A rab cinema may be said to have passed from the silent film, first, to the musical, whose chief attraction was belly-dances; and, secondly, to feature 771 As evidenced in the enlightening symposium on the contemporary theater in Egypt, publ. in al-Mu$awwœr, Nov. 26, 1954, pp. 25-27.

CONCLUSION

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films concerned with either Muslim history or social problems. Despite the great annual output of films, one feels that the high standard once achieved in the thematic field has not always been kept up in recent years. Notwithstanding its relatively good technical equipment, the general standard of the Arabic-speaking films remains low (with some notable exceptions, however). This is caused not only by inexperience and lack of specialization, but by the cinema’s catering— as does the Arab theater— to popular demand for songs and dances. The naïveté o f the Arabic film, which enables it to maintain an exceptionally close contact with the audience, hampers at the same time its progress. M any drawbacks notwithstanding, the impact o f the Arab stage and screen on the population is considerable. Not only are they a medium o f influencing visibly their impressionable audiences but they serve, too, as the only inexpensive vehicle o f communication (besides the radio) for the large illiterate sec­ tions o f the population. As such, they have been one o f the most widespread means for the penetration o f Western customs and ideas. Their importance in molding the outlook of their audi­ ences, past, present, and future, cannot be overestimated. The future development of the Egyptian theater and cinema lies not only in buying better equipment for the stage and the studio, but also in lifting the artistic level of both actors and technicians and in enabling larger sections o f the population to become acquainted better with the theater and cinema. A far greater number o f halls ought to be erected in the countryside and the entrance fees reconsidered everywhere. These very necessary conditions for the progress o f the Thespian arts may be fully achieved only through the whole-hearted support o f the authorities. The governments o f the Arab countries should not only defray a part of the costs for the specialization of the actors and technicians, but also subsidize the business people who are behind the theater and cinema. O nly then will these arts be decommercialized and show improvement both in quality and in their truly artistic appeal to the large masses.

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Bibliography T h e following list includes only the more important works mentioned in the course o f the book. For further details the reader is referred to the relevant foot­ notes.

M A N U S C R IP T S a . EUROPEAN LANGUAGES

1. Dablan, A ., Neuarabische Literatur. Mimeographed. Haifa, n.d. 2. Hairabèdian, M ., Une grande artiste du cinéma égyptien Nour-el-Houda. T yp e­ written. Paris, 1954; 6 pp. 3. Jacob, G ., Nachtrags-Bibliographie mit Excerpten als Annalen des Schattentheaters im Morgenland. Typewritten. K iel, 1936; 17 pp. 4. Orvieto, G . R ., La genesi del teatro arabo in Egitto. Doctoral thesis, presented to the U niv. o f Rome, 1948. Typewritten. [Rome] ; 158 pp. 5. Public Record Office, London— archives o f the Foreign Office. b. ORIENTAL LANGUAGES

I.

Al-Tuwairan! ( ?), Hasan Husnï, F ihrist al-inqiläb. British Mus., O r. Ms. 9018 (prob, late 19th century; 60 leaves, all written on one side, except one written on both sides).

P R IN T E D W O R K S IN E U R O P E A N L A N G U A G E S a.

BOOKS

1. Abd-el-Jalil, J .-M ., Brève histoire de la littérature arabe. 3rd ed., Paris, G. P. Maisonneuve, 1946; 308 pp. 2. Abdul W ahhab, Ahm ed, A thesis on the drama in the Arabic literture. N.p. (D acca?), pubi, by the author, 1922; 112, II pp. 3. Annuaire de la fédération égyptienne de V industrie 1952-1953. Cairo-Alexandria, 1953; 55° PP-> illustrations. 4. Belzoni, G ., Narrative o f the operations and recent discoveries in Egypt and Nubia. London, 1820; X X I I , 483 pp. 5. Bernard [Marius], U Algérie qui s'en va. Paris, Pion, 1887; 385 pp. 6. Brockelmann, G., Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur. Esp. Suppl.II—III, Leiden, Brill, 1938-1942. 7. Cerbella, G. & Ageli, M ., Le feste musulmane in Tripoli appunti etnografici. Tripoli, Barbiera, 1949; 90 pp. 8. Eberhardt, I., Pages d'Islam. Paris, Fasquelle, 1920; 340 pp. 9. Franck, D. S. (ed.), Islam in the modem world. Washington, T h e M iddle East Institute, 1951 ; 76 pp. 10. Goretti, L ., Venti mesi in Soria. Torino, Tip. Tarizzo, 1882 ; 324 pp. 1 1 . Hairabèdian, M ., Les films égyptiens et ceux de Hollywood. Paris, 1950 ; 40 pp. 12. Harry, M ., Tunis la blanche. 17th ed., Paris, Fayard, n.d. ; 319 pp.

207

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13. Horovitz, J ., Spuren griechischer Mimen im Orient. Berlin, M ayer & M üller, 1905; 104 pp. 14. Humières, Robert cT, Through isle and empire, transi, by A . T . de Mattos. N .Y ., Doubleday, 1905; IX , 300 pp. I 5 * Jacob, G ., Erwähnungen des Schattentheaters in der Welt-Litteratur. 3rd ed., Berlin, M ayer, 1906; 49 pp. 16. Id., Geschichte des Schattentheaters. Berlin, M ayer & M ueller, 1907; V I I I , 159 pp. 17. Id., Der Leuchtturm von Alexandria ein arabisches Schattenspiel aus dem mittelalter­ lichen Ägypten. Stuttgart, Kohlham m er, 1930; X , 94, 56 pp. 18. Id., Al-Mutajjam, ein altarabisches Schauspiel fü r die Schattenbühne bestimmt von Muhammad Ibn Danijal. Erste Mitteilung über das Werk. Erlangen, M encke, 1901 ; 31 PP19. Id., Das Schattentheater in seiner Wanderung vom Morgenland zum Abendland. Berlin, M ayer & M üller, 1901 ; 22 pp. 20. Kern, Fr., Innisa'u-VÂlimât von Muhammad Bey ‘ Osmän Galal neuarabische Bearbeitung von Molière's Femmes Savantes transkribiert, übersetzt, eingeleitct und mit einem Glossar versehen. Leipzig, Harrassowitz, 1898; 153 pp. 21. K raft, I., Plays,players, playhouses international drama of today. N .Y ., Dobsevage, 1928; X X , 265 pp. 22. Landau, J. M ., Shadow plays in the Near East. Jerusalem, Palestine Institute o f Folklore and Ethnology, 1948; English & Hebrew, 82 pp. 23. Lane, E. W ., An account of the manners and customs of the modem Egyptians, written in Egypt during theyears 1833, 34 and 35, partlyfrom notes made during aformer visit to that country in theyears 1825, Loyal27 and 28- V ol. II, London, N attali, 1846; V I I I , 43 1p p . 24. Littm ann, E., Arabische Schattenspiele. Belin, M ayer & M üller, 1901 ; 83 pp. 25. M altzan, H. von, Reise in der Regentschaften Tunis und Tripolis. V ol. I, Leipzig, Dyk, 1870; X V I , 404 pp., 8 tables of illustr. 26. M arinetti, F. T ., Il fascino dell'Egitto. Verona, M ondadori, 1933 ; 179 pp. 27. M artinovitch, N. N ., The Turkish theatre. N .Y ., Theatre Arts, 1933 ; 125 pp. 28. Mosharrafa, M . M ., Cultural survey of modern Egypt. 2 vols. London, Longmans, 1947-1948. 29. Pellat, C h ., Langue et littérature arabes. Paris, Ar. Colin, 1952 ; 224 pp. 30. Perolari-M alm ignati, P., Su e giù per la Siria note e schizzi. M ilano, Treves, 1878; 242 pp. 31. Prüfer, G., Ein ägyptisches Schattenspiel. Erlangen, Mencke, 1906; 23, 151 pp. 32. [Pückler-Muskau,] Aus Mehemed Ali's Reich vom Verfasser der Briefe eines Verstorbenen. V ol. I, Stuttgart, Hallberger, 1884; V I , 368 pp. 33. Id., Semilasso in Afrika. V ol. I, Stuttgart, Hallberger, 1836; X I I , 275 pp. 34. Reich H ., Der Mimus ein litterar-entwicklungsgeschichtlicher Versuch. V ol. I (2 parts), Berlin, W eidmann, 1903; 900 pp. 35. Ritter, H ., Karagös türkische Schattenspiele. 3 vols., Istanbul-W iesbaden, 1924I 94 I - I 953 36. Sladen, D ., Oriental Cairo. London, Hurst & Blackett, 1911 ; X V I , 391 pp. 37. Tournée officielle de la nouvelle troupe égyptienne sour la direction de Toussef Wahbi. N .p., Société Orientale de Publicité, n.d. (1955?) ; 36 pp. 38. U N E S C O , Press, film, radio. Vols. I I I - I V - V , Paris, 1949-1950-1951. 39. V irolleaud, C h., Le théâtre persan ou le drame de Kerbéla. Paris, Adrien-Maisonneuve, 1950; IV , 143 pp.

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40. Warner, G. D ., My winter on the Nile. 18th ed., Boston, Houghton, Mifflin and Co., 1895; 496 pp. 41. Zetterstéen, K . V ., Henrik Ibsen, En Folkefiende och August Strindberg, Fadren pa arabiska. Uppsala, Almqvist & Wiksells, 1949; 14 pp. b.

ARTICLES

1. ‘Abd al-Raziq, M . H ., Arabic literature since the beginning of the nineteenth century, in BSOS, vol. II, 1921-1922, pp. 249-265. 2. Arberry, A . J ., Hâfiç Ibrahim and Shawqi, in JR AS, vol. X X X V , 1937, pp. 41-58. 3. Astre, G .-A ., Le théâtre philosophique de Tewfik E l Hakim, in Critique (Paris), fase. 66, N ov., 1952, pp. 934~945* 4. Ateek, A . A ., The development of the cinema in Egypt, in B ., fase. 51, Jan., 1951, PP* 5- 7* 5. Aubin, E., Le chiisme et la nationalité persane, in R M M , vol. IV . M ar., 1908, pp. 482-490. 6. Barbour, N ., The Arabie theatre in Egypt, in BSOS, vol. V I I I , 1935-1937, pp. 173-187,991-10 12. 7. Bencheneb, R ., Aspects du théâtre arabe en Algérie, in L'Islam et l'Occident, Cahiers du Sud, 1947, pp. 271-276. 8. Id., Rachid Ksentini (1887-1944) le père du théâtre arabe en Algérie, in Documents Algériens— Service d'information du Cabinet du Gouverneur Général de l'Algérie, Série Culturelle, No. 16, Apr. 15, 1947. 9. Ben Cheneb, S., Le théâtre arabe d'Alger, in Revue Africaine, vol. L X X V I I , 10. n. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 2 1. 22. 23. 24.

1935, PP- 72-Ö 5 Bonjean, F. J ., Une renaissance égyptienne, in Europe, vol. I, June and July, 1923, PP* 83-95, I 99- 2 I 7* Brugsch, H ., Das morgenländische Theater, in Deutsche Revue, vol. X II, 1887, part 3, pp. 25-34. Facts about thefilm industry in Egypt, in B ., fase. 9, Feb., 1947, pp. 7-8. Fahmy, Skandar, La renaissance du théâtre égyptien moderne, in RC, vol. IV , 1940, p p . I07-112. Gabrieli, Fr., Mahmud Taimür— Ibn Gialä, in OM , vol. X X X I , Ju ly-Sep ., I 95 L P - I 56 * (Id.) F. Ga. e U . Ri. (Rizzitano), Teatro arabo, in Enciclopedia dello Spettacolo, vol. I (Roma, 1954), pp. 769-774. Guidi, M ., Le onoranze al poeta Egiziano Shawqi ed il lore significato politico, in O M , voi. V II, 1927, pp. 346-353. Jacob, G ., iAgib ed-Din al-W ä'iz bei Ibn Danijäl, in Der Islam, vol. IV , 1913, PP* 67-71* Id., Ein ägyptischer Jahrmarkt im 13. Jahrhundert, in Sitzungsber. Kön. Bay. Ak. d. Wiss., Philos.-philol. u. hist. Klasse, 10 Abh., 1910; 42 pp. Jacobs, M ., The Cairo opera house, in B., fase. 33, M ar., 1949, pp. 17-18. Id., The cinema, ibid., fase. 24, M ay, 1948, pp. 39-40. Id., Egyptian stage actresses, ibid., fase. 22, M ar., 1948, pp. 15-17. Id., Neguib el-Rihani, ibid., fase. 18, Nov., 1947, pp. 16-18. Kahle, P., Islamiche Schattenspielfiguren aus Egypten, in Der Islam, vol. I, 1910, pp. 264 ss., and vol. II, 1911, pp. 143 ss. Id., Das islamische Schattentheater in Aegypten, in OA, vol. III, Apr., 1913, pp. 103-109.

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25. Id., Das Krokodilspiel, in Nachr. König. Gesellschaft d. Wiss. Gott., Phil.-hist. Klasse, 1915-1920, pp. 277-359. 26. Id., M . Ibn Dänijäl und sein zweites arabisches Schattenspiel, in Miscellanea Academica Berolinensis, 1950, pp. 151-167. 27. Id., Marktszene aus einem egyptischen Spiel, in ZA , vol. X X V I I , 1912, pp. 92102. 28. Id ., Eine Zanftsprache der ägyptischen Schattenspieler, in Islamica, vol. II, 1926, pp. 313-322. 29. Kam pffm eyer, G ., Die Anfänge einer Geschichte der neueren arabischen Litteratur, in M SOS, 1928, part 2, pp. 170-205. 30. Id., Arabische Dichter der Gegenwart. X : Ein wenig beachtetes Jugendwerk von Ahmed Sauqi, ibid., 1926, part 2, pp. 198-206. 30a. Kapeliuk, O ., The theater in Egypt, in New Outlook Middle East Monthly (Tel-Aviv), vol. I, fase. 4, O ct. 1957, pp. 32-38. 31. Kern, Fr., Das egyptische Schattentheater. App. to Horovitz, Spuren griechischer Mimen (see above, Bibl., Printed Works in European Languages, a, No. 13). 32. Kratschkowsky, Ign., Modern Arabic literature, c. Drama, in the Encyclopaedia of Islam, ist ed., Suppl., sub voce Arabia. 33. Landau, J. M ., Abü Naddära, an Egyptian Jewish nationalist, in J J S , vol. I l l , No. I, 1952, p p. 30-44. 34. Id., The Arab cinema, in M E A , vol. IV , Nov., 1953, pp. 349-358. 35. Id., The Arab theatre, ibid., ibid., M ar., 1953, pp. 77-86. 36. Id., A ziz Domet, d'origine araba, poeta, scrittore di romanzi e opere drammatiche di soggetto orientale in lingua tedesca (1890-1949), in O M , vol. X X X V , June, 1955, pp. 277-289. 37. Levy, K ., La'bät elhotä. Ein tunesisches Schattenspiel, in Festschrift fü r Kahle, Leiden, 1935, pp. 119-124. 38. Littmann, E., Ein arabisches Karagöz-Spiel, in Z D M G , vol. L IV , 1900, pp. 6 6 1680. 39. Id., Eine neuarabische Posse aus Damascus, in £ D M G , vol. L V I , 1902, pp. 86-97. 40. Id., Das Malerspiel. Ein Schattenspiel aus Aleppo in Sitzungsber. d. Heidelberger Ak. d. Wiss., Philos.-Hist. Klasse, M ar. 25, 1918; 50 pp. 41. L .V ., Le théâtre à Tunis (1932-1933), in Revue des Etudes Islamiques, vol. V I , 1932, PP- 537- 544. 42. The modern Egyptian theatre, in B ., fase. 2, July 1, 1946, pp. 1 0 -1 1. 43. M ourad, Leila, A year of the Egyptian cinema, The Arab World (London), Loyal fase. 21, O ct., 1954, p. 14. 44. M outran, Habib, La troupe nationale égyptienne et Khalil Bey Moutran, in La Semaine Egyptienne (Cairo), vol. X X I I , Nos. 23-24, 1948, pp. 25-26. 45. M üller, W . M ., Z ur Geschichte des arabischen Schattenspiels in Aegypten, in OLZ> vol. X I I , A u g., 1909, pp. 341-342. 46. Pérès, H ., Ahmad Sawqî, années de jeunesse et deformation intellectuelle en Egypte et en France, in A IEO A, vol. II, 1936, pp. 313-340. 47. Prüfer, C ., Drama, Arabie, in E RE, vol. IV , 19 11, pp. 872-878. 48. Id ., Das Schiffsspiel, Ein Schattenspiel aus Cairo, in Münchener Beitr. z- Kenntnis d. Orients, vol. II, Feb., 1906, pp. 154-169. 49. Rachid, Fatm a Nimet, Une enquête sur l'avenir du théâtre oriental— III. Petit historique du théâtre arabe, in B E, M ar. 23, 1939. 50. Rizzitano, U ., “ L'albero del potere." Commedia di satirica politica dell'Egiziano Taufiq al-Hakim, in OM , vol. X X I I I , O ct., 1943, pp. 439~447-

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51. là ., Il simbolismo nelle opere di Taufïq al-Hakïm, ibid., vol. X X V I , July-D ec., 1946, p p . 116-123. 52. Id., Il teatro arabo in Egitto opere teatrali di Taufïq al-Hakïm, ibid., vol. X X I I I , June, 1943, pp. 247-266. 53. Saad El-Din, M ., Mahmoud Taimur, in B ., fasc. 21, Feb., 1948, pp. 9-10. 54. Id., Middle East playwrights, ibid., fasc. 24, M ay, 1948, pp. 41-42. 55. Id., Theatre and cinema, ibid., fasc. 12, M ay, 1947, pp. 85-87. 56. Sadoul, G ., Le septième festival international du film de Cannes, in Les Lettres Françaises (Paris), Apr. 8-15, 1954, p. 6. 57. Sanderson, John, Shadow plays, in The Near East and India, vol. X L , Oct. 8, i 93 L P P * 387- 388. 58. Saussey, E., Une farce de Karagueuz en dialecte arabe de Damas, in Bulletin d'Études Orientales de Damas, vols. V I I - V I I I , 1937-1938, p. 5-37. 59. Schoonover, K ., Contemporary Egyptian authors, in The Muslim World (Hartford, Conn.), vol. X L V , 1955, pp. 26-36; and vol. X L V I I , 1957, pp. 36-45. 60. Sidawi, E., Le cinéma égyptien d'hier et d'aujourd'hui, in Le Monde Arabe (Paris), fasc. 25, June 15, 1952, pp. 20-21. 61. Sidky, Abdel Rahm an, Le théâtre, in Cinquante ans de littérature égyptienne, special issue o f the RC, vol. X X X I , Feb., 1953, pp. 161-206. 62. Sobernheim, M ., Z ur Metrik einiger in's Arabische übersetzter Dramen Molière's, in MSOS, 1898, part 2, pp. 185-187. 63. Spies, O ., Tunesisches Schattentheater, in Public, d'hommage off. au P. W. Schmidt, Vienna, 1928, pp. 693-702. 64. Student of the drama, in B ., fasc. 45, M ay-June, 1950, pp. 27-28. 65. Le théâtre nord-africain à Paris, in Le Monde Arabe, fasc., 12, Dec. 17, 1951, p. 10. 66. Tomiche-Dagher, N ., Représentations parisiennes du jeune théâtre algérien, in BE, A ug., 30, 1952. 67. Toynbee, Ph., Egypt's Arabic film monopoly, in J P , June 2, 1950, p. 4. 68. Vollers, K ., Der neuarabische Tartuffe, in ZJDMG, vol. X L V , 1891, pp. 36-96. 69. Weigert, G ., Actor-playwrightfrom Cairo, in J P , Dec. 21, 1955, p. 4. 70. Worrell, W. H ., Kishkish: Arabic vaudeville in Cairo, in The Muslim World, vol. X , 1920, pp. 134-137. 71. Zohny, S., The development of the film industry, in B ., fasc. 35, M ay-June, 1949, PP- 55- 56 .

P R IN T E D W O R K S

IN O R I E N T A L L A N G U A G E S

(Arabic, Hebrew and Turkish) a.

BOOKS

1. Abü Sa‘dï, Jibrâ’ïl, Dars tahlïlï ‘alà riwâyat Qjambïz li-amïr al-shu'arà' Ahmad Shauqï. Saidâ, M atb. al-rahbàniyya, 1942 ; 71 pp. 2. Abü Shàdï, Ahm ad Zakï, Masrah al-adab. Cairo, al-M u’ayyad, n.d. ; 252 pp. 2a.Ahmet, Refik, Turk tiyatrosu tarihi, vol. I. Istanbul, Kanaat, 1934; 132 pp. 3. A l-‘Aqqâd, ‘Abbâs Mahm üd, Riwâyat Q a m b ïzfi1 l-mïzân. Cairo, M atb. almajalla al-jadida, n.d. (1930 ?) ; 88 pp. 4. Al-Bustânï, Butrus, Udabà' al-Arab fï'l-Andalus wa-asr al-inbïâth. 3rd éd., Beirut, M aktabat Sàdir, 1937; 330 pp. 5. Dàghir, Y üsuf As‘ad, Maçàdir al-diràsa al-adabiyya, vol. II, part 1. Beirut, Manshüràt jam ‘iyyat ahl al-qalam, 1956; X X I I , 864 pp. S .A .T .C .-P

212

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6. Edham, Isma ‘11 & Naji, Ibrahim , Taufiq al-Hakim. Cairo, Sa‘d, 1945; 238 pp. 7. Fahm l, ZakI, Safwat a l-a $ rfi ta'rikh wa-rusum mashahir rijal Mi$r. V ol. 1, Cairo, al-Ftim ad, 1926; IV , 735 pp. 8. Farah Antun hayatuh wa-ta'binuh wa-mukhtaratuh. Cairo, Suppl. to Majallat alsayyidat wa'l-rijal, 1923; 144,62 pp. 9. Farrukh, ‘Um ar, K alim afi Ahmad Shauqi. 2nd ed., Beirut, M aim ana, 1950; 64 pp. 10. Ger9ek, Selim Nuzhet, Turk temasasi meddah karagoz ortaoyurm. Istanbul, K anaat K itabevi, 1942; 159 pp. 11. Husain, Tah a, Hafiz wa-Shauqi. Cairo, al-Ftim ad, 1933; X , 224 pp. n a .N a jm , M uham m ad Yusuf, al-Masrahiyya fi'l-adab al-arabVl-hadith (18471914). Beirut, D ar Bairut li’l-tiba‘a w a’l-nashr, 1956; 511 pp. 12. Al-NashshashibI, M uham m ad Is‘af, al-Arabiyya wa-sha'iruha' l-akbar Ahmad Shauqi. Cairo, N ajib M itri, 1928; 52 pp. 13. Id., al-Batal al- khalid Salah al-Din wa'l-sha'ir al-khalid Ahmad Shauqi. Jerusa­ lem, M atb. Bait al-maqdis, 1932; 110 pp. 14. al-Q abbani, Sulaiman Hasan, Bughyat al-mumathihilin. Alexandria, G harzuzl, n.d. (prob. 1912-1914); 184 pp. 15. Shaukat, M ahm ud Ham id, al-Masrahiyya f i shVr Shauqi. N .p., M atb. alM uqtataf, 1947; 144 pp. 16. Taim ur, M uham m ad, Mu'allafat. V ol. II, Cairo, M atb. al-Ptim ad, 1922; 461 pp. 17. Zaidan, Jurjl, Tarajim mashahir al-sharq f i ' l qam al-tasT lashar. 2nd ed., 2 vols., Cairo, al-Hilal, 1910-1911. 18. Id., Ta'rikh adab al-lugha al-arabiyya. V ol. IV , Cairo, al-H ilal, 1914; 328 pp. 19. A l-Zayyat, Ahm ad Hasan, Ta’rikh al-adab al-arabi li’ l-madaris al-thdnawiyya wa'l-ulyd. 10th ed., Cairo, al-Risala, n.d.; V I I I , 521 pp. b.

ARTICLES

1. A b u ’l-Fadl, Fathi, al-Qiffa f i sin d'at al-sinima'l-misriyya, in A., June 9, 1952, P- 3 2. ‘Abbud, M arun, Adib Ishaq, in K ., vol. I l l , Feb., 1948, pp. 271-283. 3. Id., Farah Antun, ibid., vol. II, Nov., 1947, pp. 1736-1747. 4. ‘Aid, ‘Aziz, Risalat al-fann al-masrahi hiya ta'mim al-thaqafa al-ulya, in H., vol. X L V , M ar. 1, 1937, pp. 561-563. 5. Amin, Mustafa, Hadart al-maulid, in AS. Dec. 29, 1954, pp. 16-17. 6. A l-‘Antabli, ‘U lhm an, Hal addat niqabat al-sinimd risalataha, in M ., June 9, 1952» P - 87. Id., al-Masrah al-mi$riyamut, ibid., Dec. 8, 1952. 8. Id., al-Sinima'l-mi$riyyafVl-ahdal-jadid, ibid., Aug. 18, 1952. 9. ‘A ql, Sa‘Id, al-Ittijdhat al-jadida fi'l-adab al-arabi— al-marsah, in M a., vol. X X X V , 1937, pp. 41-52. 10. ‘Atiyya, K am al, al-Qisfa al-sinimd'iyya, in A J, O ct. 31, 1952, p. 8. 11. Al-Barudi, ‘A bd al-Fattah, al-Mausim al-masrahi, in K ., vol. V I I , June, 1952, P P - 753- 755« 12. Id., al-Mausim al-$aifi, ibid., O ct., 1952, pp. 1003-1005. 13. Baz, Jurjl N iqula, al-Shaikh Iskandar al-Azar, in H ., vol. X X V I I , Apr. 1, 1919, p p .644-646. 14. AJ-Bundari, Jalil, Azmat mukhrijin fi'l-sinima'l-mi$riyya, in AS, O ct. 28, 1953, p. 26.

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15. Id., Hal ‘indana kuttab sinariyo? ibid., O ct. 21, 1953, pp. 22-23. 16. Al-Bustani, Fu’ad Ifram, Shakhfiyyat Ahmad Shauqx, in Ma., vol. X X X I V , 1936, pp. 67-75. i6a.D aghir, Y usuf A s‘ad, Fann al-tamthilfx khildl qam, in M a., vol, X L I I, 1948, pp. 434-460; vol. X L I I I , 1949, pp. 118-139, 271-296. 17. al-Diwahji, Sa‘id, Ibn Ddniyal al-Maufili, in A*., June, 1951, pp. 6 11-617. 18. Dhikrd Mulyir wa-riwayatih fVl-lugha al- arabiyya, in H., vol. X X X , M ar. 1, 1922, pp. 555- 558. 19. Dhuhni, Salah, al-Firqa al-mi$riyyafx ‘ dm, in K ., vol. II, July 1947, pp. 14181422. 20. Al-Fannfx Tunis, in RT, M ay 24, 1954, p. 34. 21. Farid al-Atrashyatlub fath al-bab lala mifra'aih, in AS, Dec. 16, 1953, p. 9. 22. Faris, Bishr, FV l-ta'lif al-masrahx, in al-Thaqdfa, M ar. 7, 1939, pp. 44-45. 23. F u’ad, Hasan, Fann al-Rxhdnx aula bVl-takrxm, in RT, June 14, 1954, p. 31. 24. Ghanim, FathI, al-S\nimd'l-m\$rxyya laisatfx khatar, in AS, Dec. 29, 1954, pp. 48-47* 25. H abib, T au fiq , §hiksbxrfx Mi$r, in H ., vol. X X X V I , Dec. 1, 1927, pp. 201204. 26. Al-Hakim , As‘ad, Shauqx wa'l-masrah al-arabx, in Ahm ad ‘U baid, Dhikra'l-shaHrain shdHr al-Nxl wa-amir al-shulara\ Damascus, 1953, pp. 339-344. 27. Hammada, Muham m ad, al-Sinimd'l-mi$riyya fx khatar, in AS, Apr. 15, 1953, P- 5 28. H aqqi, Y ahya, Masrah al-Rxhdnx, in al-Adxb (Beirut), Apr. 1954, pp. 14-18. 29. Hassuna, M uham m ad Am in, al-Masrah al-misrx, in al-Sharq al-adnd (Cyprus), O ct. 7, ^ ^ P P - 18, 17, 34. 30. Hubaiqa, Najib, Fann al-tamthil, in Ma., vol. II, 1899, pp. 20-23, 71-74, 156-160, 250-257, 341-345, 501-50731. Hunain, Edwar, Shauqx ‘ala’l-masrah, ibid., vol. X X X I I , 1934, pp. 563-580; X X X I I I , 1935, pp. 68-92, 273-288, 394-427. Repr. sep., Beirut, al-M atb. al-kathulikiyya, 1936; X II, 94 pp. 32. Husain, Taha, SiIah al-yaum, in K M , fasc. 8, M ay, 1946, pp. 704-705. 33. Ibn Zaidun, lAnbar, in al-Mu$awwar, Nov. 12, 1948, pp. 38-39. 34. Ibrahim, ‘Abd al-Latif, al-Shasha al-baida’ fx M ifr, in K M , Fasc. 9, June, 1946, pp. 139—140. 35. Ilyas, Ilyas Maqdisi, NawahVl-naq$ fVl-fxlm al-mifri, in Dunya'l-kaw akib, Sep. 15, 1952, p . 25. 36. Ittijah al-ta'lxf, in K ., vol. I, Jan., 1946, pp. 392-414; vol. II, Jan., 1947, pp. 463-489; vol. I l l , Jan., 1948, pp. 165-199; vol. IV , Jan., 1949, pp. 138-166. 37. Jauq Abyad, in H., vol. X X I , Nov. 1, 1912, pp. 125-126. 38. Al-Jauzi, Nasri, Kaifa nanhad bVl-masrah al-Filastxni? in al-Hadaf, Apr. 21, 1946, p. 11. 39. K am il, Rushdi, Haul al-sxnimd’l-mifriyya, in K M ., fasc. 26, N ov., 1947, pp. 291-295. 40. Id., Intibdfdtmm al-sinimd*l-mi$riyya, ibid., fasc. 12, Sep., 1946, pp. 736-738. 41. Id., Shahriyyat al-masrah, ibid., fasc. 9, June, 1946, pp. 139-140. 42. Id., Shahriyyat al-sinima, ibid., fasc., 17, Feb., 1947, pp. 162-164. 43. Khashaba, Duraini, Fauqjabal al-Olimb, in K., vol. IV , O ct. 1947, pp. 16301641. 44. 5 kuttab wa-$ dra'>fVl-sinima, in AS. Dec. 9, 1953.

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45. Landau, J. M ., lA l ha-teiatron etsel ha-aravim, in Bamah quarterly (T el-A viv), fasc. 47, Jan., 1946, pp. 48-53; fasc. 48, June, 1946, pp. 65-75; fasc • 49 » Sep., 1946, pp. 48-60; fasc. 50, Jan., 1947, pp. 107-115. 46. Id., Drama hevratit-hinnukhit be-aravit, ibid., fasc. 51, M ay, 1947, pp. 33-34. 47. Id., Dramaturgiyya mitsrit— A. Shauqi, in Bamot (Jerusalem), vol. I, M ar.,

1953, P P - 305- 30948. Id., Dramot ‘araviyyot bl-tirgum tsarfati, in HH, vol. I l l , Autum n, 1951, p. 101. 49. Id., ha-Armeni she-haqar et ha-qolno'a ha-aravi, in Z^mannim (Jerusalem), M ar. «8, 1955. P- 5 50. Id., ha-Nos'im ba-qolnola ha-mitsri, HH, vol. V , W inter 1954, pp. 145-146. 51. Id., ha- Teiatron ha-aravi bl-Erets Isrcfel ba-shana ha-aharona, in Bamah, fasc. 52, D ec., 1947, p. 43. 52. Id., Li-she'elat reshito shel ha-teiatron be-Mitsrayim, in HH, vol. II, July, 1951, PP- 389- 39 I« 53. Id., §hauqi vl-yltsirato be-aspaqlaryah ‘aravit. ibid, vol. I l l , Autum n, 1951, p. 101. 54. Id., Turkikotev ‘al qaragoz, ibid., vol. V , Summer, 1954, p. 322. 55. Al-M aqdisi, Anis, Nazra ‘ amma f i Mo^rof Kliyupatra bahth intiqadifVl-riwaya' llati akhrajaha hadithan Ahmad Shauqi Bek, in Mu., vol. L X X V , O ct. 1, 1929, pp. 285-292. 56. Al-Masrah au al-marzoht ibid,, vol. L X I X , Aug. 1, 1926, pp. 223-224. 57. Al-Masrah wa-mustaqbaluh wa-md huwa hazzuna minh, in H., vol. X X X V I , Dec. 1, 1927, pp. 175-176. 58. M utran, K halil, al-Tamth.il al-arabi wa-nahdatuh al-jadida, ibid, vol. X X I X , Feb. 1, 1921, pp. 465-472. 59. Al-N ajjar, ‘A bd al-W ahhab, al-Sinimd wal-islam, in Majallat al-shubban almuslimin, Ram adan 1348 (Feb. 1930), pp. 356-357. 60. N ajm , M uham m ad Yusuf, Ahmad Abu Khalil al-Qabbani, in al-Adib, vol. X X V I I , Jan., 1955, pp. 19-22; Feb., 1955, pp. 17-21. 61. Id., Madrasat Martin al-Naqqash, ibid., M ar., 1955, pp. 24-26. 62. Q utb, Sayyid, al-Abbasa masrahiyya shTriyya ta'lif ‘A ziz Abd$a. in K M , fasc., 4, Jan., 1946, pp. 588-594. 63. Ram zi, Hasan, Ghurfat al-sinimd tas'a li-yakun al-film al-mifri ‘ alamiyyan, in R T, M ay 24, 1954, p. 34. 64. Al-RIhani, N ajib, Ta'rikh hayatihim bi-aqlamihim, in Dunya'l-fann, N ov. 19, 1946, p. 13. 65. Surur, Ahm ad K am al, al-DVaya li-Mi$r bi'l-sinima, in al-Radyu'l-mifri, Jan. 9 » 1937»P P -8, 11. 66. Swanson, J ., Mudhakkarat mu'assis find1at al-sinimd f i Mi$r, serial in Dunya' l-kawdkib, I 953“ I 954 « 67. Sidqi, ‘A bd al-Rahm an, Mawasim al-tamthil al-mifriyya wa'l-ajnabiyya, in K ., vol. V I I , Jan., 1952, PP. 94- 98 . 68. Id ., Shahriyyat al-masrah, in K M , fasc. 15, D ec., 1946, pp. 540-544. 69. Sidqi, Husain, TastatV niqabat al-sinimd'iyyin ida' risalatiha, in M ., June 16, 1952, p . 12. 70. A l-Sirafi,* Hasan K am il, Bijmalyun fi'l-adab al-arabi, in Mu., vol. G II, Jan. L 1943»PP- 87-92. * I t appears that he him self spells his name thus (not al-Sairafi)— cf. GAL, Suppl. I l l , p. 165, n. 1.

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71. Shamüsh, I., Be" ayat ha-safa ba-sippür ha-aravi ha-mdderni, in Tarbitz, vol. X X I I I , 1952, pp. 231-235. 72. Al-Sharüni, Husain Rifql, al-Sinimd fVl-jaish, in Jaishuna, Nos. 257-260 (undated), pp. 45-46. 73. Al-Tamihil al-arabi, in H., vol. X I V , Dec. 1, 1905, pp. 141-149; ibid., vol. X V , Nov. i, 1906, pp. 1 17-118 (additions and corrections). 74. Al-Tamthil al-arabi mddih wa-mustaqbaluh, a referendum, in H., vol. X X X I I , 1924, pp. 481-484, 638-641, 751-753. 75. Al-Tamthil al-arabi. Nahdatuh al-akhira 'alà yad al-jandb al-ali, ibid., vol. X V I I I , M ay 1, 1910, pp. 464-472; ibid., June 1, 1910, pp. 545-547 (addi­ tions) . 76. Al-Tamthil f i Mi$r. Jauq Jürj Abyad, ibid., vol. X X , Apr. 1, 1912, pp. 436-

43877. Al-Tamthil f i Mi$r nahdatuh al-jadida, ibid., vol. X X X I I I , Nov. 1, 1924, pp. 185-186. 78. Taufiq al-Hakimyatahaddath, in al-Thaqàfa,Jan. 5, 1953, pp. 6-7, 16. 79. Tannüs, Jürj, al-Shaikh Salàma Hijázh in H., vol. X X V I , Nov. 1, 1917, pp. 186-189. 80. Tulaim àt, Zaki, Kaifa dakhal al-tamthil bilàd al-sharq, in K ., vol. I, Feb., 1946, p p . 581-587. 81. Id., Khait min al-fann al-sinimà’i f i Mi§r, ibid., Jan., 1946, pp. 415-422. 82. Id., al-Masrah al-mi$rif i ' dm, ibid., July, 1946, pp. 481-488. 83. Id., al-Qiffafi'dlam al-sinimd, ibid., Apr., 1946, pp. 902-908. 84. Id., al-Riwdya al-tamthiliyya wa-lirndfha lam yu'dlijhd’l-'arab, ibid., Nov., 1945, pp. 101-108. 85. W ahbl, Yüsuf, Qimat al-masrah al-ijtimd'iyya fVl-sharq, in al-Taum, July 8, 1955»PP- 2-3. 86. Yüsuf Wahbiyatahaddath 'an al-shuün al-fanniyya, in al-Zamdn, O ct. 21, 1952, p. 4.

A P P E N D IX

A List of Some Arabic Plays, 1848—1956 Principles guiding the List : 1. Plays are listed in two sections, original and translated. 2. Plays are listed alphabetically under the author’s known last name (the particle al is not taken into consideration in the alphabetical sequence). 3. Anonymous plays are listed under first word of title. 4. I f a play has had more than one translation into Arabic, it is listed under author’s name and arranged by the alphabetical order o f the translators* names. 5. References in parentheses indicate sources for additional information, if any, about a play.

1. O R IG IN A L P L A Y S 1. Abâza, ‘A ziz, al-Abbâsa, an historical play in literary Arabic verse (K ., vol. I, Dec., 1945, pp. 223-230; K M , vol. I, Jan., 1946, pp. 588-594). 2. Id., ‘Ala hâmish al-jami‘a al-arabiyya, a i-act play, presenting poets from various A rab countries. Prod, before Fârüq, 1946. Publ. in K ., vol. I, A p r., 1946, pp. 858-864. 3. Id., Anàthà'ira (K M , fasc. 4, Jan., 1946, p. 588). 4. Id., Ghurüb al-Andalus, a 5-act hist, play in lit. Ar. verse— the story o f the last o f the “ M ulük al-tawà’if.” Cairo, M atb. Misr. n.d. (1952?); X V I , 120 pp. (al-Zamdn, O ct. 21, 1952, p. 4; A J, O ct. 27, 1952; A ., Dec. 3, 1952). First named Suqüt al-Andalus (M ., June 30, 1952, p. 10). W ith an introd. by T a h a Husain. 5. Id., al-Nàfir (A., Dec. 3, 1952, p. 5). 6. Id., Qats wa-Lubna. A 5-act dram a in lit. A r. verse, describing fiery love in the early days of the U m ayyad dynasty. W ith an introd. by ‘Abbâs M ahm üd al-‘A qqàd. N.p. (Cairo?), al-Firqa al-m isriyyali’l-tamthil w a’l-müsïqâ, n.d.; 174 pp. First prod, in Egypt, 1943 (K M , vol. I, Jan., 1946, p. 588; RC, Feb. 1953, p. 181). 7. Id., Shajarat al-Durr. A 4-act hist, dram a in lit. A r. verse, tracing the career o f the famous woman who ruled Egypt in mid-13th century (A., Dec. 3,1952, p. 5; RC, Feb., 1953, pp. 196-206). 8. ‘Abbâs, ‘A bd al-Ham id, Mathalunà'l-a‘la, apparently a moral-play for schools. Baghdad, Government Press, prob. 1934 (Mu., vol. L X X X V , O ct. ï, 1934, p. 256). 9. ‘Abbâs al-Azhari, Ahm ad, D h iQâr (Dâghir, p. 587). 10. I d .,Fatât al-ghâr (ibid). 11. Id., al-Samau’al wa'1-sibâq (ibid.). 12. ‘Abbâsiyya. In the répertoire o f the al-Rïhànî troupe (A., Ju ly 27, 1952, p. 7). i2 a .‘Abbüd, M àrün, al-Akhras al-mutakallim. Publ. 1925; 32 pp. (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 438). I2 b.ld ., Ashbâfial-qarn al-sabi‘ ‘ashar. 1924; 80 pp. (ibid., p. 440).

2l6

A LIST OF SOME ARABIC PLAYS,

18 4 8 -I9 56

217

12c. Id., Maghäwir al-jinn. Beirut, M atäbi‘ Q üzm ä, 1926; 92 pp. (ibid. X L I I I , 1949, p. 286). 13. al-‘Abbüshï, Burhän al-Dïn, Watan al-shahid. A 5-act political play in lit. Ar. verse, calling for united Arab action against Jewish activities in Palestine. Jerusalem, al-M atb. al-iqtisädiyya, 1947; II, 86 pp. 14. ‘A bd Allah, Süfi, Kasbunä'l-brimö. A play in the colloquial Arabic o f Egypt. Prod, in 1951-1952 (K., vol. V I I , June, 1952, p. 753). ‘Abd al-‘A zïz, ‘U m ar, see: List of Ar. Plays, Transi.— Prévost. 15. ‘A bd al-‘Azîm , ‘Ali, al-Walläda. An hist, play in verse. Prob. 1948 (ibid., vol. IV , Jan., 1949, pp. 153-154). ‘Abd al-Fädi, Ibrahim , see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— Maeterlinck. i5 a .‘Abd al-Fattäh, Muhammad, Lailä. Prod, in Egypt (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., p. 84). ‘A bd al-Hâdï, Radwän, see: List o f Arabic Plays, Transi.— Shakespeare. i5 b .‘Abd al-Ham id, Muham m ad, al-Räqi$a. A 3-act play. Cairo, M atb alIsm ä‘iliyya al-kubrä, 1947; 117 pp. (Ma., X L I II, 1949, p. 120). ‘Abd al-Hamid, M uham m ad Munir, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— Sheridan. ‘Abd al-M alik, Iskandar Jirjis, see: List of Ar. Plays, Transi.— Shakespeare. 16. ‘A bd al-M un‘im, Ismä‘il, ‘Amr bnu al-Â$$. A n hist, play, followed by a list o f A rabic technical terms of the theater. Cairo, M atb. al-Q ähira, 1925 (?) (Fihris, IV , p. 68). 16a.‘Abd al-M uttalib, Muhammad & M ar‘ i, Muhammad ‘Abd al-M uti‘, Hayät Imrï al-Qais bni Hujr. 1911 (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc.) pp. 324-325). i6b.Id. & Id., Hayät al-Muhalhil bni RabVa au harb al-Basüs, 1911 (ibid., pp. 3 2 1-

324)16c. ‘Abd al-Nür, Jabbür, al-Hubb yantaqim (M a., X L I I , 1948, p. 455). ‘Abduh, Tänyüs, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— Schiller; Shakespeare. 17. Abila, Shärl, Ibn Wä'il. A 3-act hist, tragedy in lit. Ar. prose. 2nd ed., Beirut, 1925; 45 pp. (Sarkis, Jämi‘ , I, No. 1096). 17a.A b ü ’l-‘Azm , Muhammad ‘Abd al-H am id, Tauliyat Muhammad ‘Alt Bäshä. An hist, play for prod, in schools. Cairo, M atb. al-ma‘ärif, n.d., prob. 1941 ; 32 pp. 18. A bü Fädil, Farid Shähin, al-Hasnä* al-arabiyya Zainab bintlshäq. A 3-act play on the controversy between M u ‘äw iya and Husain. Antioch, M atb. alRiyäd, prob. 1934; 62 pp. (Mu., vol. L X X X V , O ct. 1, 1934, p. 256). 19. A bü Fädil, W adï‘, Tammüz wa-BaHa au Adünxs wa-Ashtarüt. Tells in lit. Ar. verse the love story of the ancient Canaanite Gods, with nationalist im plica­ tions. N.p. (Cairo?), M atb. W adi‘ A b ü Fädil, n.d., prob. 1937 {Mu., voL X C I , June i, 1937, p. 127; GAL, Suppl. I l l , pp. 417-418). 19a. A bü Färis, Jirjis, Ilä ' 1-dair. A 5-act play. Daura (Lebanon), M atb. Fädil waJam ïl; 80 pp. (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 442). 20. A bü Hanä, Niqülä, al-Afw ‘ind al-maqdara au al-Ma'mün wa-ammuh Ibrahim bnu al-Mahdt. A 4-act hist, play in lit. Ar. prose and verse. Saidä, M atb Dair al-Mukhlis, 1928; 120 pp. (Ma., vol. X X V I , 1928, p. 554; Majallat al-majma‘ al-ilmVl-arabi, vol. V I I I , 1928, p. 766. GAL, S. III, p. 417, reads author’s name N iqülä H annä. 21. Abü Hadid, M uhammad Fand, ‘Abd al-shaitän. A 3-act play in lit. Ar. prose, on the theme o f Faust: the poet who is so poor and so frustrated in his love that he agrees to sell his soul to the Devil. N .p., D är al-ma‘ärif, 1945; 148 pp.

2 l8

STUDIES IN THE ARA B T H E A T E R AND CINEMA

22. Id., Maisün al-ghajariyya. Cairo, 1928 (GAL, S. I l l , p. 227). 22a.Abu. Nadir, Ilyas Jurj! Shibl, al-Thaura al-Durziyya fVl-aràdVl-lubnàniyya. N .Y ., 1926; 62 pp. (Ma., X L I I, 1948, p. 452.) 22b.A bü N adir, Jirjis, Istiqlâl Lubnàn. A 5-act hist. play. Beirut, M atb. al-Dauraal-Nahr, 1947; 56 pp. (ibid., p. 440). A bü N addâra, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Orig. Plays— Sanü‘. 22c.Abü’l-N asr,‘ U m ar, al-Batal lâyamüt. Beirut (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 448). 22d.Id., al-Imtihan. Beirut (ibid., p. 442). 22e.Id., al-Umm. Beirut (ibid., ibid.). 22f. A b ü Q aus, ‘A bd al-Rahm ân, Bâkhüs (i.e., Bacchus). A play based on the Pygmalion story. Aleppo, 1943; 124 pp. (ibid., p. 446). 22g.Id., Tilsim al-hayat. Aleppo, 1941 (ib id .,X L III , 1949, p. 132). 22h.Id., Thaurat al-abid. Verse. Aleppo, al-M atb. al-‘asriyya, 1937561 pp. (ibid., X L I I , 1948, p. 453). 22i. A b ü Risha, ‘Um ar, D h ï Qàr. A 4-act play in verse. Aleppo, 1932 (ibid., X L I I I , 1949, p. 119). 22j. A bü Sulaimân, Y ü su f Shiblï, Abdâlünïm malik Sïdün. A 5-act hist, dram a in lit. A r. prose and verse. Prod. 1901. Publ. al-Hadatfe, 1903; 92 pp. (ibid., X L I I , 1948, p. 435). 22k.Id., WadVat al-imàn f ï dawâhi Lubnàn. A 3-act hist. play. Beirut, al-M atb. al-kâthülikiyya, 1899; 72 PP- (ibid., X L I I I , 1949, p. 294). See also: List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— Delaporte. 22I. ‘A b ü ’l-Su‘üd, ‘A b d al-W ahhâb, Khaulat bint al-uzür. A n hist. play. Dam as­ cus, D âr al-yaqza al-‘arabiyya, 1944; together with Nos. 22n and 220, 158 pp. (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 459). 22m.Id., Shuhadà* al-intiqàm. A 5-act play. Damascus, al-M atb al-‘arabiyya, A .H . 1332; 71 pp. (ibid., X L I I I , 1949, p. 129). 22n.Id., TatwijFaifal. Damascus, 1944. Publ. together w ith Nos. 22I and 220 (ibid., X L I I , 1948, p. 450). 220.Id ., Wa-mu'tafimah. Publ. together with Nos. 22I & 22n, above (ibid.). 22p.Id., al-Watan. Damascus, D âr al-yaqza al-‘arabiyya, 1944; 158 pp. (ibid., X L I I I , 1949, p. 294)23. AbüT-Su‘üd, M uham m ad Labïb, Riwâyat al-mayyit al-hayy. A play in lit. Ar. 1st ed., Cairo, M atb al-Nil, 1903; 40 pp. 2nd ed., Cairo, M atb. al-islah, 1911. Prod, in Egypt early in the 20th century (Fihris, IV , p. 127; Mu., vol. X X I X , Jan. 1, 1904, p. 90; H., vol. X X , Jan. 1, 1912, p. 256). 24. A bü Shabaka, Ilyâs, al-Rawa’i ‘ . Beirut, M ak. Sâdir, 1930; 120 pp. (GAL, S. I l l , p. 367. Dàghir, p. 69, reads al-Riwà'ïand claims the play is transi, from English). See also: List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— G hanem ; K a rr; M olière; Rostand. 25. A bü Shàdï, Ahm ad Zakï, Akhnatun Fir'aun Mi$r. A 3-act hist, opera about one o f the greatest Pharaohs. Cairo, D âr al-‘usür li’l-tab‘ w a’l-nashr, n.d., prob. 1931 ; 62, 20 pp. (GAL, S. I l l , p. 115). 26. Id., al-Âliha. A 3-act symbolical opera in lit. A r. verse, tracing the spiritual struggle o f a poet who must choose between the Goddesses o f Lust and Power and those o f Beauty and Love. Cairo, D âr al-‘usür li’l-tab* wa*l-nashr, n.d. (introd, signed Aug. 1927); 100, 36 pp. (ibid., p. 114; H ., vol. X X X V I I I , Jan. 1, 1930, p. 372; Mu, vol. L X X V I , Feb. 1, 1930, pp. 227-228).

A LIST OF SOME ARABIC PLAYS,

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27. Id., Ardashir wa-hayat al-nufus. A 4-act opera in lit. Ar. verse, based on the tale of Prince Ardashir in the Arabian Nights. Alexandria, al-M atb. al-salafiyya, 1928, 155 (?) pp. (GAL, ibid., pp. 113—114; H., vol. X X X V I , Feb. 1, 1928, p. 500; Mu., vol. L X X I I , M ar. 1, 1928, p. 348). 28. Id., Bint al^ahrat (Barbour, in BSOS, vol. V I I , 1935, p. 182, n. 1). 29. Id., Ihsan. A 3-act opera in lit. Ar. verse about an Egyptian officer and his girl who dies o f longing when she receives the false news o f her fiance’s death. Cairo, al-M atb. al-salafiyya, 1927; 160 pp., o f which the opera proper is on pp. 37-64 only (GAL, S. I l l , p. 11 3 ; H., vol. X X X V I , Dec. 1, 1927, p. 241; Mu., vol. L X X I I , M ar. 1, 1928, p. 349; Sarkis, Jami\ II, No. 202;Fihris, IV , P P- 4- 5)30. Id., al-gabba1 malikat Tadmur. A 4-act hist, opera in lit. Ar. verse, descr. the might o f Queen Zenobia o f Palmyra and her defeat and imprisonment by the Romans. Cairo, al-M atb. al-salafiyya, n.d. (1927); 88 pp. (GAL, ibid., pp. 114—115; Sarkis, ibid., No. 218; H ., vol. X X X V I , Jan. 1, 1928, p. 378; Fihris, IV , p. 43). See also: List o f Ar. Plays, Transl.— Shakespeare. A b u Shusha, ‘Abbas, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transl.— Schiller. 31. Adham , ‘A bd al-W ahhab, al-Sayyid Hatum. A 4-act comedy in lit. Ar. prose and a few verses. It pokes fun at a youngster, his attempts at learning and at social behavior. Damascus, M atb. Babil, 1930; 79, 1 pp. 32. ‘A fif, Husain, Suhair. A play in lit. Ar. blank verse. Cairo, M atb. Hijazi, prob. 1938; 185 pp. (H.,wo\. X L V I , July 1,1938, p. 1080). 33. Id., Wahid au qalb fannan. A play in lit. Ar. blank verse. M atb. H ijazi, 1936; 191 pp. 34. ‘A fifi, ‘A bd Allah, al-Hadi. A n hist, play in lit. A r., set in the reign of that Caliph. Cairo, M atb. al-M a‘arif, n.d. (BSOS, vol. V I I I , 1935-1937, p. 999). 35. al-Ahdab, Ibrahim , ‘Abd al-Salam al-matruf bi-Dik al-Jinn mat zaujatih Ward (Daghir, p. 86). 36. Id., Abu Nu 1as mat Jinan jariyat Tbaqif (ibid.). 37. Id., Jamil Buthaina (ibid.). 38. Id., Kuthair ‘Azza (ibid.). 39. Id., Majnun Laila (ibid.). 40. Id., Mazdak (ibid.). 41. Id ., Muhammad bnu Hamid al-Khdqdni wa-Arib (ibid.). 42. Id., al-Munkhul al-Tashkarimat al-Mutajarrida zaujat al-malik al-Nu‘ man (ibid.). 43. Id., al-Mu‘ tamid bnu ‘lbad (ibid., reads mistakenly ‘lyad). 43a.Id., N a ila malikat al-hadar mat Jadhima malik al-arab. Prod. 1879 (Najm, al-Masrahiyya, p. 55). 44. Id., Qais wa-Lubna (Daghir, p. 86). 45. Id., Set id bnu Hamid wa-fadl al-shatira (ibid). 46. Id., al-Saif wctl-qalam (ibid.). 47. Id., al-Tuhfa al-rushdiyya. Beirut, 1868; 89 pp. (From Daghir, ibid., p. 85, it would appear that this is not a play— contrast however Hunain, Sb&uqi ‘alatl-masrah, repr., p. 18). 48. Id., ‘ Urwa bnu Huzdm mat mahbubatih *Afrat (Daghir, ibid., p. 86). 49. Id., Wallada bint al-Mustakjimat al-wazir Ibn Z a^dun. Prose and verse (ibid.). 50. Id., Washy al-yarata f i ‘ ulum al-balagha wal-barata. Beirut, 1870; 86 pp. (Ibid.; Hunain, op. cit., repr., p. 18, reads Washy al-barata and gives publ. date as 1869).

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51. Id., Taztd bnu ‘Abd al-Malik mat järiyataih Habbäba wa-Saläma (Däghir, ibid.). See also: List of Ar. Plays, Transi.— Racine. Ahm ad, M a ‘rüf, see below : al-Arnä’üt, M a ‘rü f Ahmad. 5 ia .‘Aid, ‘A ziz, al-Käbüräl Simün. A 5-act play. Damascus, M atb. Ibn Zaidün, 1939; 98 PP- (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 276). See also: List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— Feydeau. 5 ib .‘Ajlän, K äm il M uham m ad, Ghädat al-haudaj. A 4-act play. M ak. M isr; 68 pp. (ibid., p. 138). 5 ic .Id ., ‘ Ushshäq al-arab. A collection o f five short plays by this author. Lajnat al-nashr li’l-jam ifiyym ; 144pp. (ibid., p. 135). 5 id .Id ., al-Zahra. A hist, melodrama. Lajnat al-nashr li’l-jâm i'iyyîn (ibid., p. 123). 52. Ä1 Nâsir al-Dïn, Am in, J a z ä ’ al-khiyäna. A play, publ. (Däghir, p. 39). 53. Id., Gharäyib al-çulm. A ms. play in verse (ibid.). 54. ‘A la ’ al-Dïn, M uham m ad Hasan, al-Marsahiyya al-shïriyya ImnC al-Qais bnu Hujr. A 4-act hist, play, in pedantic lit. Ar. verse, descr. the life and death of a famous pre-Islamic poet. Jerusalem, al-M atb. al-tijäriyya, 1946; 111 pp. 55. al^ A lâ’ilï, Jam ïla M uham m ad, al-Mar’a al-rahima. Appar. broadcast in the Arabic program at Radio Bari (GAL, S. I l l , pp. 175, 1321). 56. al-A lfi, Barsüm Bäsili, Riwäyat tarbiyat al-banät. A 3-act play, calling for the education o f the A rab woman. Cairo (?), prob. 1899 (H., vol. V I I I , Dec. 15, 1 8 9 9 ^ .1 9 1 - 1 9 2 ) . 57. Id., Sultän al-hawä. A play descr. the Cairene night-life and criticizing it. Prob. 1900 (ibid., Aug. 15, 1900, p. 703). 58. ‘A ll, ‘A b d al-Rahm ân ‘U thm än, Mat sät al-taqälid. A lex., M atb. al-taqaddum , prob. 1933 (H., vol. X L I I, Feb. 1, 1934, p. 506). 59. ‘A li, Hasan, Riwäyat Draifüs. In preparation, 1899 (ibid., vol. V I I I , O ct. 1, 1899, p. 3 0 60. ‘Al!, M uhamm ad K äm il, Shaikh al-hära. A 5-act libretto for an opéra comique, in lit. Ar. mixed with coll. A r. Prob. 1928; 95 pp. (ibid., vol. X X X V I I , Feb. 1, 1929, p. 500). 61. ‘Allälü, ‘Antar al-hashä'ishi. A 3-act comedy about the misadventures o f a hashish-smoking cobbler. First prod, in Alger, 1930 (Revue Africaine, Q u ar­ terly, Alger, vol. L X X V I I , 1935, p. 80). 62. Id., & Dahmün, Jeha. A 2-act comedy o f manners in coll. Ar. First prod, in Alger, 1926, often repeated (ibid., pp. 76-78). 63. ‘Alläm , ‘Abbäs, ‘Abd al-Rahmän al-Näfir. A 5-act hist, drama in lit. Ar. prose, treating o f the exploits, o f the renowned Spanish Caliph. Cairo, M ak. alwafd, n.d., prob. 1933-4; 8, 225 pp. W ritten for the inauguration o f the Azbakiyya Gardens Theater and prod, there for the first time, 1921. 64. Id., A h y ä harämi. A 3-act opera-bouffe inspired by the English Pick-pocket. First prod, in Egypt, 1922 (‘Alläm , *Abd al-Rahmän al-Näfir, bibl. app., No.

8)*

65. Id., Alä mod (i.e., À la mode). A 3-act comedy. First prod. 1921 (ibid., No. 6). 66. Id., Bism al-qänün. A 3-act comedy. First prod, by A byad in Cairo, 1924 (ibid., No. 10). 67. Id., lilt y ‘ ïshyammayshüf. A 2-act comedy in coll. Ar. First prod. 1917 (ibid., No. 3). 68. Id., Malik wa-shaitän. A 4-act comedy. First prod, by amateurs in Port Said, 1915, then in Cairo repeatedly (ibid., No. 1).

A LIST OF SOME ARABIC PLAYS,

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69. Id., Safïnat Nüh. A 3-act comedy. First prod, by A byad in Cairo, 1924 (Ibid., No. 9). 70. Id., Sihâm. A 4-act comedy. W ritten in reply to Georges Feydeau’s vaude­ ville La dame de chez Maxime. First prod. 1926 (ibid., No. 12). 71. Id., Shaqd’ al-à'ilàt. A 5-act pièce. First prod, by Salâm a H ijàzï in Cairo, 1916 (ibid., No. 2). 72. Id., al-Sharit al-ahmar. A 5-act comédie dramatique. First prod, b y Hijâzï, 1917 (ibid., No. 4). 73. Id., Tôtô. A 4-act comedy. First prod, in 1933 by the troupe o f Fatima Rushdi (ibid., No. 17). 74. Id., Z ahrat al-shdi. A 3-act drama. First prod. 1926 (ibid., No. 13). 75. Id., a/-£aw£a‘a. A 3-act comédie dramatique, inspired by Gaston Devore’s La conscience de Venfant. First prod. 1921 (ibid., No. 7). 76. Id., al-^auja al-adhrd*. A 4-act comedy inspired by Alfred Savoir’s La huitième femme de Barbe Bleue. First prod. 1933 (ibid., No. 16). See also: List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— Bernstein; Lorde; M ayo. 76a.Am !n, Tsàm Sam i, al-Muwaz%.af. A 4-act play. Beirut, M atb. al-Insàf, 1946; 78 pp. (Afa., X L I I I , 1949, p. 289). Am in, ‘U m ar ‘A bd al-‘A ziz, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— Shakespeare. 77. ‘Àm ir, ‘Affan, Bü Naja ( ?) (B E , Nov. 1,1952, p. 3). ‘Amm ari, see: List o f Ar. Plays, O rig. Plays— Türï. 78. A ndrà’us, Hannà, Tdriq bnu Ziydd. A n hist, dram a (M uham m ad Taim ür, M u ’allafàt, vol. II, art on A l ‘Ukkàsha). 79. ‘Anhürï, Salim, Riwayat Ashil. A 5-act tragedy in lit. Ar. prose & verse, treating o f Achilles’ exploits. Prod, in Damascus, 1899, then in Beirut. Pubi, prob. 1904 [H., vol. X I I I , Feb. 1, 1905, p. 320. Sarkis, Mujam, p. 1388, and GAL, S. I l l , p. 341, give full author’s name as Salim b. R u fâ ’ïl Jirjis ‘Anhürï, but make no mention o f this play. Dàghir, p. 615, says this play was adapted from the French and is still in ms.). 80. Id., Riwayat Hind wa-Ifdm. Prose and verse. Appar. still in ms. (Dàghir, ibid.). 81. al-‘Ànï, Yüsuf, Harmal wa-Iiabbet sòda. A dram a in coll. A r. (of Iraq) prose, concerning the conflict between the older and younger generations. Pubi, together with the following two plays. Baghdad, M anshüràt al-îhaqâfa aljadida, 1954“ ! 955 ; 94 PP- [al-Adib, vol. X X V I I , M ar. 1955, pp. 59-62). 82. Id., Ra's il-Shelila. A dram a in coll. Ar. (of Iraq) prose about some defects in the Iraqi public service. Pubi, together with Nos. 81 & 83 (ibid.). 83. Id., Tu'mur bek. A satirical play in coll. Ar. (of Iraq) prose, directed against the non-working aristocracy. Pubi, together with the preceding two plays (ibid.). 84. Antün, Farah, Abü'l-Hül yataharrak au al-Farà'ina sâhirûn. A n hist, musical, appar. still in ms. (//., vol. X X X I , Feb. 1, 1923, p. 528). 85. Id., Banât al-shawâri1 au bandt al-khudür. A n operatic comedy [Farah Antün wahaydtuh wa-ta'bxnuh wa-mukhtdrdtuh, 1923, p. 133). 86. Id., al-Burj al-hd'il. A 5-act hist, play, inspired by A . Dumas (père). Prod, in Alexandria and Cairo. Pubi. A lex., al-M ak. al-khadyawiyya, prob. 1898 [H ., vol. V I I , Jan. 1, 1899, p. 253. GAL, S. I l l , p. 193, gives date o f pubi, as 1904. Dàghir, p. 150, gives al-M atb. al-‘U îhm àniyya as publisher). 87. Id., al-Fatdt al-hasnd* Graziella. A vaudeville inspired by Louis de Lamartine. Lit. A r., mixed with the coll. Ar. o f Syria [GAL, S. I l l , p. 194).

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STUDIES IN T H E A RA B T H E A T E R A N D CINEMA

88. Id., M ifr al-jadida wa-Mifr al-qadima. A musical. O ften prod, since 1913. (GAL, ibid., p. 193). 89. Id., al-Mutofarrif fV l-ib ä d . Appar. an adapted operetta (Mu., vol. L X I , Aug. i, 1922, p. 265). 90. Id., Saläh al-Din au fath Bait al-Maqdis. Cairo, 1923; 63 pp. (ibid., H., vol. X X X I , Feb. i, 1923, p. 528; GAL, S. I l l , p. 193; Däghir, p. 150). 91. Id ., al-Sultän Saläh al-Din wa-mamlakat Urushalim. A 4-act hist, play, with political hints, in lit. A r. prose. W ritten 1914. Cairo, Suppl. to Majallat alSayyidät wa’l-rijäl, 1923; 62 pp. (Mu, vol. L X I V , Feb. 1, 1924, p 221; vol. II, Nov. 1947, p. 1738 ; Fihris, IV , p. 48). See also: List o f A r. Plays, Transl.— Dum as; France; G allet; M eilhac; Sardou; Sophocles; Z aza. Antün, R abbät, see : R abbät, Antün. 9 1 a. Anw ar, ‘A ll, §hahämat al-arab. A play about ‘A ntara (Najm, al-Masrafiiyya etc., p. 380). 92. ‘A ql, Sa‘id, Bint Taftäh. A play, prob, based on the Biblical story (Judges, 11) ofJephthah’s daughter. 2 acts o f lit. A r. verse. 64 pp. 92a.Id., Qadmüs. A 3-act tragedy. Beirut, 1941. (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 275). 93. ‘A ql, Shadid W adi‘, Firsinjitüriks. A n hist, play about Vercingetorix (Däghir, p. 609). 94. Id., Istishhäd al-qiddis Tümäs Bakit. A 3-act hist, play about Thom as Becket’s martyrdom. Ba‘abdä, al-M atb. al-Lubnäniyya, 1905; 48 pp. (ibid.). 95. Id ., al-LubnänVl-muhäjir (ibid.). 96. Id., Maghärat al-lufüf (ibid.). al-‘Aqqäd, M ahm üd Ahm ad, see: List o f A r. Plays, Transi.— Shakespeare. 97. ‘A rafät, A nw ar ‘Am r, Wa-lakum f i ’l-qifaf hayät. Beirut, M atb. al-w afä’ , prob. 1934; 75 PP- (#•> vol. X L I I , Aug. 1, 1934, p. 1267). 98. ‘Arida, Nasib, Riwäyat al-shä'ir 'Abd al-Saläm bni Raghbän. A 4-act play. N .Y ., 1923 (GAL, S. III, p. 445). 99. al-Arnä’üt, M a ‘rü f Ahm ad, ‘Amr bnu a l-Ä ff f t Tarablus al-gharb (Däghir, p. i ° 9). 100. Id ., al-Rujä( ilä Edema. Damascus, M atb. al-Nafä*is, 1913; 90 pp. (ibid. ). See also: List o f Ar. Plays, Transl.— C oppée; Dennery; Dumas. ioo2i.\d.,al-Sharif. Damascus (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 128). 101. Arslän, Am in, A^rär al-qufür. A play about some 19th century Turkish Sultans and their Court. Publ. in South Am erica (?), al-M atb. al-Jam äliyya, 1900 (Fihris, IV , p. 8. Cf. GAL, S. I l l , p. 229). Prod, in Egypt, 1951-2 (K., vol. V I I , June, 1952, p. 753). io ia .al-A sir, Yüsuf, Saif al-nafr. 1875 (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., p. 58). 102. ‘Äsim , Ismä‘il, Husn al-awäqib. A musical play in coll. A r. (GAL, ibid., p. 112, n. 1). i02a.Id., Sidq al-*khä’ . A social dram a. 1894 (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., pp. 402405)I02b.al-Ashqar, Butrus, al-Amira al-nafräniyyafV a fr al-jähiliyya. Bait Shabäb, M atb. al-‘alam, 1935; 128 pp. (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 444). I0 2 C . Id ., JamälBäshäf t Lubnän (ibid., p. 454). 103. al-Ashqar, F ä’iz Sam ‘än, al-Amira Finis. M ak. al-hiläl (?), prob. 1907 (H., vol. X V I , Nov. i, 1907, p. 127). I03a.al-Ashqar, Ilyäs M ansür, al-Hayät fida* al-gharäm. A 3-act play. Beirut, M atb. al-ijtihäd, 1908; 40 pp. (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 458).

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i03b.‘A ta ’ Allah, Am in, Sabah il-kheir. A comedy, in coll. A r.; 15 pp. (ibid., X L I I I , 1949, p. 130). 104. Id., Shuhadà* al-ghardm. A parody o f Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Lit. Ar. verse. Prod, by H ijàzï, 1906 (//., vol. X X X V I , Dec. 1, 19127, p. 204). See also: List o f Ar. Plays, Orig. Plays— al-Khürï, Am in; List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— Molière. ‘Atà* A llah (al-Lubnànï), Rashid, see: List o f Ar. Plays, O rig. Plays.— Fïktôr. ‘Atiyya, ‘A ll Imam, see: List of Ar. Plays, Transi.— Shakespeare. 105. ‘Atiyya, Rashid al-Hâjj, TabrVat al-muttaham aujazà’ al-makr. A 4-act drama in lit. Ar. verse. Ba‘abdâ, al-M atb. al-‘uîhm àniyya, 1897; 68 pp. (Hunain, Shauqi 1aid*l-masrah, p. 18). 106 ‘Atiyya, Shâhïn, Âqibat su* al-tarbiya (Shaikhü, Tarïkh al-âddb al-arabiyya fïl- r u V al-awwal min al-qam al-ishrtn, p. 70). 107. Id ., Hukm Sulaimân (ibid.). 108. Avierino, Alexandra de, Shaqa* al-ummahdt. A dram a {GAL, S. I l l , p. 259). ‘Aw w àd, As‘ad, see: List o f A r. Plays, Transi.— Voltaire. 109. al-‘Ayyâd, Bülus, Tifl al-midhwad. A religious play in prose. Prob. 1948 (A*., vol. IV , Jan. 1949, p. 141). 110. ‘Ayyàsh, ‘A bd al-Rahm àn, al-Hajjdj. Retells the story o f the great U m ayyad soldier and administrator. Ham àt, M atb. A b ü ’l-Fidâ*, 1946; 81 pp. (ibid., vol. I, Jan. 1947, p. 488, and vol. II, Feb. 1947, p. 627). i n . Ayyüb, Muham m ad, Bahmàn Shah. A n hist, play about Persia. A lex., alM atb. al-misriyya, 1899 (//., vol. V I I I , O ct. 15, 1899, p. 63; Fihris, IV , p. Ig). Ayyüb, N adîm Antünyüs, see: List o f A r. Plays, Transi.— Racine. al-‘Àzàr, Augustinus, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— Racine. 112. al-‘Azâr, Iskandar, Harb al-Basüs. A n hist, play, written in 1869 (//., vol. X X V I I , Apr. 1, 1919, p. 644. Dàghir, p. 585, suggests publ. date 1870?). 113. Id., Majâ'a Rümiyya. Prod, a few times in Beirut for charity purposes (//., ibid., pp. 644-645. W ritten during or after 1878, cf. Dàghir, p. 585). 114. Id., Min ashqd*l-azwdj {H., ibid., p. 645. Acc. to Dàghir, p. 585, the ms. text is lost). 115. Id., Rasm Suriyà au man rdma mu'ânadat al-unthà fal-ya*ti li-tudmagh jabhatuh. A play calling for the education o f women. W ritten in 1875 and prod, in Beirut the same year for charity purposes (//., ibid., p. 644). ‘Azm i, Fathi, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— Hâmid. 115a.al-‘À zàr, Nasim, Arwdh al-ahrdr. A 4-act play. Publ. 1908-1909 (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., pp. 343-345; contrast Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 439). ‘Àzàr, Shâkir, see: List o f A r. Plays, Transi.— Corneille. 116. ‘A ziz, Najib, Riwdyat ‘adl al-mulvk. A n hist, drama in lit. Ar. prose and verse, descr. the love affairs o f Alexis the son o f the C zar Peter the Great. Prob. 1896 {Mu., vol. X X , Dec. 1, 1896, p. 934). n 6 a .‘Azüz, M uham m ad ‘A li, Mahasin al-zuhür. Prod, in Alexandria, M ay 1896 (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., p. 179). 1 i6b.al-‘Azm , ‘Abduh Sulaim ân, Façd'V Jamdl fiSüriyd wa-Lubndn. Beirut, M atb. al-Salàm, 1938; 79 pp. (ibid., X L I I I , 1949, p. 273). 117. Badawï, Mahm üd, al- Abbdsa ukht Hdrûn al-Rashid. A n hist, play in lit. A r about the fall o f the Barmakids. Cairo, 1931 {.BSOS, vol. V I I I , 1935-1937, PP- 998- 999 ; GAL, S. I l l , p. 279).

224

STUDIES IN THE ARA B T H E A T E R A ND CINEMA

118. Id., Shajarat al-Durr. A n hist, play in lit. A r., following closely the known runof-events in 13th century Egypt. Prod, by the Ramses troupe, 1932-3. Publ. Cairo, 1933 {GAL, ibid., pp. 279-280). 1 i8a.B adi‘, M uham m ad, al-Sayyâdün al-ithnà *ashar. Cairo {Ma., X L I I I , 1949, P- x_3 1 ) • 119. Badi‘, M ustafa, al-Khidâ*. Prod, on the stage of the O pera at Alger, 1945 {Le Monde Arabe, Paris, fasc. 12, Dec. 17, 1951, p. 10). Badràn, M uham m ad, see : List o f A r. Plays, Transi.— M olière. i iga.B ahït, Yùsuf, Intiqâl a l- ad.hrâ\ A one-act play w ith music. Deir al-M ukhlis, 1936 {Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 444). al-Bahnasâwï, K âm il, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— Dumas (fils). 120. al-Bahrî, Jam ïl Habib, F ï sabïl al-sharaf. A 5-act tragedy. Haifa, 1926; 76 pp. (Sarkis, Jà m ï, I, No. 1151 ; GAL, S. III, p. 417, based on Ma., vol. X X I V , P - 4 I 70 Id., FVl-sijn (Shaikhü, Ta'rïkh . . . fi'l-rub* al-awwal etc., p. 168). Id ., al-Hujüm ‘alà'l-Beljïk (ibid.). Id., al-Haqïqa al-mulima (ibid.). Id., al-Ikhtifâ*al-gharïb (ibid.). Id., al-Khâ'in. A 3-act tragedy. Haifa, al-M ak. al-wataniyya, n.d., prob. 1924 {Mu, vol. L X I V , M ar. 1, 1924, p. 348; H., vol. X X X I I , June 1, 1924, p. 997; GAL, S. III, p. 417; Sarkïs, J à m ï, I, No. 1118). 126. Id., Qâtïl akhih. A 3-act tragedy, possibly adapted from the French. H aifa, prob. 1919 (//., vol. X X V I I I , O ct. i-N o v. 1, 1919, p. 174; and vol. X X X I I , Dec. 1, 1923, p. 325. GAL, S. I l l , p. 417, gives 1923 and 1927 as the dates o f publ.; BSOS, vol. V I I I , 1935-1937, suggests 1927). 127. Id., Sajin al-qasr. A 5-act tragedy, adapted from the French (?). Harisâ (Lebanon), prob. 1920 (//., vol. X X V I I I , M ay 1, 1920, p. 752. GAL, S. III, p. 417, presumably mentions another ed., Haifa, 1927). 128. Id., Suqüt Baghdad (Shaikhü, Ta'rïkh . . . fV l-ruF al-awwal etc., p. 168). 129. Id., al-Watan al-mahbüb. Cairo, 1923 (ibid., GAL, S. I l l , p. 417). 130. Id., al-Zahra al-hamrây (Shaikhü, ibid.). 131. Id., Zulm al-wàlid (ibid.). i3ia.Bàkhüs, K h a lil, Dimitriyüs, 1887 (ibid., p. 110; M a., X L I I I , 1949, p. 118). 132. Bâkhüs, K halil Tannüs, al-Hârith malik Najrdn. A 3-act hist, play in lit. A r. verse. 1st ed., 1887, 2nd éd., Jisr N ahr Bairüt, M atb. al-huqüq, 1910; 66 pp. (Shaikhü, p. 110; Hunain, Shauqïialâil-masrah, repr. p. 18). 133. Bâkhüs, al-K hürï N i‘mat Allah, & others, Hulm fa-yaqça. A prologue and 3-act play in lit. Ar. prose and verse. Adapted from the French, it tells of court-intrigues in Florence. Beirut, al-M atb. al-lubnàniyya, 1913; 138 pp. 134. Bàkîhïr, ‘A li Ahm ad, Akhnâtün wa-Nafartïtï. A 4-act play in lit. Ar. free verse. It descr. life and love in ancient Egypt. Cairo, M ak. Misr, prob. 1940; 8, 216 pp. {Mu., vol. X C V I I , Nov. 1940, p. 446). I3 4 a.ld ., ‘ Audat al-firdaus au istiqlàl Indünisiyâ. A 4-act play. C airo, M ak. alK h an ji, 1946; 156 pp. {Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 138). I3 4b .ld., al-Duktür Hdzim. A social dram a in 7 scenes. Cairo, Lajnat al-nashr li’l-jam i‘iyyin ; 142 pp. {Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 460). 135. Id., Fâris al-balqâ* Abu, Aiihjan al-Thaqaft, A 2-act play in lit. Ar. prose and verse, descr. the wars between Arabs and Persians in the days o f the Caliph ‘Um ar. Publ. together with Nos. 137 & 143 under the title Ibrâhïm Bâshà masrahiyya f i thaldlh fusül wa-masrahiyyatdn ukhrayan. [Cairo], D âr al-fikr al-

121. 122. 123. 124. 125.

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‘arabi, n .d.,prob. i 944- ! 945 ; PP- l l 5~l 57 vol. IV , Jan., 1949, p. 141). I35a.ld., al-Fir'aun al-mau'ud. A 6-scene play. Cairo, Lajnat al-nashr li’l-jami‘iyyin; 95 pp. (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p.273). 136. Id., Humdm au f t ‘ dfimat al-ahqaf. A drama in lit. Ar. verse, campaigning against the ignorance o f the Arab woman. Cairo, al-M atb. al-salafiyya, prob. 1934 (Mu., vol. L X X X V , O ct. 1, 1934, p. 256, which gives the author’s name as Baklr). 137. Id., Ibrahim Bashd rasul al-wahda al-arabiyya. A 3-act play in lit. Ar. prose, descr. Ibrahim ’s feats o f valor in Syria and Turkey; intended as a call for Arab unity. Publ. together with Nos. 135 & 143. [Cairo], Dar al-fikr al‘arabi, n.d., prob. 1944-1945; PP- 3- 9 1138. Id., Me?sat Odtb. A 3-act tragedy in lit. A r. prose, inspired from the Greek legend o f Oedip. Cairo, D ar al-kitab al-‘arabl, n .d .; 186 pp. 139. Id., Mismar Juha. A play descr. the adventures o f Juha, the popular wise-guy o f the Near East. Prod, in Egypt, 1951-2 ( il-mudda'ïn bVl-ilm au hât il-kâwï y â Sa?id. A 3-act comedy in coll. A r. Beirut, al-M atb. al-‘ilm iyya, 1897 (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 455. Najm , al-Masrahiyya etc., p. 435, gives 1884 as date o f publ.). 558. T ah a, ‘A li M ahm üd, Arwâh wa-ashbâh. A pot-pourri o f dram atic dialogues, in lit. Ar. verse, between Thais and others. Cairo, Shirkat fann al-tiba'a, 1942; 86 pp., plates. 558a.Id., Ughniyat al-arwâh al-arbal. Cairo, ‘ Isâ’l-Bâbï’l-H alabï, 132 pp. (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 440). al-Tahar, ‘A li Sharif, see: List o f A r. Plays, Orig. Plays— Sharif, T âh ir ‘Ali. 558b.Tal‘at, M unir, al-Maghfara au al-gharâm al-muzayyaf. Alexandria, M atb. al-salam; 55 pp. (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 286). 559. T a l'at, M unira, Dahâyâ'l-shaqâ'. Alexandria (?), prob. 1932; 48 pp. (H., vol. X L I , Dec. 1, 1932, p. 270).

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257

560. Id., Riwayat al-ba'isa. A 5-act drama about social conditions in Egypt. Alex., M atb. al-mustaqbal, prob. 1930; 54 pp. (ibid., vol. X X X I X , Feb. 1, 1931, p. 621). 561. Tannus, Yuhanna Tubi, al-Imran. A play about pre-Islamic times (M a., vol. X X V , 1927, p. 623. GAL, S. I l l , p. 416, reads al-'Amrani). 562. Id., al-Batriyark Jibra'il Hajjula'l-shahid. Beirut, 1923; 66 pp. (Shaikhu, Ta’rikh . . .fVl-rutf al-awwaletc.,\>. 143). 563. Id., Dahis wa'l-Ghabra' . A play set in pre-Islamic times (Ma., vol. X X V , 1927, p. 623; GAL, S. I l l , p. 416). 564. Id., Kulaib wa l-Muhalhil. A play set in pre-Islamic times (Ma., ibid.; GAL, ibid.). 565. Id., al-Niiman malik al-Hira f t Shaiban. A 4-act play. Beirut, M atb. alittihad, 1924 (Ma., ibid., and vol. X X X I I I , 1935, p. 315; GAL, ibid.; Sarkis, Jdmi(, I, No. 1166). 565a.TarzawI, M artlnus Ilyas, al-Fida\ 1931 (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 273). Trad, Najib Nasim, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transl.— Schiller. 566. al-Tubi, Asma, Ma$roL qai$ar Rusiya wa- a ilatih. A 5-act tragedy. Acre, alM atb. al-wataniyya, 1925; 68 pp. (GAL, ibid., p. 417; Sarkis, Jami\ I, No. 1164, II, No. 216; H ., vol. X X X I V , Feb. 1, 1926, p. 549). 567. Turi, Muhammad & ‘Am m an, Ahga Mezeghish (?) (BE, Nov. 1, 1952, p. 3). 568. Tuwair, ‘Abd Allah, Waqi'at al-Baramika. An hist, drama in lit. Ar. about the fall o f the Barmakids. Cairo, M atb. Bulaq, A .H . 1307 (Fihris, IV , p. 134). 569. al-Tuwairani (?), Hasan Husni, Fihrist al-inqilab. A n unfinished hist, drama in lit. Ar. prose & verse, treating of the intricate intrigues o f the anti-Turkish Arab nationalists. British Mus., Ms. Or. 9018. Prob. late 19th century, 60 leaves, all written on one side, except one written on both sides (for the author, whose name is given only as Hasan Husni, cf. GAL, S. I l l , pp. 8384, 228; Sarkis, Mitjam, pp. 1253-1254). 570. Id ., Mudhishat al-qadr (Daghir, p. 581). 571. T h ., A ., Abu Muslim al-Khurasani. A 3-act hist, tragedy, in prose & verse. Haifa, al-Zahra, prob. 1923 (//., vol. X X X I , Apr. 1, 1923, p. 779; Mu., vol. L X I II, July 1, 1923, p. 92). T habit, Hasan, see: List o f A r. Plays, Transl.— Bernstein. Xhabit, Louis Ghannam, see: List of Ar. Plays, Transl.— Shakespeare. Thabit, Mahmud Lutfi, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transl.— Shakespeare. 572. ‘Ubaid, Bishara & Lahud, Adib, Lubnan i‘ala'l-masrab (Shaikhu, Ta'rikh . . . fVl-rub‘ al-awwal etc., p. 175; ibid., p. 178, mentions the same play as Lubnan ‘ala'l-masarih). 573. al-'Umshaill, Yusuf, al-Amir an al-asvrdn. A 3-act psuedo-hist. drama, in lit. Ar. prose & verse, adapted from French sources for presentation in Catholic schools. First publ. in Ma., then Beirut, al-M atb. al-kathulikiyya, 1927; 57 pp. (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 443, reads author’s name al-‘Um shaiti). 573a.‘U rfi, W idad, al-Imbiratur Ghilyum (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 442). 573b.Id., Mahmudal-fatih (ibid.). 573c. Id., al-Sultan ‘Abdal-Hamid (ibid.). Victor, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Orig. Plays— Fiktor. 574. W ahbi, Isma‘il, al-Ara'is. A musical play inspired by P. W olf (GAL, S. I l l , p. 271). 575. Id., al-Dhahab. An adaptation .Prod., with Y usuf W ahbi in the lead, at the Cairo Opera House, 1951-2 (AT, Nov. 24, 1951, p. 6; A., Feb. 14, 1952, p. 3).

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576. W ahbi, M uham m ad T au fîq , Hâdhd janà' abi {al-Mu$awwar, M ar. 5, 1954, p. 28). 577. Id., al-Tauba al-$ddiqa (ibid.). 578. Id., Widdd (ibid.). 578a.W ahbi, Tâdrus, Butrus al-akbar. Cairo, 1884 (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., p. 185). 579. W ahbi, Yüsuf, Asrdr al-qusür. Prod, in Egypt in 1951-2, by the Egyptian troupe {AY, Dec. 29, 1951, p. 9; A., Dec. 29, 1951, p. 3; ibid., Jan. 3, 1952 P- 3)57ga.Id., Aulddal-dhawdt. Coll. A r. Prod, in Egypt {Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 445). 580. Id ., Auldd alfuqard*. A melodram a in coll. Ar. (of Egypt) about Egyptian seducers, drug addicts and prostitutes {BSOS, vol. V I I I , 1937, pp. 996-997). 58oa.Id., Aulddal-shawdri(. Prod, in E gypt {Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 445). 581. Id., Ayydm al-harb, appar. a comedy. Prod, in Egypt in 1952 by the Egyptian troupe {A., Apr. 28, 1952, p. 5). 582. Id., Ayydm zamdn. A dram a presented by the N ew Egyptian troupe {Tournée officielle de la nouvelle troupe égyptienne sous la direction de Youssef Wahbi). 583. Id., Bandt al-rïf. A 4-act drama. Presented by the same troupe (ibid). 584. Id., BayümïEfendï. A 4-act play. Presented by the same troupe (ibid.). 585. Id., Hadatha dhdtayaum. A 3-act play. Presented by the same troupe (ibid.). 586. Id., KursVl-itirdf. A 4-act play. Presented by the same troupe (ibid.). 587. Id., al-Md'ida al-khadrd\ A 4-act social drama. Presented by the same troupe (ibid). 588. Id., al-Majnün. Based on two French plays— Le système du docteur Goudron et du Professeur Plume and Au téléphone. W ahbî’s first play, with which the Ramses troupe started its career {RC, vol. I l l , 1940, p. 109). 589. Id., Nasïbtï mufïbtî. A 3-act comedy, prob. adapted. Coll. A r. (?). Presented by the New Egyptian troupe ( Tournée officielle etc.). 590. Id ., Qalb kabir. A 3-act social drama. Presented by the same troupe (ibid.). 591. Id., Ragel el-sd'a. A play in coll. A r. ( ?). Presented by the same troupe (ibid.). 592. Id., Rdsbütïn. A 4-act hist, dram a about the Russian courtier. Partly adapted. Presented by the same troupe (ibid.). 593. Id., j o sana. A revue in 15 scenes, tracing the course o f modern Egyptian history. Prod, in Egypt, 1952 {M ., Jan. 17, 1952). 594. Id., al-Sahrd\ 595. Id., al-Shahida. A 3-act melodrama. Presented by the New Egyptian troupe ( Tournée officielle etc.). W àkïm , Bishâra, see: List o f A r. Plays, Transi.— Richepin. 596. Wanïsh, M uham m ad, Munib. A 3-act play {BE, Nov. 1, 1952, p. 3). 597. Wàsif, M ahm üd, ‘Aja'ib al-aqddr. A 5-act semi-hist, play, in lit. Ar. prose & verse, about the Persian Wars. Cairo, M atb. Turk, n.d. ; 78 pp. 598. Id ., Riwdyat Hdrün al-Rashïd wa-Qüt al-qulüb wa-khalifat al-sayydd. A 5-act musical play in lit. Ar. prose (rhymed, sometimes), grouping together various characters from popular legend. Cairo, al-M ak. al-Azhariyya, A .H . 1318; 48 pp. 599. Id., Riwdyat mahdsin al-§udaf. A 5-act drama o f Muslim court-life and courtlove, in lit. Ar. verse & rhymed prose. Cairo, al-M atb. al-‘um üm iyya, A .H . 1318; 40 pp. 600. Id., Riwdyat al-mwrd'a wal-wafd,mai al-khaliyyain al-wafiyyain. A 5-act drama o f war and intrigue between the French principalities o f the M iddle Ages. Cairo, al-M atb. al^um üm iyya, A .H . 1318; 52 pp.

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259

601. Y a ‘qub, Tannus Jurj, Riwayat al-akhawain Munfardi. Prod, at a school in Brazil. Prob. 1920 (//., vol. X X I X , M ay 1, 1921, p. 815). 602. Yazbak, Antun, ‘Asifa fVl-beit. A musical play in coll. Ar. {GAL, S. I l l , p. 112, n. 1). 6o2a.Id., al-Awa$if. Prod, in Cairo {Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 137). 603. Id., al-Dhaba'ih. A 4-act tragedy about social problems, written in coll. Ar. (of Egypt) prose. Often prod. Publ. Cairo, Shirkat al-qirtas, n.d., prob. 1927; 76 pp. (Sarkis, Jdmi\ II, No. 210). al-Yaziji, Habib, see: List of Ar. Plays, Transl.— Gide. 604. al-Yaziji, Khalil, al-Khansai* au kaid al-nisa'. Publ. (?) in lit. Ar. verse, 1877 (A-., Jan. 19 5 L P . 135). 605. Id., Riwayat al-muru'a wcCl-wafa* au al-faraj ba'd al-diq. Descr. in lit. Ar. the feuds of the Arab tribes before Islam. W ritten in 1876, first prod, in Beirut, 1878. 1st ed., Beirut, al-M atb. al-adabiyya, 1884. 2nd ed., Cairo, M atb. alm a‘arif, 1902; 6, 121 pp. {Mu., vol. X X V I I , Sep. 1, 1902, pp. 910 -9 11; Fihris IV , p. 115; Sarkis, Mu'jam, pp. 1932-1933; GAL, S. II, p. 767). Yunan, Ramsis, see: List of Ar. Plays, Transl.— Camus. 606. Yusuf, ‘Aziz, Murr al-firaq wa-hulw al-talaq. A play in prose & verse, inspired by Hoffmanns Erzaehlungen. Cairo, M atb. al-ta’lif, 1891 {Fihris, IV , p. 114). 6o6a.Yusuf, M ishal, Yusuf Bek Karam. Publ. {Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 296). Yusuf, Mustafa Hasan, see: List of Ar. Plays, Transl.— Shaw. 607. al-Zahawi, Jam il Sidqi, Riwayat Laild wa-Samir (French title: Leild et Samir drame ottoman constitutionnel). A 6-act dram a in lit. Ar. Its subject is love and political intrigue in Baghdad, early in the 20th century, where the hero dreams o f Arab home rule and o f Arabic as the official language. Baghdad, M atb. al-aitam li’l-aba5 al-karmiliyyin al-mursalin, 1927; 32 pp. (acc. to GAL, S. I l l , p. 487, also publ. in Lughat al-arab, vol. V , 1928, pp. 577-608). 608. Zain, Zain, Muhammad ‘Alt Basha'l-kabir. A 5-act hist. play. Cairo, al-Mak. al-sharqiyya, prob. 1900 (//., vol. IX , Nov. 1900, p. 127). Zain al-Din, Husain, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transl.— Schiller. 6o8a.Zaitun, Mahm ud Mahm ud, Wahdat al-wadi. Cairo, 1947 {Ma., X L I II, 1949, P- 294)609. Zaitun, Mahmud Muhammad, Milad al-nabi. A play in verse. Prob. 1948 {K., vol. IV , Jan., 1949, p. 154). Zaki, Ahm ad, see: List of Ar. Plays, Transl.— Shaw. Zaki, Najib, see: List of Ar. Plays, Transl.— Corneille. Zalzal, Najib, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transl.— Corneille. Zayya, Hanna, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transl.— Racine. al-Zayyat, ‘Abduh Hasan, see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transl.— Schiller. 610. al-Zayyat, Ahm ad ‘Abd al-Wahld, Sadr al-baghasha. Cairo, n.d. {GAL, S. I l l , p. 281).

II T R A N S L A T E D P L A Y S i. Ache (?), Le Comte d ’, La belle Parisienne, transl. by Adib Ishaq as al-Barisiyya al-hasna’ aughara'ib al-ittifaq. Beirut, 1884 {GAL, S. II, p. 759. Sarkis, Mu'jam, p. 419, mentions a Cairene ed. Daghir, p. 114, considers the above two separate works). ia.A icard, J ., Le pere Lebonnard, adapted by Hasan al-Barudi as Bayumi Efendi. Prod, by the Ramses troupe in 1932-3 {BSOS, vol. V I I I , 1937, p. 992. S . A . T . G . —S

26o

STUDIES IN THE ARAB T H E AT E R A ND CINEMA

Influenced one o f Y ù su f W ahbi’s plays ?— see List o f A r. Plays, O rig. Plays, No. 584). ib .Id ., Le père Lebonnard, transi, by M uham m ad T aim ür (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p.

435)2. Banville, T h . de, Gringoire, transi, in 1933 (?) (BSOS, vol. V I I I , 1937, p. 992). Bauche, H ., see: List o f Ar. Plays, Transi.— Lorde, An. & Bauche, H. 2a.Barrie, J. M ., The admirable Crichton, transi, by Y ü su f Iskandar J u rj! as Kritün al-mubdi*. C airo, M ak. al-H ilal; 138 pp. (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 277). 3. Beauvoir, M adam e de (pseud, o f A . L. B. Robineau), Fan/an et Colas, adapted by N a‘üm Fath Allàh Sahhàr (who transcr. his name Naoum Sahhar), as Riwâyat Latif wa-Khôshâbâ, in coll. Ar. (of Iraq) prose. Mosul, D air al-àbâ’ al-düminiqiyyïn, 1893; 83 pp. 4. Bennett, E. A r., The great adventure, transi, by Edward M . Sulaimàn as alMughâmara al-kubrâ, in lit. Ar. prose. School ed. Cairo, al-M ak. al-m ulükiyya, 1934- 5 ; m pp. 5. Id., Milestones, transi, by Raslàn ‘A b d al-Ghanï al-Bunnî as *Alàmât alamyâl. Lit. Ar. prose. Cairo, al-M ak. al-mulükiyya, n.d.; 112 pp. 6. Bernard, T r., Le petit café, adapted by Stephan Rustî (RC, vol. I l l , 1940, p. 110). 7. Bernstein, H ., Le voleur, adapted by ‘Abbâs ‘Allàm as Kauthar, First prod, in 1926 (bibl. notice at the end o f ‘A llàm ’s ‘Abd al-Rahmân al-Nâfir, see List of Ar. Plays, O rig. Plays, No. 63). 7a.Id., Le voleur, transi, by Hasan T h à b it as al-Sâriq. Cairo (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 134). 8. Berton, P., Napoléon, transi, by Ilyâs Fayyâd as Nàbülyün (Dàghir, p. 641). 9. Bisson, Alexandre, Madame X, transi, by Butrus Shalhüb as Madam Iks riwâya *an mafrabbat al-umm. Lit. Ar. mixed with coll. Ar. N .Y ., 1930; 63 pp. 10. Bornier, Henri de, La fille de Roland, transi, by Bülus al-Bustànï as Qudwat al-hisân au ibnat Rôlân. Beirut, M atb. Sabra 1912 (Fihris, IV , p. 83. Shaikhü, Ta'rikh . . . fVl-rub‘ al-awwal etc., p. 141, reports play’s name prob. rightly as Qudwat al-hisânf t ibnat Rôlân). 11. Botrel, T h ., La nuit rouge ( ?), adapted by ‘ ïsâ in lit. Ar. prose. 2 acts instead of the original one. Prod, in Jerusalem, 1902. Jerusalem (?), 41 pp. (Title page missing from my copy). 12. Brieux, E., La foi, transi, by Sàlih Jaudat as al-Imân. Prod, by Jürj A byad. Cairo, M ak. al-m a‘ârif, 1914 (H., vol. X X I I , June 1, 1914, p. 719; Fihris, IV , p. 16). 13. Cam ille (le Jésuite), V homme de la forêt noire, Le roi des oubliettes and Le solitaire des tombeaux, all three adapted by N ajib H ubaiqa into one 5-act tragedy in lit. Ar. prose, as al-Fâris al-aswad. Ba‘abdà, al-M atb. al-‘uîhm àniyya. 1899; 147 pp. (Ma., vol. II, O ct. 1, 1899, p. 907. Dàghir, p. 297). 14. Camus, A ., Caligula, transi, by Ramsïs Yünàn as Kâlïjülâ, in lit. Ar. prose. Cairo, Dar al-kitàb al-‘arabi, n.d., prob. 1947; 95 pp. 15. Charlemagne, adapted by A dïb Ishàq as Shârlmân, in 4 acts o f lit. Ar. prose and verse. Publ. in the posthumous collection al-Durar by ‘Auni Ishaq, Beirut, al-M atb. al-adabiyya, 1909; pp. 572-616 (Dàghir, p. 113). 16. Cocteau, J., Antigone, transi, by Salâh K hâlis as Antïjünâ. Baghdad, M ak. Jàm i‘at Baghdad, prob. 1955 (al-Adib, Apr., 1955, p. 66). 17. Id., V école des veuves, transi, by the same as Madrasat al-arâmil. Together with No. 16, above, and No. 18, below (ibid.).

A LIST OF SOME ARABIC PLAYS,

1848-1956

26l

18. Id., Le pauvre matelot, transl. by the same as al-Bahhar al-bd'is. Together with Nos. 16 and 17, above (ibid.). 19. Gopp£e, Fr. E. J., Guerre de 100 arts, transl. by M a ‘ru f Ahmad al-Arna’ut as Harb al-mi'a (Daghir, p. 109). 20. Id., Pour la couronne, transl. by Halim Dammus as Ft sabil al-taj. Lit. Ar. prose & verse. Beirut, al-M atb. al-kathulikiyya, 1926; V I I I , 71, 21 pp. (//., vol. X X X I V , July 1, 1926, p. 1112 ; Sarkis, JamP, I, No. 1150. GAL, S. I l l , p. 347, wrongly gives translator’s full name as Halim Dammus Ibrahim. Fihris, IV , p. 81, and Daghir, p. 731, mention another transl. by M ustafa L u tfl ’l-M anfaluti, but this seems to have been written in the form o f a novel). 21. Id., Pour le drapeau (?), transl. by Ilyas Qunsul as Ft sabil al-hurriyya, appar. in an abbreviated form. Buenos Ayres, al-M atb. al-suriyya al-lubnaniyya, prob. 1934 {Mu., vol. L X X X V , O ct. 1, 1934, p. 256). 22. Corneille, P., Le Cid., transl. by Shakir ‘A zar and N ajlb Zalzal as Tanazu‘ alsharaf wa'l-gharam. Ba‘abda, al-M atb. al-‘uthm aniyya, 1898 (Hunain, Shauqi ‘ala’l-masrah, repr. p. 18). 23. Id., Le Cid, transl. by Najlb al-Haddad as Riwayat al-Sid au ghardm waintiqam. Lit. Ar. rhymed prose and verse. Some changes. 1st ed., N.p. M atb. al-tauflq, n.d., prob. 1900. 2nd ed. Alex., Gharzuzl, 1904; 112 pp. (//., vol. IX , Jan. 1, 1901, p. 224. Daghir, p. 301). 24. Id., Le Cid, adapted by M uham m ad ‘U jhm an Jalal. 25. Id., Le Cid, transl. by K halil M utran as al-Sid, in lit. Ar. Transl. approx. in 1932. First prod, in Cairo, 1936. Publ. in Lebanon, al-M atb. al-Bulusiyya, prob. 1952 {A., Feb. 16, 1952, p. 6). 25a.Id., Le Cid., transl. by Antun Q iqan o as Habibi'aduwwiau al-muntaqim li-abih. 96 pp. {Ma., X L I I, 1948, p. 455). 26. Id., Cinna, transl. by K hattar al-Dahdah as Ughustus. Prob. still in ms. (Shaikhu, Ta'rikh . . . fi'l-rub1 al-awwal etc., p. 112). 27. Id., Cinna, transl. by Najlb al-Haddad as Hilm al-muluk. Lit. Ar. prose & veise. Cairo, al-M ak. al-sa‘Idiyya, n .d .; 48 pp. Another (?) ed. Cairo, M atb. altamaddun, 1901 (?) (//., vol. X , Feb. 15, 1901, p. 322; Fihris, IV , p. 33. Daghir, p. 302, mentions still another ed., A lex., G harzuzl, 1904). Some additions. 28. Id., Les trois Horaces et les trois Curiaces, adapted by M uham m ad ‘Uthm an Jalal. 28a.Id., Les trois Horaces et les trois Curiaces, adapted b y Salim K h a lil al-Naqqash as Mayy au Huras. 1868 (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., pp 95, 204-206). 29. Coward, N ., Blithe Spirit, adapted by Sulaiman Najlb as ‘Ifrit mar’ati. Prod, in Egypt, under ZakI T ulaim at’s direction in 1946 (al-Sinima, Nov. 21, 1946, p. 30; K M , fasc. 15, Dec., 1946, pp. 5412-543; K ., vol. II, July, 1947, p. 1419). 29a.Daudet, A ., VArlesienne, transl. by ‘A bd al-Rahm an Rushdl as Arliziyya {Ma., X L I I, 1948, p. 439). 30. Id., VArlesienne, transl. by Jurj Saw aya as al-Arlizyana. Buenos Ayres, M ajallat al-islah, prob. 1932; 59 pp. {Mu., vol. L X X X V , O ct. 1, 1934, p. 256. GAL, S. I l l , p. 454, which does not mention this play, reads translator’s name as Jurjl Suwaya). This play had been prod, in Egypt previously, appar. in another transl. (Muhammad Taim ur, Mu'allafat, vol. II, art. on ‘Abd alRahm an Rushdl). 3oa.Id., Sapho, transl. by M ahm ud K am il as Safu. First prod., Cairo, 1935 {Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 124).

Loyal

STUDIES IN THE ARAB T H E AT E R AND CINEMA

31. Delaporte, R .P ., Louis de Gonzague, transi, by Yü su f ShiblI A b ü Sulaimân as Lüyis dï Ghünzâghâ. L it Ar. verse. Beirut, al-M atb. al-kâthülïkiyya, 1903; 32 pp. (Hunain, Shauqï ‘alâ’l-masrah, rep r.,p . 18). 32. Delavigne, C ., Louis XI, transi, by Ilyàs Fayyâd as Lüyis al-hâdî ‘ashar. Prod, in Egypt, 19 11, by A byad (//., vol. X X , Apr. 1, 1912, pp. 436-437). 33. Dennery, A . Ph., Diane, transi, by M ahm üd Ahm ad al-Arnâ’üt as Diyânâ (Dâghir, p. 109). 34. Id. & T arb é des Sablons, E. J. L ., Martyre, adapted by Ilyâs Fayyâd as Riwâyat al-shahïda au ‘awâtif al-banin, in lit. Ar. prose. First prod, by Salâm a H ijâzï’s troupe in Cairo, 1908. Alex., Gharzüzï, 1909; 170 pp. 35. Dickens, C h ., David Copperfield, adapted into a play as al-Dhahab. Prod, in Egypt, I 95 1 {K-> vol. V I I , Jan ., 1952, p. 96; ibid., June, 1952, p. 753). 36. Id., A tale o f two cities, adapted into a play as Qj$sat al-madxnatain. Prod, in Egypt, 1951-2 (ibid., June, 1952, p. 753). 37. Domet, A ziz, Der letzte Omajade, transi, by playw right’s brother, Am in Dablan, as Âkhir bam Umayya. Lit. Ar. Cairo, ‘ Ïsâ’l-Bâbï’l-H alabï, 1933; 160 pp. First prod, in A rabic in Haifa, Jerusalem, Cairo— 1933 (O M , vol. X X X V , 1955, pp. 282,288). 38. Drinkwater, J., Abraham Lincoln, transi, by Fahmï Hannâ al-Num air & L. N. Niyol (?), as Abrâhàm Linküln, in lit. Ar. prose. Cairo, M atb. H ijâzï, 1935-6; 110 pp. (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 435, & X L III,i9 4 9 , p. 278, mention other translations). 38a.Dubois, F ., Le reliquaire, transi, by Shiblï M allât as al-Dhakhïra. Beirut, 1906; 86 pp. ( A fa .jX L II I, 1949, p. 119). 39. Dumas, A l. (fils), La dame aux camélias, adapted by Farah Antün into a musical play named Dhât al-wurûd (Mu., vol. L X I , Aug. 1, 1922, p. 265. Dâghir, p. 151, reads Dhât al-ward). 39a.Id., La dame aux camélias, transi, by ‘A bd al-Q âd ir al-M aghribî as Ghâdat al-Kàmïliyâ. Cairo, 1905 (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 138, which also mentions two other translations). 40. Id., Denise, transi, by K àm il al-Bahnasàwï as Tâj al-mar'a. Cairo, Angelo, 1947; 167 pp. (KM , fasc. 8, M ay, 1946, pp. 705-706; K ., vol. I l l , Jan., 1948, p. 169, and Feb., 1948, pp. 328-329). 41. Dumas, A l. (père), Catherine Howard, adapted with abbreviations and many changes by T au fiq K a n ‘an as Mat ami' al-nisa\ 6 acts, lit. A r. prose & verse. Cairo, M atb. al-Nil, n.d.; 99 pp. 42. Id., La dame de Monsoreau, transi, by M a ‘rü f Ahm ad al-Arnâ’üt as Là dâm diMünrû (?) (Dâghir, p. 109). 43. Id ., Le fils du peuple, transi, by Farah Antün as Ibn al-sha'b al-latin (Dâghir, p. 150. Mu., vol. L X I , Aug. 1, 1922, p. 265. GAL, S. III, p. 193, reads alshïb). 44. Euripides, Plays, transi, from the English by M ahm üd M ahm üd. Cairo, Lajnat al-nashr li’l-jàm ifiyyïn, 1946; 222 pp. (K., vol. II, Jan., 1947, p. 466). 44a.Fénelon, F., Télémaque, adapted into a play by Sa‘d A llah al-Bustànï as Tilimak. First prod. J u ly 1869. Publ. Cairo, al-M ak. al-Sa‘diyya; 48 pp. (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 451). 45. Feydeau, E., La puce à Voreille, adapted by ‘A ziz ‘Aid (RC, vol. I l l , 1940, p. 110). 45a.France, A ., Thais, adapted into a musical play by Farah Antün. Prod, in Egypt (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 450).

A LIST OF SOME ARABIC PLAYS,

18 6 8 - 1 9 5 6

263

46. Freytag, G., Die Journalisten, transi, by M ustafa K am àl F â’id as al-Suhufiyyün, in lit. Ar. prose. Cairo, al-Nashir al-misri, n.d. ; 148 pp. 47. Frondaie, P., L'homme qui assassina. Partly transi, by Hârün H addad as al-Rajul alladhi qatal, in lit. Ar. prose, in al-Nida*, Ju ly 22, 1952, p. 10. Fully transi, by ‘Um ar Rushdi, same title, in lit. Ar. prose. Cairo, M atb. M ajallati, 1936; 136 pp. 48. Gallet, Thais, libretto adapted by Faralj Antün as Tâyis (Dâghir, p. 150). 49. Ghanem, Choukri, An tar, transi, from the French by Ilyàs A bü Shabaka as 'Antar, in 5 acts. Beirut, Mak. al-taufiq, 1926 {Mu., vol. L X I X , Nov. 1, 1926, p. 338; GAL, S. I l l , p. 367; Sarkis, Jâm ï, II, No. 1142). 50. Ghislanzoni, Aida (the libretto), adapted by Salim K halil al-Naqqâsh, as Riwàyat ‘Âyïda al-shahira, 5 acts o f lit. Ar. prose & verse. Cairo, al-M ak. alsa‘idiyya, n.d.; 39 pp. {GAL, S. I l l , p. 266, n. 1, gives 1875Loyal year of publ.). 51. Id., Aida, transi, by A bü K halil al-Q abbânï as ‘Â'ida (Dâghir, p. 645). 5 ia .Id ., Aida, adapted by M ahm üd Rahm i. Cairo {Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 132). 52. Gide, A n., Oedipe, transi, by T a h a Husain as Üdïb, in lit. Ar. prose, following the original closely, in Husain’s André J ïd min abtàl al-asâtïr al-yünâniyya, Üdïb— Thisiyus. Dâr al-kàtib al-misrï, 1946; 8, 310 pp.; pp. 57-177. 53. Id., Oedipe, transi, by Habib al-Yâzijï as al-Malik Üdïb. Buenos Ayres, alM atb. al-tijâriyya, prob. 1932; 38pp. {H., vol. X L I, Jan. 1, 1933, p. 412). 54. Goethe, W . A . von, Egmont, transi, by M ahm üd Ibrahim al-Dasüqï. Cairo, M atb. al-nahda al-misriyya, 1946; 165 pp. together with No. 57, below {K., vol. I, June, 1946, pp. 315-316, and vol. II, Jan., 1947, p. 466). 55. Id., Faust, transi, by M uham m ad ‘A w ad Ibrahim as Fà'ust, in lit. Ar. prose. Inc. part I of Faust, although the Prelude upon the stage is missing. Tries to follow the original closely. Cairo, M atb. al-i‘timâd, 1929; 20, 208 pp. (//., vol. X X X V I I I , Nov. 1, 1929, pp. 113—1 14; Mu., vol. L X X V , Dec. 1, 1929, p. 588). 56. Id., Goetz von Berlichingen, transi, by Shadid Bâz al-Haddâd as Ghats fun Barlïshinghin dhü’ l-yad al-hadïdiyya. ‘U bayya (Lebanon), M atb. al-safâ’, prob. 1923 (//., vol. X X X I , Feb. 1, 1923, p. 551 ; Mu., vol. L X V I I I , M ar. 1, 1926, p. 343. Fihris, IV , p. 70. Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 119, mentions a Beirut, 1922, ed.). 57. Id., Iphigenie auf Tauris. Transi. & publ. together with No. 54, above. H alévy, Ludovic, see below: M eilhac, Henry & H alévy, Ludovic. 57a.Hàmid, ‘Abdulhaqq, Târiq bnu Z^àd. Transi, (from the Turkish ?) by Fathi ‘Azm i, under the same title. Prod, in Egypt, Feb. 1905 (Najm, p. 180). Hart, Moss, see below : Kaufm an, George & Hart, Moss. 58. Hervieu, Paul, Les paroles restent, transi, by K âm il K ïlànï as al-Qaulyabqâ, in lit. Ar. prose with a few verses, publ. in K ïlân i’s Raw â'ï min qi$a$ al-gharb, Cairo, ‘ Îsà’l-Bâbï’l-Halabï, 1933; pp. 489-574. 59. Howard, Sidney, The silver cord, transi, together with Nos. 68, 103, 211. Ed. by Hasan Mahm üd, introd. by T au fiq al-Hakim. Cairo, 1954 {Muslim World, vol. X L V I, Apr., 1956, p. 174). 60. Hugo, Ch. Les Misérables, transi, by ‘Abd al-Halïm D ülâr as al-Bu'asa\ Cairo, ‘Abd al-M uta‘al, prob. 1906 {H., vol. X I V , Ju ly 1, 1906, p. 611). Prod, in Egypt, 1951-2 {K., vol. V I I , June, 1952, p. 753). 60a. Hugo, V ., Les Burgraves, adapted with abbreviations by N ajïb al-Haddàd as Tha'rât al-arab. Lit. Ar. prose & verse. Cairo, M atb. al-tamaddun, 1902;

264

STUDIES IN THE ARAB T HE A T E R AND CINEMA

58 pp. (//., vol. X , July 15, 1902, pp. 6 10 -6 11; Fihris, IV , p. 22. D aghir, p. 301, mentions another ed., Alexandria, G harzuzl, 1904). 61. Id., Hernani, transl. by N ajib al-H addad as Riwayat Hamdan. Lit. Ar. prose & verse. Cairo, al-M ak. al-sa‘idiyya, n.d., prob. 1901; 56 pp. 2nd ed. (?), n.p. (Cairo), M atb. al-tamaddun, n.d.; 90 pp. (//., vol. IX , June 1, 1901, p. 503.Fihris, IV , p. 33, gives 1902 as dateofpubl. Cf. also Daghir, p. 302). 62. Id., Marie Tudor, transl. by Ilyas Fayyad as Mari Tidur (Daghir, p. 641). 63. Id., Le roi s'amuse, transl. by the same as Mudhik al-malik. Prod, in Egypt by A byad (Muhammad Taim ur, Mu'allafat, vol. II, art. on Jurj A byad, pp. 131-143. Daghir, p. 641). 64. Id., Ruy Bias, transl. by N iqu la R izq A llah as Riiy Bias. Prod, by A byad, 1914Loyal vol. X X I I , Apr. 1, 1914, p. 559). 65. Ibsen, H ., An enemy of the people, transl. by Ibrahim Ram zi as iAduww alsha'b. Cairo, D ar al-tiba‘a al-ahliyya, 1932; 219 pp. (Daghir, p. 403). 66. Id., The ghosts, transl. by ‘A b d al-Hamid Saraya as al-Ashbah, was to be prod. in 1953 {AS, O ct. a 1,1953). 67. Kalidasa, Shakuntala, transl. by W ad i‘ al-Bustani. Appar. still in ms. (Daghir, p. 198). 68. Kaufm an, George & H art, Moss, Tou can't take it withyou, transl. together with Nos. 59, 103 & 211. Ed. by Hasan M ahm ud, introd. by T a u fiq al-Hakim. Cairo, 1954 (.Muslim World, vol. X L V I , Apr. 1956, p. 174). 69. K arr, A l., Madeleine, adapted by Ilyas A bu Shabaka as a 5-act social dram a named Majdulin. Beirut, prob. 1925; 67 pp. (H ., vol. X X X I V , Jan. 1, 1926, p. 438; Mu., vol. L X V I I I , Jan. 1, 1926, p. 99. GAL, S. I l l , p. 367, sees in this adaptation the influence of Fr. Copp^e). 70. Kem al, Namik, Vatan ve Silistra, transl. by M uhi’l-Dm al-K hayyat as alWatan au Silistra. Lit. Ar. prose & verse. Beirut, al-M atb. al-ahliyya, A .H . 1326; V I I I , 142 pp. (H., vol. X V I I , M ar. 1, 1909, p. 383). 71. Knochblauch (?), Ed., Kismet, transl. by K halil M utran, as aLQada' wa'lqadr, from Jules Lem aitre’s French version (M uham m ad Taim ur, M u'allafat, vol. II, art. on A l ‘Ukkasha). Barbour mentions appar. another adaptation by M ahm ud Bairam al-Tunisi as Laila min a lf laila, prod, by Fatim a Rushdi’s troupe (.BSOS, vol. V I I I , 1937, pp. 992-993). 72. Lessing, G . E., Nathan der Weise, transl. by Ilyas Nasr Allah H addad as Nathan al-haktm. Lit. Ar. prose, tries to follow the original closely. Jerusalem, M atb. D ar al-aitam al-suriyya, 1932; 84 pp. (//., vol. X L , Aug. 1, 1932, p. 1482; Mu., vol. L X X X I , O ct. 1,1932 , p. 371). 73. Lorca, F. Garcia, Bodas de sangre, transl. by ‘A li Sa‘id as ‘ I/ri al~dam, in lit. Ar. verse (?). Beirut, D ar al-m u‘jam al-‘arabi, 1954-5 (al-Adib, vol. X X V I I , M ar., 1955, p. 60). 74. Lorde, An. & Bauche, H ., La grande epouvante, adapted by ‘Abbas ‘A llam as al'Sahir. First prod., 1927 (bibl. notice at the end o f ‘AllanTs lAbd al-Rahman al-Nd$ir, see List o f Ar. Plays, O rig. Plays, No. 63). 75. Maeterlinck, M . L'intruse ( ?), transl. by Futuh Nashati as Ft dakhil al-dar, in lit. Ar. prose. Publ. in K vol. IV , A pr., 1949, pp. 623-636. 75a.Id., Marie Magdeleine, adapted with some abbreviations and additions by Ibrahim ‘A bd al-Fadi as Maryam al-Majdaliyya. Lit. Ar. prose. Cairo, M ak. ja m ‘iyyat al-m ahabba al-qibtiyya, n.d. (prob. 1936); 96 pp. 75b.M armontel, J.-F., Belisaire, transl. by ‘Abbas A bu Nukhul al-Bijani. Sao Paolo, 1903; 183 pp. (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 448).

A LIST OF SOME ARABI C PLAYS,

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75c. M augham , S., The letter, transi, by Salim Sa‘d as al-Khitdb. Prod, in Cairo (ibid., p. 459). 76. M ayo, M ., Baby mine, adapted by ‘Abbas ‘Allam as al-Mar’a al-kadhdhdba. First prod, in 1927 (bibl. notice at the end o f ‘A llâm ’s ‘Abd al-Rahmdn alNa$ir, see List o f Ar. Plays, Orig. Plays, No. 63). 77. Meilhac, Henry & H alévy, Ludovic, Carmen, libretto adapted by Farah Antün as Karmin (Dâghir, p. 150). 78. Molière, J. B. Poquelin, V avare, transi, by Ilyâs Abü Shabaka as al-Bakhil. 1st ed., Beirut, M atb. Sâdir, prob. 1932-3; 104 pp. 2nd ed., Beirut, M atb. Sâdir, n.d. (1951 ?); 123 pp. (//., vol. X L I, July 1, 1933, p. 1276; M u., vol. L X X X I I I , Nov. 1, 1933, p. 495). 79. Id., Uavare, transi, by N ajib al-Haddâd as Riwdyat al-bakhil. Lit. Ar. prose (//., vol. X X X , M ar. 1, 1922, p. 556. Dâghir, p. 301). 80. Id., Uavare, partly transi, by D â’ud K urdï as Arbâjün (i.e., Harpagon), au bakhïl Mulyïr, in lit. Ar. Publ. in al-Urdunn, July 2, 1952, p. 3. 81. Id., Uavare, adapted into a 3-act play by M uhï’l-Dïn, as el-Meshëkha {Cahiers du Sud, 1947, pp. 271-276). 82. Id., Uavare, adapted by M ârün al-Naqqâsh as Riwâyat al-bakhil, into a 5-act musical comedy in lit. Ar. verse. First prod, in 1848. Publ. in the playwright’s Arzat Lubnàn, Beirut, al-M atb. al-‘umümiyya, 1869, pp. 29107. 83. Id., Le bourgeois gentilhomme, transi, by Ilyâs A bü Shabaka as al-MuthrVlnabil, in lit. Ar. prose. 1st ed., Beirut, M atb. Sâdir, 1932; 80 pp. 2nd ed., Beirut, Mak. Sâdir, n.d. (1951 ?); 104 pp. {Mu.., vol. L X X X I , O ct. 1, 1932, p. 371;//., vol. X L I, Jan. 1, 1 9 3 3 ^ .4 12 ). 83a.Id., Le bourgeois gentilhomme, transi, by F u ’âd N ür al-Dîn as al-ÂmmVlnabil. 1934; 250pp. {Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 133). 84. Id., Don Juan, transi, as el-Kàfer bi'llàh, in the coll. Ar. o f Algeria. Prod, in Alger, 1954 {UAlgérie libre, O ct. 23, 1954, p. 2). 85. Id., U école des femmes, adapted by M uhammad ‘Uthm ân Jalâl as Madraset il-nisâ\ Coll. Ar. (of Egypt) verse. Cairo, al-M atb. al-sharafiyya, A.H . 1307 (1889-1890); pp. 189-240 (Sarkis, Mu'jam, p. 1307). 86. Id., U école des maris, adapted by the same as Madraset il-azwâg. Coll. Ar. (of Egypt) verse. Cairo, al-M atb. al-sharafiyya, A .H . 1307 (1889-1890); pp. 147-188 (ibid). Repr. in Latin transcr. with introd. & notes by M . Sobernheim, Berlin, Cavalry, 1896; 129 pp. 87. Id., Les fâcheux, adapted by the same as il-Thuqalà\ Coll. Ar. (of Egypt) verse. Cairo, al-M atb. al-sharafiyya, A .H . 1314 (1896-1897); 31 pp. (ibid.; Fihris, IV , p. 23). 87a.Id., Les femmes savantes, transi, by Hasïb al-H alw î as al-Nisà’ al-àlimàt (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., p. 290). 88. Id., Les femmes savantes, adapted by Jalâl as il-Nisâ’ il-âlimàt. Coll. Ar. (of Egypt) rajaz verse. Cairo, al-M atb. al-sharafiyya, A .H . 1307 (18891890); pp. 79-145. Repr. in Latin transcr. and notes by Fr. Kern, Leipzig, Harrassowitz, 1898; 153 pp. 89. Id., Le malade imaginaire, transi, by Ilyâs A b ü Shabaka as Marïd al-wahm, in lit. Ar. prose. Beirut, M atb. Sâdir, 1932; 83 pp. {H., vol. X L I, M ar. 1, 1933, pp. 702-703; Mu., vol. L X X X I I , M ay 1, 1933, p. 624). 90. Id., Le malade imaginaire, adapted by M uhï’l-Dïn into a 2-act play as Slïmân al-Lük {?) {Cahiers du Sud, 1947, pp. 271-276).

266

STUDIES IN THE ARAB T H E AT E R A ND CINEMA

91. Id., Le médecin malgré lui, transi, by Ilyâs A b ü Shabaka as al-Tabïb raghm ‘anhu. Lit. Ar. prose. 1st éd., Beirut, M atb. Sàdir, 1932-3. 2nd éd., renamed al-Tabïb ‘alâ'l-raghm minhu, Beirut, M ak. Sâdir, 1951 (?); 63 pp. (H., vol. X L I , M ar. 1, 1933, pp. 702-703). 92. Id., Le médecin malgré lui, transi, by Najïb al-Haddâd as al-Tabïb al-murgham (Dàghir, p. 302. BSOS, vol. II, 1921-1923, considers this an original play). 93. Id., Le médecin malgré lui, transi, by M uham m ad M as‘üd as al-Jàhil almutatabbib. Rhym ed prose. A lex., al-M atb. al-Ibrâhïm iyya, prob. 1889. (Mu., vol. X III , M ay 1, 1889, p. 576). 94. Id., Le médecin malgré lui, transi, by Iskandar al-Saiqalï as Riwâyat al-tabïb al-maghsüb, in lit. A r. prose. Prod, in Alexandria and Beirut; then adapted into an operetta (which flopped) by Am in ‘A tà ’ A llah (H., vol. X X X , M ar. 1, 1922, p. 506). 95. Id., Le médecin malgré lui, transi, as Tabïb bi-raghm anjih. Prod, in Egypt, 1951-2 (K., vol. V I I , June, 1952, p. 753). 96. Id., Le médecin volant, transi, by Ibrahim Subhï as Riwâyat al-hakïm al-tayyâr, in lit. Ar. rhymed prose. A lex., al-M atb. al-Ibrahim iyya, prob. 1889 (Mu., vol. X I I I , M ay 1, 1889, p. 576). 97. Id., Le misanthrope, transi, by M uham m ad Badràn & M uham m ad ‘A bd alHafiz M u ‘awwad, in lit. Ar. prose. Cairo, M atb. al-ta’lif w a’l-tarjam a w a’lnashr, 1949; 144pp. (/L, vol. IV , Apr., 1949, p. 621). 97a.Id., Tartuffe, transi, by H asib al-H alw ï as Tartüf (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., p. 290). 98. Id., Tartuffe, adapted by M uham m ad ‘U thm ân Jalâl, as il-Sheikh Matlüf. Coll. Ar. (of Egypt) prose & verse. 1st ed., Cairo, A .H . 1290 (1873); ^7 pp. 2nd ed., Cairo, al-M atb. al-sharafiyya, A .H . 1307 (1889-1890); 77 pp. 3rd ed., Cairo, al-M atb. al-Jamàliyya, 1912. Repr. in Latin transcr. by Vollers, in Z D M G, vol. X L V , 1891, pp. 36 ss. (Fihris, IV , p. 55. Sarkis, Mu'jam, p. 1307, reads Shlüf). 99. Id., Tartuffe, adapted by M àrün al-Naqqàsh as Riwâyat al-salït al-hasüd, in a 3-act musical comedy in lit. Ar. verse & rhymed prose. Publ. in playw right’s Argat Lubnân, Beirut, al-M atb. al-‘umümiyya, 1869; pp. 273-429. 100. Id., Tartuffe, transi, as Matlüf. Prod, in Egypt, 1952 (K., vol. V I I , O ct., 1952, p. 1004). 101. Musset, Alfred de, (?), adapted by M uham m ad al-M aghzili as al-Khill alwafi. Prod, by al-Q ab bani’s troupe in Egypt, 1884 (al-Adïb, vol. X X V I I , Feb., 1955, pp. 17-18). lo ia .ld ., (?), transi, by Estïr M ôyàl as Durrat al-ifâf. Beirut, M atb. jarid at alnasr, 1911 (? );6 5 p p . (Ma., X L I I , 1948^ .460 ). 102. Napoléon, transi, as Khalifat al-dam. Prod, in Egypt by A byad (M uham m ad Taim ür, Mvéallafât, vol. II, pp. 131-143). 103. O ’Neill, Eugene, Beyond the horizon, transi, together with Nos. 59, 68, above, and 211, below. Ed. by Hasan M ahm üd, introd. by T au fiq al-Hakim. Cairo, 1954 (Muslim World, vol. X L V I , Apr., 1956, p. 174). 104. Piave, F. M ., Rigoletto, adapted by Ahm ad K âm il as al-Malik al-mutalâhi. Prod, in C airo, N ov. 1904 (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., p. 180). 104a.Pirandello, L ., Vimbecille, transi, by Lüyïs al-Hâjj as al-Ablah. Publ. in alM akshüf Nos. 83-85 (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 436). i04b.Prévost d ‘Exiles, PAbbé, Manon Lescaut, adapted by ‘U m ar ‘A b d al-‘A z iz as Mânün Liskü au qalbfï ‘ àsifa (ibid., X L I I I , 1949, p. 281).

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104c. Id., Manon Lescaut, adapted by H abib Jâm âtï. Prod, in Egypt (ibid.). 105. Racine, Jean, Alexandre le grand, transi, by Ibrahim al-Ahdab as al-Iskandar al-Maqdünï (Dâghir, p. 86.) 106. Id., Alexandre le grand, adapted by M uham m ad ‘Uthm ân Jalâl as Iskandar alakbar, in verse written in coll. Ar. (of Egypt). Publ. together with Nos. 112 & 115, below, in JalàPs al-Riwâyàt al-mufïdafï Hlm al-trajida, Cairo, al-M atb. al-sharafiyya, A .H . 1311 (1893-1894) ; pp. 91-130 (Fihris, IV , p. 42). 107. Id., Andromaque, transi, by T ah a Husain as Andrümàk, in 5 acts o f lit. Ar. prose, Cairo, al-M atb. al-amïriyya, prob. 1935; 73 pp. (H., vol. X L I V , Jan. 1, 1 936, p p . 354- 355) • 108. Id., Andromaque, adapted by Adîb Ishâq as Andrümàk, in 5 acts o f lit. Ar. prose & verse. W ritten approx. 1875. Publ. by ‘Auni Ishâq in Adîb Ishâq’s posthumous collection al-Durar, Beirut, al-M atb. al-adabiyya, 1909, pp. 533- 57 1 ; and separately, n.d. ; 44 pp. (Dâghir, p. 113). 109. Id., Athalie, transi, by Najïb Jahshân as ‘Athalyâ. 1896 (Shaikhü, Ta’rikh . . . fVl-rub‘ al-awwal etc., p. 170). 110. Id., Bérénice, transi, by Najïb al-Haddâd as Birïnis (Dâghir, p. 302). n o a .I d ., Britannicus, transi, by J ü rjï Balït in lit. Ar. verse (Ma., X L I I, 1948, p.

447)i io b .Id ., Esther, transi, by N adïm Antünyüs Ayyüb. Aleppo, 1933 (ibid., p. 440). i n . Id., Esther, transi, by K hattâr al-Dahdâh as Estïr. Prob. still in ms. (Shaikhü, Ta'rikh . . . fV l-ruF al-awwal etc., p. 112). 11 ia .Id ., Esther, transi, into lit. Ar. by Ilyâs Tannüs al-Huwaik. Ba‘abdâ, al-M atb. al-lubnâniyya, 1907; 63 pp. (Ma., X L I I, 1948, p. 440). 112. Id., Esther, adapted by Muham m ad ‘Uthm ân Jalâl, as Estïr in coll. Ar. (of Egypt) verse. Publ. together with Nos. 106, above, & 115, below; pp. 2-38 (Fihris, IV , p. 42). 113. Id., Iphigénie, transi, by Augustinus ‘Àzâr. Prod, in a M aronite school at Aleppo, approx. 1882. Appar. still in ms. (H., vol. X X V , M ay 1, 1917, p. 689). 114. Id., Iphigénie, transi, by K hattâr al-Dahdâh as Fiyüjïniya. Prob. still in ms. (Shaikhü, Ta'rïkh, . . . fVl-rutf al-awwal etc., p. 112). 115. Id., Iphigénie, adapted by M uham m ad ‘Uthm ân Jalâl, in coll. Ar. (of Egypt) verse, Publ. together with Nos. 106 & 112, above; pp. 39-50 (Fihris, IV , p. 42)116. Id., Iphigénie, transi, by Shiblï Shumayyil as Ifïjïnï, in lit. Ar. verse. Prob. 1916 (H., vol. X X V , Feb. 1, 1917, p. 424). n 6 a .Id ., Mithridate, adapted by Salim al-Naqqâsh as Mïtrïdât (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., p. 95). 117. Id., Mithridate, adapted by A b ü K halil al-Q abbânï as Lubâb al-gharâm au Mitrïdât, and prod, in Egypt by his troupe (al-Adïb, vol. X X V I I , Feb. 1945, pp. 18-19. Alternatively Salim T a q lâ ’s adaptation was used, appar. still in ms. ?— mentioned by Dâghir, p. 221). 118. Id., Phèdre, transi, by Ibrâhim al-Ahdab a sFidrâ* (Dâghir, p. 86). 119. Id., Phèdre, transi, by Najib al-Haddâd as Fidr (ibid., p. 302). 119a.Id., Phèdre, transi, by H aslb al-H alw ï (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., p. 334). u g b .I d ., Phèdre, transi, by Hannâ Zayyà as ‘Àqibat al-gharâm. Publ. 1897 (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 133). 119c. Id., La Thébaide ou les frères ennemis, adapted as al-Akhawàn al-mutahàribân. Prod, in Alexandria, O ct. 1878 (Najm, al-Masrahiyya etc., p. 104).

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STUDIES IN THE A RAB T H E AT E R A ND CINEMA

igd. Richepin, J., Par le glaive, transi, by Jûrj M atar and Bishâra W akïm as Bihadd al-saif. 1928 (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 446). Robineau, A . L. B., see: List of A r. Plays, Transi.— Beauvoir. 120. Romains, J., Knock, transi, by ‘A bd al-Hamïd ben H alla (B E , Nov. 1, 1952,

I

P- 3)121. Id., Knock, transi, by Ibrâhïm al-K ïlânï, Damascus, prob. 1945; 209 pp. (K., vol. II, Jan., 1947, p. 488). 122. Rostand, Ed., VAiglon, transi, by Ahm ad R âm ï as al-Nasr al-saghïr. Prod. by W ahbï’s Egyptian troupe in 1951 (AS1, Nov. 28, 1951, p. 7; K., vol. V I I , Jan ., 1952, p. 96). 123. Id., Cyrano de Bergerac, transi, by Ilyâs A b ü Shabaka as al-Sha'ir au Sirànü di Birjirâk. Lit. Ar. prose. Beirut, M ak. al-‘adl, n.d.; 136 pp. (GAL, S. III, p. 367)124. Id., Cyrano de Bergerac, transi, by M uham m ad T ähir Fudalä’ (BE, Nov. 1, 1952. P- 3)125. Id., Cyrano de Bergerac, transi, by M uham m ad ‘A b d al-Saläm al-Jundï as al-Shä'ir au Siränü dï Birjiräk. Lit. Ar. W ith the coopération o f Mustafa L u tfï’l-M anfalütï (?). Gairo (?), al-M ak. al-tijäriyya, prob. 1921 (H., vol. X X I X , July 1, 1921, pp. 988— 989; Mu., vol. L IX , Aug. 1, 1921, p. 189). i25a.Id ., La Samaritaine, transi, by Iskandar al-R iyäshi as al-Sämiriyya wa-Yasü‘. Zahle, M atb. al-SahäfF 1-tä’ih (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 124). 126. Sardou, V ., Fernande, transi, by Ilyäs Fayyäd as Düq Fernänd (Däghir, p. 641). I26a.ld., Patrie, transi, by F u ’äd Salïm & H abib Jäm äti as al-Watan. Prod. in Egypt (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 294). 127. Id., La sorcière, transi, by Farah A ntün as al-Sähira. Prod. in Egypt by A byad (Mu., vol. L X I , Aug. 1, 1922, p. 265). 128. Sarment, J., Le pêcheur d'ombres, transi, by K äm il K ïlânï, as Sayyäd alkhayäl, in lit. Ar. prose with a few verses, in KilänPs Rawä'i4 min qifaf algharb, Cairo, T sä’l-BäbFl-Halabi, 1933; pp. 5-149« 129. Schiller, Fr. Die Jungfrau von Orleans, transi, by [Shadid] Bäz al-H addäd as Jän Därk au ‘adhrä9 Urliyyän. Publ. by M ajallat al-maurid al-säfl, prob. 1928; 110 pp. (H., vol. X X X V I I , Feb. 1, 1929, p. 500). 130. Id., Die Jungfrau von Orleans, partly transi, by Nazm ï K halïl, as ‘Adhrä' Urliyyän, in lit. Ar. prose. Publ. in H., vol. X L I V , Feb. 1, 1936, pp. 430-439. 131. Id., Kabale und Liebe, transi, by Tänyüs ‘Abduh as Riwäyat gharäm wa-ihtiyäl, in prose and verse. Some changes in the dialogue. Gairo, al-M atb. al‘umümiyya, n.d. (GAL, S. III, p. 269, n .i ; Fihris, IV , p. 71). 132. Id., Kabale und Liebe, transi, by N iqülä Fayyâd & N ajib Nasim T räd as alKhidä‘ wa'l-hubb, in lit. Ar. Prod. in Beirut, 1900 (?). Publ. Beirut, Jaridat al-mahabba, prob. 1900; 100 pp. (H., vol. V I I I , Sep. 15, 1900, p. 749). 133. Id., Kabale und Liebe, transi, by K h alïl M uträn as al-Hubb wa'l-dasisa. Prob. 1927 (GAL, S. III, p. 95). 134. Id., Kabale und Liebe, transi, by Hasan Sädiq as al-Hubb wa'l-dasisa, in lit. Ar. Cairo, M atb. al-i‘timäd, prob. 1936; 168 pp. (Mu., vol. L X X X V I I I , Apr. 1, 19387 P- 557 ; H., vol. X L I V , M ay 1, 1936, p. 845). 135. Id., Die Räuber, transi, by F ä ’iq R iyäd as al-Täghiya. Cairo, D ar al-m ajalla al-jadïda, prob. 1932; 198 pp. (H., vol. X L I , Jan. 1, 1933, p. 412; M u., vol. L X X X I I , Jan. 1, 1933, p. 123). 136. Id., Die Räuber, transi, by ‘Abduh Hasan al-Zayyät as al-Lusü$. Cairo, M atb. W âd ï’l-mulük, prob. 1929 (H., vol. X X X V I I , Ju ly 1, 1929, pp. 1139-1140).

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1848-1956

269

I36a.ld., Wilhelm Telly transl. by ‘Abbäs A bü Shüsha & Husain Faraj Zain alD in. C airo; 187 pp. (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 295). 137. Id., Wilhelm Tell, transl. by Anw ar Shä’ül as Wilyam T ill. Baghdad (?), prob. 1932 (H., vol. X L , J u ly 1, 1932, p. 1341, and Mu., vol. L X X X I , O ct. 1, 1931, p. 3 719both o f which ascribe the play to Sheridan). i37a.Schm id, J .-C ., Genevieve, transl. by N abll al-Bustäni. Beirut, M ak. Sädir, 1933; 81 PP* (Ma., X L I I , 1948, p. 454). 138. Shakespeare, W ., Anthony and Cleopatra, transl. by M uham m ad ‘Aw ad Ibrahim as Antüni wa-Kliyübätra. Cairo, M atb. al-ma‘ärif, prob. 1945 (K., vol. I, Jan. 1946, p. 397). 139. Id., As you like it, transl. by the same as Kama tahwäh. Lit. Ar. prose, following closely the original. Cairo, M ak. al-ma‘ärif, n.d., prob., 1944; 155 pp. 140. Id., Coriolanus, transl. by ‘U m ar ‘A b d al-‘Aziz Am in as Kuryülänüs, Cairo, M atb. al-taqaddum, 1927 (Fihris, IV , p. 103). 141. Id., Coriolanus, transl. by ‘A li Im am ‘A tiyya as Kuryülänüs. Cairo, M atb. alYüsufiyya, 1927 (ibid.). 142. Id., Coriolanus, transl. by M uham m ad al-Siba‘I as Riwäyat Käryülinus, in lit. Ar. prose, following closely the original. Cairo, M ak. al-ma‘arif, n.d. (1912); 205 pp. 143. Id., Hamlet, transl. by Tänyüs ‘Abduh as Riwäyat Hamlit. Lit. Ar. prose & verse, with a few omissions (e.g., act I, secne I) or abbreviations in the longer speeches, ist ed., Alex., prob. 1902. 2nd ed., Cairo, al-M atb. al-‘umümiyya, n.d.; 110 pp. (H., vol. X , M ar. 1, 1902, p. 356). 144. Id., Hamlet, transl. by K addü r Fattäl (BE, Nov. 1, 1952, p. 3). 145. Id., Hamlet, transl. by Am in al-Haddäd as Hamlit, in lit. Ar. prose & verse. Cairo, Gharzüzi, 1907; 70 pp. (H., vol. X V I , M ay 1, 1908, p. 504; alMuqtabas, vol. I l l , June, 1908, pp. 355“ 356 ; Däghir, p. 299. Ma., X L I I I , x949>P- 292>names N ajib al-H addäd as the translator). I45a.ld., Hamlet, transl. by M uham m ad L u tfiju m ‘a (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 293). 146. Id., Hamlet, transl. by Säm i’l-Juraidini as Hamlit, in lit. Ar. prose, following the original closely enough, ist ed., prob. 1921. 2nd ed., Cairo, al-M atb. al-Rahm äniyya, prob. 1932; 128 pp. (Mu., vol. L X , M ar. 1, 1922, pp. 294295; H., vol. X X X , M ay 1, 1922, p. 792, and vol. X L I, Jan. 1, 1933, p. 410; Sarkis, JämV, I, No. 1168). 147. Id., Hamlet, transl. by K halil Muträn as Hamlit. Cairo, D ar al-ma‘ärif, 1949; 143 pp. (Däghir, p. 705). i tfai.Id., Hamlet, transl. b y ‘Abdal-F attähal-Saranjäw i (Ala., X L I I I , 1949, p. 293). I47b.ld., Hamlet, transl. by M uham m ad al-Sibä‘ i (ibid.). 147c. Id., Julius Caesar, transl. by M ahm üd Ahm ad al-‘Aqqäd & Ahm äd ‘U thm än al-Q irabi. Cairo, al-M atb. al-‘arabiyya (ibid., p. 296). 148. Id., Julius Caesar, transl. by ‘A bd A llah al-Bustäni, in verse (GAL, S. I l l , p. 416; Ma., vol. X X V , 1927, p. 624. I f Däghir, p. 194, is correct, the transl. was named Brütüs ayyäm Qai§ar). 149. Id., Julius Caesar, transl. for school usage by M uham m ad Ham di as Riwäyat Tülyüs Qai§ar, with an introd. by M uham m ad K äm il Salim. Lit. Ar. prose, follows the original closely, ist ed., prob. 1912. 2nd ed., n.p., M atb. M atar, 1920; 168 pp. (Mu., vol. X L I , O ct. 1, 1912, pp. 403-404). 150. Id., Julius Caesar, transl. by Säm i’ 1-Juraidini as Yülyüs Qaisar. Cairo, M ajallat al-zuhür, prob. 1913 (H., vol. X X I , M ar. 1, 1913, pp. 382-383; ibid., vol. X X X V I , Dec. 1, 1927, p. 203).

270

STUDIES IN THE ARAB T H E AT E R A ND CINEMA

151. Id., Julius Caesar, transl. by Näshid L üqä as Riwäyat Tülyüs Qai$ar. Prob. 1919 (H., vol. X X V I I I , Jan. 1, 1920, p. 381; Mu., vol. L V I , Apr. 1, 1920, p. 377). 152. Id., Julius Caesar, transl. by K halil M utran (?) as Tülyüs Qaifar (H., vol. X X X V I , Dec. 1, 1927, p. 203). I5 2 a .ld ., Julius Caesar, transl. by ‘A bd al-Fattah al-Saranjawi (M a., X L I I I , 1949, P- 296)153. Id., Julius Caesar, transl. by M uham m ad al-Sibä‘i as Riwäyat Tülyüs Qai$ar Lit. Ar. prose, following the original closely. Cairo, M ak. al-wafd, n .d .; 208 pp. 154. Id., Julius Caesar, transl. by Louis G hannäm T häbit. Cairo, 1925 (GAL, S. I l l , p. 197). 155. Id., King Henry V, transl. by Säm i’ 1-Juraidini, as al-Malik HanrVl-khämis, in lit. Ar. prose. Cairo, D ar al-hiläl, 1936; 76 pp. (Mu., vol. X C , Jan. 1, 1937, pp. 125-126;Loyal vol. X L V , Feb. 1, 1937, p. 470). 156. Id., King Henry V, transl. by M uham m ad al-Siba‘1 as Riwäyat HanrVlkhämis. Lit. Ar. Prob. 1913 (Mu., vol. X L I I I , Dec. 1, 1913, p. 592). 157. Id., King Henry VIII, transl. for school usage by ‘U m ar ‘A bd al-‘A ziz Am in as HanrVl-thämin, in lit. Ar. prose. Strives to follow the original and has ex­ planatory notes. Cairo, M atb. al-taqaddum , n.d. (1925); 311 pp. (Fihris, IV , p - 132)158. Id., King Henry VIII, transl. for school usage by M ahm üd Ahm ad al-‘A qqäd & Ahm ad ‘U thm än al-Q irabi, as Riwäyat HanrVl-thämin. Follows the original closely enough, although with some omissions, e.g., the song in A ct I, scene I. Cairo, al-M atb. al-‘arabiyya, 1925; 120 pp. (ibid., which wrongly renders translator’s name as Ahm ad M uham m ad al-‘Aqqad). 159. Id., King Henry VIII, transl. by ‘A bd al-Rahm an Fahm i as Qi$$at al-malik HanrVl-thämin, in lit. Ar. prose, attem pting to follow the original closely. Introd. by M uham m ad Farid A b ü Hadid. N .p., M atb. J ib rä’il Q ärü t, n.d. (introd, signed 1936); 26, 184 pp. 160. Id., King Henry VIII, transl. by M uham m ad ‘A w ad Ibrahim as HanrVlthämin. Cairo, M atb. al-m a‘arif, 1947. J an-> I94Ö> P* ^S))Loyalv °l*Loyal 161. Id., King Henry VIII, transl. for school usage by Bülus Iskandar as HanrVlthämin (H., vol. X X X V I , Dec. 1, 1927, p. 203). 162. Id., King Henry VIII, transl. for school usage by Y a ‘qüb Iskandar as HanrVlthämin, in lit. Ar. 2 vols. ist ed., Cairo, al-M atb. al-M urqusiyya. 2nd ed., Cairo, M atb. ‘Ain Shams, 1926 (ibid.; FiAm, IV , p. 133). 163. Id., King Lear, transl. by Sam i’ 1-J uraidini as al-Malik Lir (acc. to S .J.’s assertion in his translation of King Henry V, see above, 155). 164. Id., Loyal King I transi, by Fàris K ilàb & Elisha* K aram . 77 pp. (Ma., X L I I I , 1949, p. 122). 211. Wilder, Thornton, Our town, transi, together with Nos. 59, 68 & 103, above. Ed. by Hasan Mahmüd, introd. by T a u fiq al-Hakim. Cairo, 1954 (Muslim World, vol. X L V I , Apr., 1956, p. 174).

Abbreviations A=al-Ahräm (Daily) A IE O A = Annales de l'Institut d'Études Orientales, Alger. A J — al-Akhbär al-jadïda. A L — Äkhir lahça. AS= Ä khir sâ‘a. A T — Akhb àr al-yaum. B. — The Bulletin (of the Egyptian Educational Bureau, London). B E — La Bourse Egyptienne (Daily). B S O S = Bulletin of the School of Oriental {and African) Studies (London). Coll. Ar. = Colloquial Arabic. D ä g h ir= Y ü su f As‘ad Däghir, Masädir al-diräsa al-adabiyya, vol. II, part I. DLZ=Deutsche Literaturzeitung. E R E = Encyclopaedia o f Religion and Ethics. Fihris, I V = D ä r al-kutub al-misriyya, Fihris al-kutub al-maujüda f i ' 1-där, vol. IV

(1929)-

F O = P u b lic Record Office archives (London), Foreign Office series. GAL — Q. Brockelmann, Geschichte der arabischen Litteratur. H — al-Hiläl. HH =Ha-M izrah He-Hadash {The New East, Q uarterly, Jerusalem). J E = Le Journal d'Egypte (D aily). J J S —Journal of Jewish Studies (Q uarterly, Cam bridge, U .K .). J P — The Jerusalem Post (Daily, Jerusalem). J R A S —Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland. JRCAS=Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society. K — al-Kitäb (M onthly). K M = al-K ätib al-mi$rï (M onthly). Lit. Ar. = Literary Arabic. M . — al-Misri (D aily). Ma. — al-Mashriq. M ak. = M a k tab a . M atb. = M atb a‘a. M E A — Middle Eastern Affairs (M onthly, N .Y .). M S O S= Mitteilungen des Seminarsfü r Orientalische Sprachen zu Berlin. Mu. — al-Muqtataf (M onthly). OA = Orientalisches Archiv. O L Z = Orientalische Literaturzeitung. O M = Oriente Moderno (M onthly, Rome). P E — Le Progrès Egyptien (Daily). RA A D — Revue de l'Académie Arabe à Damas. RC=Revue du Caire (M onthly). R M M =Revue du Monde Musulman. RTP=Revue des Traditions Populaires. R T — Rüz al-Yüsuf (W eekly). Z A = Zeitschriftfür Assyriologie und verwandte Gebiete. Z D M G — Zeitschrift der deutschen morgenländischen Gesellschaft.

274

Index A baza, ‘A ziz, I i6n ‘Abbadids, 133 ‘Abbas II, Khedive o f Egypt, 76, 78, 125, 126 Abbassid period, 2 ‘A b d al-Nasir, Jam al, 204 ‘A bd Loyal al-W ahhab, Loyal Loyal Muham m ad, 135, 181, 193 ‘Abduh, Tanyus, 112 ‘A bla, 134, 199 Abu ‘Ayun, 135 A b u ’l-Hasan, 58 A bu Laban, ‘A bd al-M ajid, 95 Abu'l-Qitat, 20, 27, 31, 32 A b u Shabaka, Ilyas, 134 A byad, Jurj, 75-85, 87, 93, 100, 113, 166, 189 Academ y o f the Arabic language (Cairo), 146, 148 al-Afyunl, W ahib, I32n Ahm ad, Zakariya, 91 al-Ahraf, 26 ‘Aid, ‘A ziz, 85-87, 91 ‘Aiw az, see below; Hajivad Albanians in shadow plays, see Shadow plays, Loyal Albanians Loyal Loyal Aleppo, 34, 172 Alexandria, 27, 30, 56, 65, 69-71, 80, 84, 129, 138, 157, 159, 160 French theater in, 52 Italian theater in, 53-55 Alger, 85, 100, 102, 11 in Alger Opera House, 100, 102 Algeria Arabic cinema in, 16in , 176-178 (see also Cinema, Arabic) Arabic theater in, 78n, 85, 100-102, ! 53n (see also Theater, Arabic) Meddahs in, 4 S .A .T .C .—T

Shadow theater in, 39-41, 45, 100 (see also Shadow plays) Allah, 20 ‘A ll, fam ily of, 5 ‘A ll Bey, 127 ss., 137 ‘A ll, Muham m ad, 53, 56 Am erica 100, 104, 156; see also United States Am erican cinema, see Cinema, Am eri­ can Am ir, ‘Aziza, 158 Amir al-shu*ara', 126 ‘Am m an, 97, 174 Almoravids, 133 al-‘Ani, Yusuf, 96 Annunzio, G. d’, 146 ‘Antar, ‘A ntara; see Ibn Shaddad Antony, M ark, 81, 131, 137 An tun, Farah, 77, 78, 121 Apocryphal stories, 116 Arab actors and actresses; see under Cinema, Arabic; Theater, Arabic Arab history, 159 Arab refugees, 97, 196 Arab-Israel war, 84-85, 103, 186 Arabia; see under Saudi Arabia Arabian Nights, 16, 39, 58 Arabian Peninsula; see under Saudi A rabia Arabic cinema; see Cinema, Arabic, etc. Arabic dialects; see Dialects, Arabic Arabic dram a; see Dram a, Arabic Arabic folk-lore; see Folk-lore, Arabic Arabic journalism; see Journalism, Arabic Arabic language, 56, 57, 61, 66, 75 revival of, 30, 56, 98 Arabic literature; see Literature, Arabic Arabic m usic; see Music, Arabic Arabic operetta; see Operetta, Arabic

275

276 Arabic plastic arts; see Plastic arts, Arabic Arabic plays; see Shadow plays; Theater, Arabic— plays A rabic theater; see Theater, Arabic Arabs in shadow plays; see Shadow plays, Arabs in Arberry, A . J ., 129 Argentine, 180 Arabic theater in, 104; see also Theater, Arabic Arlecchino, 73 Armenians in shadow p lays; see Shadow plays, Armenians in Artin Bey, 53 Asia, East, 11 Asia, South-east, 11 Asm ahan, 181 Ashwaq, 178 Aubignac, l\Abb6 d* in Arabic, 64 Audiences; see under Cinem a, A rabic; Shadow plays; Theater, Arabic Awareness o f the dram atic, xii al-Atrash, Farid, 187 al-‘A zar, Iskandar, 60 Azerbaijan, 34 al-Azhar, 163; see also Shaikh al-A zhar

I N DE X Bataille, Henri in Arabic, 83 Belzoni, G ., 50, 51 Berbers in shadow plays; see Shadow plays, Berbers in Berlin, 125, 162 Bernard, Tristan in Arabic, 83 Bernhardt, Sarah, 87 Bernstein, Henry in Arabic, 83 Biblical stories; see O ld Testam ent Biennale internazionale d ’arte, 161 Bint al-Shàti*, 123m, 150m “ Blackbird o f the V alley ” , 186 Bled, 177 Bosnians in shadow plays; see Shadow plays, Bosnians in Brazil A rabic cinema in, 161, 189; see also Cinema, Arabic A rabic theater in, 104; see also Theater, Arabic Broadcasting; see under various countries BustanI, Sa‘d A llah , 61 Byzantium , 11, 37, 149

Cairo, xi, 21, 26, 27, 29-32, 51, 70, 71, 84, 94, 109, 125, 128, 139, 146,

Badi‘, M ustafä, 102 Baghdad, 96, 175 Bahrain A rabic cinema in, 175; see also Cinema, Arabic Bahri, Jam il, 103 bakshish, 52 Bäkthir, ‘A ll Ahm ad, 97, 122 Baneth, D. H ., xiii “ Barbarin” , 90-91 Basra, 175 Baudelaire, Charles, 123 Bedouins, 129, 130 Beirut, 34, 35, 56, 57, 60-62, 66, 70, n o , 172, 174

*47»Loyal W 157, 159, 160, 165, 172, 174, 182, 189, 193 Cairo O pera House, 63, 65, 67-69 Cambyses, 131-132 Cam elia; see below Cohen, Lilian Cam ille, 60 Cannes, 162, 193, 198 “ Caruso o f the East” , 71 Catholics, 56 Censorship; see under Cinem a, A rabic; Theater, Arabic Chaplin, Charlie, 170 Characters; see under Shadow plays; Theater, Arabic Chiantoni, 82 China, 62

277

I NDEX Chinese theater; see Theater, Chinese Christians; see under Cinema, A rabic; Shadow plays; Theater, Arabic Cinema, American, 170, 172-176, 192, I94> 196* 202, 204 Cinema, Arabic, ix, ss., 47, 140, 170, 204-205 acting, xii, 158, 169, 172, 185 jr., 190-191 actors, xii, 158-159, 162, 168, 178, 181, 183, 185 jr., 189-191, 193, 202, 205; see also under their names actresses, 178, 186, 189, jj.; see also under their names anachronisms in, 184 attendance at, 160, 172-175 audiences, 169-171, 182, 185, 197— 198, 205 birth of, 155 ss. censorship of, xiii, 163-168, 171, 175 Cham ber for film industry, 160-161 characteristics of, 170 -171, 191, 197198, 202, 204-205 Christians in, 187 clubs, 158 comedies, 183, 198, 201, 202 comic elements, 198, 201 Communist films, 163m critics; see below reviewers costumes, 184 dance in, 189, 204 decorations, 182, 184 design, 184 direction, 162, 168, 181, jj., 189, 191, 193, 202 distribution, 161, 171, 177, 179, 191 documentaries, 161, 165, 174, 176, jr., 183, 194-197, 201, 202 dramas, 198, 200-201 dubbing; see synchronization economic and financial aspects, xiii, 158-163, 174, 179, ss., 184, 187188, 193, ss., 198, 205 farces, 198, 201, 202 feature films, 194, 197-205 financial aspects; see above; Cinema,

Arabic-econom ic, etc. foreign influence, 156 ss., 204 Government participation, xiii, 160 jj., 168, 171, 174, 176, 178, 188, 194 ss., 205 halls, 157, 159-161, 164, 165, 169m, 172-176, 178, 205 historical films, 198-199 in armed forces, 196 Jews in, 201 language of, 171, 173 lighting, 182 melodramas, 162, 183, 198-200, 202 moral aspects, xiii, 163 ss., 171 music in, 169, 184, 189-192, 197, 202 musical films, 171, 176, 185, 197, 199, 202, 204 Muslim opposition to, 163 ss., 171,

, ,

175 186 191,195 naïveté of, 205 newsreels, 174, 194 obscenity (and sex) in, 164, 165, 200, 202 periodicals, 156, 158, 167; see also Journalism, A rabic photography, 181-182, 184, 194,

197 plots, 158m, 168, 169, 185, 192, 197 ss. political films, 198, 201-202 production, 168, 171-176 , 178-182, 184, 185, 189, 191, 193, 205 propaganda in, 160, 163, 176-178,

194-197 public; see above audiences reviewers, 167 ss., 183, 184, 195 revues, 197, 202 satire, 166, 167 scenarios; see below scripts scripts, 159, 172, 181-183, ^ g , 192193, 202 silent films, 157 ss., 177, 204 social motifs, 162, 193, 198 ss., 205 stars; see above actors, actresses studios, 159, 174-176, 178, 180, 182, 183, 205

278

IN DEX

Sudanese in, 165, i97n. synchronization, 159, 161, 176, 184,

197 technicolor, 182 themes, 168, 169, 192-202, 205 tragedies, 183 unions, 185-186 “ W ild W est” touch, 162 Zionism in, 166; see also under Algeria, Bahrain, Brazil, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, K u ­ wait, Lebanon, Lybia, M orocco, N ear East, North Africa, Palestine, Persia, Saudi A rabia, South Am erica, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, U nited States Cinem a, British, 170, 173-175, 194 Cinem a, French, 170, 172-174, 176, 177, 188, 194 Cinem a, German, 170, 180 Neo-Nazi films, i7on. Cinem a, Indian, 170, 204 Cinem a, Italian, 170, 174, 178, 180, 194 Cinem a, Turkish, 174 Cineram a, 173 Cleopatra, 8, 130-131, 137 C lubs; see under Cinem a, A rabic; Theater, A rabic Cohen, I., x iv Cohen, Lilian (Cam elia), 181 Colom bina, 73 Commedia dell’Arte, 13, 73, 85 Com edy o f character (Arabie), 37, 46, 101, 119, 150, 152 Com edy o f manners (Arabie), x, 37, 46, 101, 119, 152 “ Com ic relief” , 3, 118 Communist films; see under Cinem a, A rabic Comparse, 87 Conservatoire, in A rabic, 98 C oppeé, François in Arabic, 104 C oquelin, 87 Corneille, P., x, 115, 128 in Arabic, 64, 70, 109, 1 1 1 - 1 1 3

Costumes; see under Cinem a, A rabic; Shadow plays Cromer, Lord, 69 Crusaders, 27 Cyprus A rabic cinema in, 161; see also Cinema, Arabic

Dabbiis, 21 Damascus, 62, 69, 164, 17 1-17 4 Damascus Fair (1954), 173 D an ce; see under Cinem a, A ra b ic ; Shadow plays; T heater, A rabic Daudet, Alphonse in Arabic, 104 D ayya, Anis, 118 Decorations; see under Cinem a, A rabic; Passion plays; Shadow plays D elavigne, Casimir and Germ ain in Arabic, 77, 78 D ella V ida, G . L ., xiv Denshawai Incident, 120, 202 Dervishes in shadow plays; see Shadow plays, dervishes in Dialects, Arabic, 2, 2 in ., 32, 40, 66 Dialects, Turkish, 15, 34 Didier, 29 Docum entary films; see under Cinem a, A rabic D ram a, A rabic; see under Cinem a, A rabic; Theater, A rabic Dumas, A . in Arabic, 110

Economic and financial aspects; see under Cinem a, A rabic; Theater, Arabic Egypt, 1 7 ,1 8 ,2 2 -2 5 ,2 8 ,3 2 ,3 3 ,9 3 ,1 2 6 , 127 ss. ancient, 32, 115, 131, 135, 150m Arabic cinem a in, 155-176, 179-202, 204-205; see also Cinem a, A rabic

INDEX

A rabic theater in, 49 ss., 52, 57, 5961, 63-73, 77-94» 96, 102-106, 108 ss., 115, 125 ss., 204; see also Theater, Arabic British occupation of, 68 foreign cinema in, 170, 192 Higher School for the Cinem a; see Higher School, etc. illiteracy in, 56, 157, 169 Islamic associations in, 164 journalism in, 120, 164 Mamlüks, 128 Ministry o f Agriculture, 195 Ministry o f Education, 166,188, 195196 Ministry of Health, 195 Ministry o f National Guidance, 160, 166 Ministry of Social Affairs, 162, 195 Napoleonic invasion of, 52 Nationalism in, 30, 64-66, 131-132,

139»198 Revolution o f 1952, 122, 194-195 Shadow theater in, 17 ss., 25-34, 30> 40, 43, 45-47; see also under Shadow plays Egyptian broadcasting service, 90 feminist movement, 142 history, 159 Institute o f Dram atic A rt; see under Institute railways, 67 schools, 139 society, 151-152 Elizabethan theater; see Theater, Eliza­ bethan England, 92 English in Arabic theater; see Theater, A rabic— English in Europe, xiii, 52, 58, 105 European theater; see Theater, European Europeanization, 4, 47, 49, 56-57, 74, 76, 98, 101, 118, 119, 165, 169, 171, 205; see also Western penetra­ tion etc.

279 Faji'a, 117 Fahml, ‘A ll, 92 Fakhr al-Din, M aryam , 200n. Fallah, 31 ss., 51 Far East, 100 al-Far, Ahm ad Fahim, 4 Farah, Iskandar, 69-71, 86 Farces; see under Cinema, A rabic; Theater, Arabic Faris, ‘Abbas, 20in. Faris, Bishr, 123 Faruq, K ing, 89, 129, 166 fafly 29 fasl mudhik, 72, 91 Fayyad, Ilyas, 77 Feydeau, Ernest in Arabic, 83 Firman, 58 Fischer, August, 148 Folk-lore, 144 Arabic, 19, 34, 37 Indian, 129 Oriental, 6, 32, 45 Persian, 129 Turkish, 129 Foreign films; see under Cinem a and under various countries the Four Caliphs, 164 Fraenkel, G ., xiv France, 56, 92, 125, 188 Arabic cinema in, 161, 178, 179; see also Cinema, Arabic Arabic theater in, 102, 122; see also Theater, Arabic French cinema; see Cinema, French Troupes; see under Theater, Arabic

Gabrieli, Fr., 150m Garagos; see below K aragoz Garson, Greer, 193 Geneva, 125 Genoa, 13, 66 Germ any, 123, 179 cinema; see Cinem a, German

2 Ö0 Ghislanzoni in Arabic, 64 G ibb, H. A . R ., x, xiii Gide, André in Arabic, 104 Ginghiz K han, 23 Glatzer, N. N ., xiv Goitein, S. D ., xiii Goldfahden, 58 Goretti, L ., 61 Great Britain, 85, 188 broadcasting (B.B.C.), 114 C inem a; see Cinem a, British Greece, ix, 11 Greek dram a, 1-2 farce, 2 in ., 34 m im icry; see M im icry, Greek puppet shows, 11 shadow plays; see Shadow plays, Greek theater; see Theater, Greek Greeks in A rabic theater: see under Theater, Arabic in shadow plays; see under Shadow plays Government participation ; see under Cinem a, A rabic; Theater, A rabic Grunebaum , G. E. von, xiv Ghànim , Shukri, 133-134

“ H abim ah” ; see under Israel H ajivad (or ‘Aiw âz, Hâjïvàsh, H âzivàn, H àzivàz), 14, 16, 17, 23m, 34 ss., 41 ss. H aikal, M uham m ad Husain, 162m Haïrabèdian, M ., xiv Hand-puppets, 9, 11 ; see also Puppets Haussmann, 29 Hazliyya, 151 H ém ô, Ibrahim , 97 H igher School for the Cinema, 188 H ijaz, 19

INDEX

Hollywood, 97, 180, 186, 199 Holofernes, 115 al-H udä, N ur, iqo Hugo, V . in Arabic, 1 1 1-1 1 3 Huwät, 74n.

Al-H addäd, Am in, n o al-H addad, N ajib, 100, 110 -113 , 125 al-H ä’ik, Yüsuf, 1 15 -116 H âjïvâsh; see above H ajivad al-H ajjäj, 150 Hakawäti, 3 al-Hakim , T aufiq, 122, 125, 138-147, x49 , 152, 153 Ham äm a, Fätin, 190-191, 199m Hasan, slaughter of, 5 H äzivän; see above H ajivad H äziväz; see above H ajivad Hijäzi, Saläm a, 70-72, 77, 84, 86, 87 tfikäya, 2, 3 al-H ira (Kingdom ), 115 H ubaiqa, N ajib, 60 Husain, slaughter of, 5, 6 Husain, T ah a, 84, 92, 166 Husari, K haldün Sâti4, 95

Ibn D aniyäl, M uham m ad, 18 s s 23, 24m, 27, 31, 33 Ibn Iyäs, 22 Ibn Shaddäd, ‘A ntar (or ‘Antara), 133 ss., 199 Ibn Täshfin, 133 Ibrahim Pasha, 56 Ibrahim , R äqiya, 162, 200n. Ibsen, H. in Arabic, 113 Idioms, Anglo-Saxon, x Ikhrqj, 182m Im provization; see under Shadow plays Im ru’ al-Q ais, 149 Indian cinem a; see Cinem a, Indian folk-lore; see Folk-lore, Indian

INDEX

theater; see Theater, Indian Institute o f Arts (Baghdad). 96 Institute of Dram atic A rt (Cairo), 90,

105

iqtibds, 109m Iraq, 142 A rabic cinema in, 161, 165m, 167, 175, 196; see also Cinem a, Arabic Arabic theater in, 94-96; see also Theater, Arabic Institute o f A rts; see under Institute Irbid, 132m Ishaq, Adib, 61, 63, 64, 71 Islam 5, 17, 28, 130, 143; see also Muslim etc. Islamic associations; see under Egypt Isma‘ 11, Khedive o f Egypt, 63-68, 100, 120 Ismailia, 157 Israel (State), 56, 167 Arabic cinema in, 161; see also Cinema, Arabic Arabic theater in, 102-103; see also Theater, Arabic “ H abim ah” , 122 Istanbul, 22, 23, 43m Ishma‘ ’eli, M atthew, 103 Italian cinema; see Cinema, Italian Italian theater; see Theater, Italian Italy, 38, 57, 82, 184

Jaffa, 34 Jahiliyya, 130 Jaläl, Muhammad ‘ U lhm än, 78, 108n o , 112, 113, 125 Jam al, Sämiya, 187 Janissaries, 15 Japanese theater; see Theater, Japanese Jauzi, Nasri’l-, 103 Jerusalem, 34, 37, 38, 165, 174 Jesuit schools, 60, 69 Jesuits, 56, 60, 95 Jewish schools, 60 Jews in cinema; see Cinem a, A rabic— Jews

281 in shadow plays; see Shadow plays, Jews in theater; see Theater, Arabic— Jews “Jinni” , 130, 136 Jordan (State), 56 Arabic cinema in, 161, 165, 174-175, 186; see also Cinema, Arabic Arabic theater in, 94, 96-97, 103, 132m, 174; see also Theater, Arabic broadcasting, 97 foreign cinema in, 170 Muslim organizations in, 175 Journalism, Arabic, ix, 66, 120, 187; see also Theater, A rabic— periodi­ cals Judaism, 28 Judith, 115 Juha, 121-122, 202

K arachi, 165 K aragoz (or Karakon, Karakoz, Garagos, Qaragos), 14, 16, 17, 34-47 Karagoz plays, 16, 24-25, 29, 34 ss., 38 w., 45, 100 K arak on ; see above Karagoz K a ra k d z; see above K aragoz K arim , Muham m ad, 184, 193 K arim a, 178 Kariyoka, T ahiyya, 187, 198, 200n. Kasperl, 47 al-Kassar, ‘A li’l-, 90-91, 93, 114, 158, 189 K aye, Danny, 165, 167 K em al, Namik, 121 “ K ish-Kish Bey” , 87 55. Klausner, M ., xiv K oka, 199 K oran, 71, 144 Koranic studies, 100 Ksentini, Rashid, 100-101 Kulthum , 178 K ullhum , Um m , 135, 142, 181, 189m Kumtdya, 151 K uw ait, 186

282 A rabic cinema in, 175; see also Cine­ ma, Arabic

K h a ir A llah, M uham m ad MunjI, 129 K hairi, Badi‘, 88 al-K hayyat, M uhi’l-Din, 121 al-K hayyat, Yusuf, 64-65, 68 Khurshld, Ahm ad, 184

L a Fontaine in A rabic, 109 L adhiqiyya, 164 L aila (actress), 68 L aila (beloved o f Q ais), 129 ss., 134, 136, 137 L am a Brothers, 159 Lane, Edward W illiam , 29, 51, 57, 72 Language; see under Cinem a, A rabic; Shadow plays; Theater, Arabic Languages, Oriental, xiii; see also under various languages: A rabic etc. Lantern; see M agic lantern L avedan, Henri in A rabic, 83 Laws against shadow plays; see under Shadow plays Lazarists, 56 Lebanon, 56, 118 A rabic cinema in, 161, 167, 17 1-17 3 , *85, 189-190; see also Cinem a, A rabic A rabic theater in, 78, 95, 96, 98, 121, 134; see also Theater, A rabic customs union with Syria, 173 foreign cinema in, 172 Levin, A ., xiv Lewis, Bernard, xiv LVb, 29 ss. Li'ba, 42 ss. Lim an T arra, prison of, 122 Literature, Arabic, xii, 8, 145, 148, 156, 183 Literature, Oriental, xi; see also Folk­ lore, Oriental

INDEX

Literature, Turkish, 145; see also Folk­ lore, Turkish Littm ann, E., 62 London Academ y o f D ram atic A rt, 92 Lund, Louise, 82 Luxor, 156 L yb ia A rab cinema in, 175 -17 6 ; see also Cinem a, A rabic A rabic theater in, 98 ; see also Theater, Arabic

Madama, 41 M'dddam; see below Muqaddam MadI, Yvonne, 184m M adI, Zozo, 184m M aeterlinck, 144 M agic lantern, 155-156 Mahzala, 151 al-Makshuj\ 95 Maltese; see under Shadow plays; Theater, Arabic M altzan, Heinrich von, 40, 42 Mamish, M uham m ad, 97 al-M anati, D a’ud, 26 al-M an aw i; see above al-M anati M anuscript plays; see Theater, Arabic — plays in manuscript M anuscript theses, xi Manuscripts, xiii Maqdma, 2, 3 al-M ar‘ 1, Hasan, 120 Marionettes, 9, n , 49 M aronite schools, 60 Maronites, 57 Ma'sat, 15m . Mas Iat, 15m . Masrah, 57m al-Mashriq, 60 Maupassant, G uyjde, 152 M ayer, L . A ., xiii, 13m M ecca, 50 Meddah, 3, 4, 13, 14 M edina, 97 M enon, General, 52

283

INDEX

M enzela M S., 26, 27 Messiah, 5 M eyer, Joseph, 177 M ez, Adam , 2 M idhat Pasha, 69 M ille, Cecil de, 95, 201 M im icry, xii, 1-4, 47, 203 Arabic, 1 ss.f 32, 203 Babylonian, 2 Greek, 2n., 11, 13, 14, 16, 24m, 39,

47 Jewish, 2 O f beasts and birds, 3 Parthian, 2 Roman, 2n. Turkish, 3 Missionary activities; see Near East, missionary activities in M ohhabbazeen; see below M uhabbazin M olière, x, 87, 120 in Arabic, 57-59, 62, 66, 78, 87, 100-102, 109, 112, 113, 122 “ Monologues” , 81 Montpellier, 125 M oral aspects o f cinema see under Cinema, Arabic Morocco, 39 Arabic cinema in, i6 in ., 178; see also Cinema, Arabic Arabic theater in, 94, 99-100; see also Theater, Arabic Shadow plays in 39 ; see also Shadow plays Moroccans in shadow plays; see under Shadow plays Moscow, 162 Mosul, 175 Mounet-Sully, 87 Muhabbazin, 51 Muhammad, 143, 164 Muhammad, Ahm ad al-Säwi, 139 M uhammad ‘A li; see ‘A ll, Muhammad M uharram, month of, 5, 8 Muhäwara, 32 M uhï’l-Dïn, Bäshtarzi, 100-102 Mukallit, 3

Munajjam, 1850. Munir, Siraj, 199 Muntijun, i8on. Muqaddam (M ’addam), 23m, 28, 29 M urad, Laila, 17 m ., 181, 186, 190, 193, 20in. M urray, Charles A ., 53 Music, 138, 139 Arabic, xii Egyptian, 91 Oriental, 9, 128 Persian, 14 Turkish, 14 Western-timed, 91 See also under Cinema, Arabic; Shadow plays; Theater, Arabic Muslim Brotherhood, 165, 166 Muslim opposition to cinema; see under Cinema, Arabic to theater; see under Theater, Arabic Muslim schools, 60 Muslim Ulem a Council (Jerusalem), 165 Muslims in shadow plays; see under Shadow plays Musaddiq, 6 M ustafa, Muhammad, 169 al-Mushir, Muhammad, 99 al-M u‘tamid, 133 M utran, K halil, 113 Mysteries; see below Passion plays

Nabil, Zozo, 199m Nadim, ‘A bd Allah, 120 Najib, Muhammad, 122 Najm, 185m Nakhla, Sheikh ‘A li’l-, 26 Napoleon, 77 al-Naqqash, Marun, 57-61, 112 al-Naqqash, Salim K halil, 59, 63-65,

7i Nariman (Queen), 187 Nazareth, 103 Near East, ix, xii, xiii, 7, 49, 67, 75 ss.>

79? 93 ? 94 ? 135

284

Arabic cinema in, 155, 157, 170, 174, Loyal Loyalsee a^so under countries and Cinema, Arabic Arabic theater in, 119; see also under countries and Theater, A rabic armaments race, 163 dramatic elements in 1 ss. emancipation o f women in, 76 foreign cinema in, 173 missionary activities in, 56-57 passion plays in, 5 ss. shadow plays in, 9 ss. storytellers, 3, 47, 152 Negroes in shadow plays; see under Shadow plays N ew Delhi, 162 N ew Testament, 6 N ew York, 156 Newsreels; see under Cinem a, Arabic Nile, 30, 3 L 5 L 132 Niq abat al-muma ththilin, 1850. North Africa, 38, 67, 71 Arabic cinema in, 155, 161, 175 w .; see also under countries and Cinem a, A rabic A rabic theater in, 71, 78m, 94, 98 ss., 119; see also under countries and Theater, Arabic Shadow plays in, 38 ss. ; see also Shadow plays North Am erica A rabic theater in, 104; see also Theater, Arabic Nubians in A rabic theater; see under Theater, Arabic N u‘aima, M ikha’il, 118

Obscenity; see under Cinem a, A rabic; Shadow plays; Theater, Arabic. O ctavian, 130 O dèon (in Paris), 92, 133, 139 O ld Testament, 6 Biblical stories in Persian passion plays, 6n Opera, 203

INDEX

O pera House o f Alger; see Alger O pera House O pera House o f Cairo; see Cairo O pera House Operetta, Arabic, 57 Opposition to the theater; see Theater, A rabic— Muslim opposition to Oriental folk-lore; see Folk-lore, O rien­ tal Oriental Languages; see Languages, Oriental Oriental Literature; see Literature, Oriental Orta oyunu, 13, 14, 35 Ottom an Empire, 96, 134 “ Ottom an League” , 134

Pagliaccio, 73 Pagnol, M arcel in Arabic, 87 Palestine, 4,9 7, 166, 197 A rabic cinema in, i6 in ., 164; see also Cinema, Arabic Arabic theater in, 78, 102-103; see also Theater, A rabic; shadow plays in, 38-39,45 Pan-Arab propaganda, 136 Pan-Islamic Congress (K arachi), 165 Pantomime, 3, 85 Paris, xiv, 66, 77, 95, 96, 122, 123, 125, 133, 145»! 59 Passion plays, xii, 2, 4, 47, 203 Arabic, 7, 8 Catholic, 5 decorations, 6 im pact o f 6 ss.9 47 in Teheran, 6n. music, 7 Persian, 5-8 UCziya, 5-8 translation of, 6 Turkish, 7 Pathe (films), 157 Peri, H ., xiii Periodicals; see under Cinem a, A rabic;

285

INDEX

journalism, A ra b ic; Theater, Arabic Perlmann, M ., xiv Perolari-M almignati, P., 35, 61 Persia, 5 w., 34, 62, 115, 116 Arabic cinema in, 161; see also Cine­ ma, Arabic Zoroastrian, 5 Persian, 131 farce, 45 folk-lore; see Folk-lore, Persian music; see Music, Persian shadow plays; see Shadow plays, Persian Persians in shadow plays; see under Shadow plays La Petite Illustration, 152 Pharaoh, 131, 188 Picaresque tale, ix Picaresque themes, x Plastic arts, Arabic, xii Plays, Arabic; see under Shadow plays; Theater, Arabic Plots; see under Cinema, A rabic; Shadow plays; Theater, Arabic Polichinelle, 47 Popular legends, Turkish, 16 Popular tales, Syrian, 34 Port Said, 157 Pradon in Arabic, 78 Presbyterians, 56 Propaganda; see under Cinema, A rabic Prüfer, Curt, 4m Pückler-Muskau, 39 Pulcinella, 47 Punch, 47 Puppets, 25 (see also above: Handpuppets) Egyptian, 28, 66 Syrian, 26 Purim, 2 Pygmalion, 144, 146

Q ais (poet), 129 ss.9 136 Qaragos, Q a ra g o z; see above K aragoz Qaraites, 84 Qaraqush, 24 al-Q ardahi, Sulaiman, 68-69, 71 al-Qashshash, Hasan, 26-27 Q ibsi, 178 Q ubain, F. I., xiv Queen o f Sheba, 156 al-Qusti, Hasan, 62

al-Q abbani, Khalil, 70, 79

Saint commemoration, 5

R abat, 178 Racine, J ., 115, 128 in Arabic, 6 1,6 3 ,6 4 ,8 4 ,9 2 , 109, 111,

”3 Rajaz, 109 R am A llah, 97 Ram adan, month of, 16, 29, 33, 38, 40,

45 » 47 al-Rashld, Harun, 59 Reed, Carol, 178 Revival o f A rabic; see under Arabic language Revues; see under Cinem a, A rabic; Theater, Arabic al-RIhanl, Najib, 86-91, 93, 114, 189, 198, 20in. Rihani D ay, 90 Rihani Prize, 90, 91 Rikhim, 24, 31, 32 R iza Shah, 6 R izq, Am ina, 117, 20on. Romains, Jules in Arabic, 102 Rom e, xi, xiv Rooney, M ickey, 165 Rosenthal, Fr., xiv Rostand, Edmond in Arabic, 81, 102, n o , 113 Roumanian theater; see Theater, Rou­ manian Rushdi, Fatima, 8 1,8 2 ,8 6 ,12 8

286 Saladin; see below Salah al-Din Salim, Ahm ad, 193 Salman, M uham m ad, 189-190 Samuel, 99 Sanua, James (Y a ‘qub ibn R u fa ’il Sanu‘), 65-67 Satan in shadow plays; see under Shadow plays Satire; see under Cinem a, A rab ic; Shadow plays; Theater, Arabic S a‘ud, Sheikh, 26 Saudi A rabia, 194 A rabic cinema in, 175; see also Cine­ ma, A rabic A rabic theater in, 97-98; see also Theater, A rabic Scarram ucia, 73 Schiller in A rabic, 113 Scott, W alter in Arabic, 111 Selim I (Ottom an Sultan), 22, 23 Seville, 132 sex; see above, under obscenity Shadow plays, ix, xii, 2, 9 ss., 157, 203 Albanians in, 15 Arabic, 8, 9 ss., 13, 17 ss,, 22 ss., 25 ¿y., 30 ss., 45 ss.} 73 Arabs in, 15, 41, 43 Armenians in, 15 audiences, 29, 34, 41, 46 Berbers in, 31, 42m bibliographies, I 2 n. Bosnians in, 15 Ceylonese, 11 characters of, 14 ss., 2 0 -2 1,2 4 ,3 1-3 2 , 34 ss., 46-47 Chinese, 1 1 -1 2 , 14 Christians in, 15, 32-33, 36, 41 comic elements, 10, 14 ss., 18 ss., 2 1 22, 34 42> 43> 4^ Loyal copying o f 15-16 costumes, 15, 28, 39, 45 dance, 42 decadence of, 45 decorations, 28, 44, 45

INDEX

dervishes in, 17 Greek, 25m Greeks in, 15 importance of, 45 ss. improvization in, 16, 25, 47 in manuscript, 14 ss., 18, 22, 25 ss.9

35“ . Indian, 11 Indians in, 43 Islamic, 11-12 , 28 Italian, 38, 39 Javanese (Wajang), 11 Jews in, 15, 41, 43 language of, 29-30, 32m, 33-37, 40 laws against, 28, 39-40 Maltese in, 41, 43 Moroccans in, 31, 41 music, 14, 20, 26, 28-29, 31, 35, 46 Muslims in, 41 Negroes in, 15, 42-45 obscenity of, 15 ,16 , 21-22, 30, 32, 33, 39 ss., 43 ss. pattern of, 28-29 Persian, 19 Persians in, 15 plots, 14 ss., 35-38, 42-45 prize fights in, 20 Satan in, 39 satire, 17, 38, 39, 46 secular character of, ign Siamese, 11, 29 social aspects of, 17 speech in, 15, 46 Sudanese in, 20, 31 themes, 16, 18 ss., 30 ss., 34 ss., 39-47 Turkish, 12 jj., 22-25, 28-31, 34, 35, 38-40,45-47 Turks in, 31, 34, 4 1; see also under Algeria, Egypt, Greece, M orocco, North Africa, Palestine, Syria, Tripolitania, Tunisia Shakespeare, x, 130 in Arabic, 69, 77, 78, 81, 99, 102, 108, 110 -113 Shamush, I, xiii Shaw, G . B., x

287

INDEX

Shiites, 130, 203 Sirhan, Muhsin, 199m, 20011. Slovenian theater; see Theater, Slove­ nian Social aspects o f shadow plays; see under Shadow plays Social motifs', see under Cinem a, A rabic; Theater, Arabic Society o f Friends o f Virtue, 164 Solomon (King) in shadow play, 38n. in Ta'ziya, 7 Sophocles In Arabic, 77, 84, 102 South Am erica Arabic cinema in, 161; see also Cine­ ma, Arabic A rabic theater in, 85, 94, 104; see also Theater, Arabic Soviet Union broadcasting, 162 Spain, 126, 133 Spies, O tto, 42 St. Joseph Jesuit University, 60 St. Pierre, B. de In Arabic, 109 Stoloff, Victor, 158m Storytellers, see under Near East Strindberg, A . in Arabic, 113 Sudan, 111 Arabic cinema in, 176; see also Cinema, Arabic Arabic theater in, 98; see also Theater, Arabic Sudanese; see under Cinem a, Arabic; Shadow plays Suez, 157 Suez Canal, 61, 63, 67, 121, 122 Sulaiman, ‘A ziz, 122 Sultan, Ottoman, 15 Sunnites, 7, 130, 203 Switzerland, 188 Sylvain, 77 Syria, 4, 26, 35, 56, 69 A rabic cinema in, 156, 164, 167, 1 7 1 -

174, 186; see also Cinema, Arabic Arabic theater in, 55-63, 70, 71, 73, 74, 78, 94-96, 98; see also Theater, Arabic customs union with Lebanon, 173 director o f press and propaganda,

173 journalists in, 73 Ministry o f Education, 173 missionary activities in, 56-57 nationalism in, 56, 173 political problems of, 134 Security Department, 173 shadow theater in, 33-38, 41, 45 Syrian puppets; see Puppets, Syrian

Sabah (actress), 186 al-Sabafi, 169 Salah al-DIn (Saladin), 24-25, 199 Sanu‘, Y a ‘qub ibn R u fa ’il; see Sanua Sidqi, Am in, 88, 90 Sidqi, Husain, 20on. Sidqi, Lola, 172m

Shadiya, 190 Shahada, Georges, 95 Shahin, Y ah ya, i62n. Shaikh al-A zhar; see under Theater, Arabic ShaHr al-umara*, 126 Shakib, Zozo, 20in. Sha'rawi, Huda, 141 Sharif, ‘A li T ahir, 100 Shauqi, Ahm ad, x, 81, 103, 125-138, 145, 149, 152, 153, 199m Shauqi, Farid, 200n. Shibli, H aqqi’l-, 96 Shinawi, K am al, 172m Shishakli, 167 Shokoko, 201 n. Shubra, 50

Taim ür, Ahm ad, 147

288

INDEX

Taim ür, M ahm üd, 119, 125, 138, 147-

153

Taim ür, M uham m ad, 147-148 T aim üriyya Library (Cairo), 147 Tarjama, 11 on. Tarsus, 59 T aufiq, Khedive o f E gypt, 68, 120 Tauzi% 17911. Ta'ziya; see under Passion plays Teheran, 6n., 7n. Theater, Arabic, ix ss., 47, 140, 159, 169, 192, 203-205 absence of, ix, 1 ss., 98 acting, 93, 105, 124 actors 57-58, 63 ss., 68 ss., 74 ss., 80 ss., 100 ss., 104-106, 117, 124, 159, 203-205; see also under their names actresses, 57-58, 62, 68, 74, 76, 81, 105, n o , 203; see also under their names A rab troupes, 65, 67 ss., 74, 76 ss., 82 ss., 86, 96, 97, 99, 101-106, 121, 122 audiences, 54-55? 57~58, 63? 74? 75? 86, 93, 95? 117? ” 8, 152, 205 birth o f xiii, 49 ss., 56 ss. censorship on, 120-121 characteristics of, 57 ss., 104-107, 203-204 characters in, 88, 141, 147 Christians in, 50 ss., 74, 76, 79,88, 90, ” 5 ? *44 classical theater, 75, 78, 79, 82, 83, 85? 105, 113, 203 clubs, 80 comedies, 8, 69, 79, 80, 85, 109, 114, 119-120, 124, 125, 127, 142-143? 145, 148 SS., 201 comic elements, 50 ss., 66, 73, 85 ss„ 100, 114, 150 ss. companies; see above A rab troupes, French troupes etc. critics; see below reviewers dance in, 105 directors, 74, 76,84,99, 102,105-106, i82n.

dramas, 59, 70, 75, 78, 79, 84, 104, 114, 1 17 -119 , 124, 125, 127, 135, 137, I38, I4O ¿J., I45, I49 Loyal economic and financial aspects, 1S i 182, 204-205 English in, 90, 120-122 farces, 4, 49 ss., 58, 72-73? 85, 91, 100, 114, 119, 124, 198 French troupes in Near East, 52, 56, 61, 98, 100 foreign influences, 52 ss., 56 Government participation, 91 ss., 95, 96, 204, 205 Greeks in, 90 guignol, 86 halls, 58, 59, 65-67, 69, 74, 83, 131, 205 historical plays, 77, 84, 93, 114 -116 , 122, 124, 125, 127 ss., 143, 145,

I 49“ I 5 2 Italian troupes in Near East, 52 ss.,

56 Jews in, 68, 74, 76, 88, 99-100, 103, 122

language of, 66, 74, 78, 81, 84, 85, 87,

90? 92, 93? 100, 109, 117-119? 124, 1 35 “ 1 36 , 138, 142-148, 150? !53 local influences on, 49 ss. Maltese in, 90 melodramas, 72, 74, 78, 84, 114, 116 -117 , 119, 124, 138, 142m music in, 57, 61, 64, 69, 71-72 , 74, 79, 84, 88, 91, 101, 105, 1 10—111, 117, 197, 203 musical plays, 69, 73, 74, 84, 86, 91 musical theater, 74, 80 ss., 82, 84, 85, 93,94, 101, 105, 113, 203 Muslim opposition to, 57, 59, 63 Nubians in, 90 obscenity in, 51 plays, xiii, 170 plays, adapted, 83, 87, 94-95, 99, 101-103, 107-110, 204 plays, in manuscript, xiii, 113 plays, original, xiii, 83, 87 ss., 10 1102, 107, h i , 112, 114-153? 204

INDEX

plays, translated, xiii, 79-84, 92, 96, 9 9 ,10 3 ,10 7-114 , 204 periodicals, 80, 99, 106; see also Journalism, Arabic playwrights, 57 Loyal63, 74, 75, 96, 101, 103, 106, 108-153, 203-204 plots, 72-74, 89, 101, 115 ss., 127 Ji., 140 ss., 149 ss. political plays, 66, 114, 115, 120-122, 124, 142m, 201, 204 popular theater, 72-74, 80, 85 ss., 90-91» 93, 94, 101, 105, 113, 114, 203 prizes, 90-92 public; see above audiences reviewers of, 70, 77, 93, 99, 123, 147148, 167, 168 revues, 85, 86, 90-91, 114 satire, 66, 89, 99m, 114, 142m, 152 schools o f dramatic arts, 92-93, 96 social motifs, 96, 98, 101, 118-120, 125, 128, 145, 149 ss., 204 speech, 120 symbolical plays, 114, 122-124, 144-

H5 Shaikh al-Azhar in, 90 themes, xii, 50, 74,88, 101, 108-153,

197 tragedies, 77, 79, 114, 119, 124, 127 ss., 145 Turks in, 90 vaudeville, x, 84, 86 ss., 90-91 Western troupes in Near East, 52 ss. Zionism in, 122 ; see also under Algeria, Argentine, Brazil, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Lybia, North Africa, North Am erica, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, South Am erica, Sudan, Syria, Tripolitania, Tunisia, United States, Yem en Theater, Chinese, xi Theater, Elizabethan, 58, 113 Theater, European, ix, 49, 137 Theater, French, 52 Theater, Greek, 58 Theater, Indian, xi

289 Theater, Israeli, 122 Theater, Italian, 52 ss. Theater, Japanese, xi Theater, Roumanian, 53, 108 Theater, Slovenian, 53 Theater, Turkish, xi Theater, Yiddish, 2n., 58 Them es; see under Cinema, A rabic; Shadow plays; Theater, Arabic Tietze, A ., 43m Tolstoy, L ., 99 Tripoli (Lebanon), 172 Tripoli (Lybia), 175 Tripolitania Arabic theater in, 78; see also Theater, Arabic shadow theater in, 45 Troupes, xiii, 4; see also under Theater, Arabic Tunis, 39 ¿¿.,43 ,99 Tunisia Arabic cinema in, 176; see also Cine­ ma, Arabic Arabic theater in, 71, 78, 98; see also Theater, Arabic broadcasting, 99 shadow plays in 39-45; see also Shadow plays Turkey, 13, 16, 22, 23, 41, 134 Turkish cinema; see Cinem a, Turkish culture, 135 folk-lore; see Folk-lore, Turkish language, 56, 57, 108 music; see Music, Turkish popular legends; see Popular legends, Turkish shadow plays; see Shadow plays, Turkish theater; see Theater, Turkish; see also Ottoman Turks in Arabic theater; see under Theater, A rabic in shadow plays; see under Shadow plays

290 T a if al-khayäl, 18, 22, 2411. Tulaim ât, Zakï, 92, 99, 106, 122

U m ayyads, 129 'Umday 86, 87 U nions; see under Cinem a, Arabic U nited Nations, 176 U nited States, xiii, 7, 105, 172, 188; see also Am erica, North Am erica A rabic cinema in, 161; see also C ine­ ma, Arabic A rabic theater in, 104; see also Theater, Arabic ‘U rff, W idad, 158

V audeville; see under Theater, Arabic V enice, 13 Festival, 161, 162, 194-195 Venus, 146 V erlaine, Paul, 123 V ich y authorities, 176 V igneau, André, 183 Viziers, 15 V oltaire in Arabic, 111

W ahbi, M uhamm ad Taufïq, 98 W ahbï, Yüsuf, 81-86, 93, 102, 117,

INDEX

i53n *> !59> l6 8n., 17 m ., 184, 188, 189, 200n., 201 Wajang ; see under Shadow plays W ajdi, Anw ar, 1 7 m ., 20in . W àkim , Bishàra, 86, 198 W arner, C . D ., 51 W eigert, G ., xiv W eniger, J ., xiv Western penetration into N ear East, xii, 75-76; see also Europeanization “ W ild W est” touch; see under Cinem a, A rabic W orld H ealth Organization, 176

Yasin, Isma‘ 11, 190 Yazbak, Antun, 83 Y azid II (Caliph), 199 al-Yaziji (the family), n o al-Yaziji, K halil, 62 Yem en A rabic theater in, 97; see also Theater, Arabic Yoseloff, Thomas, xiv Young Turks, 17

Zaghreb, 53 Zaghlül, Sa‘d, 139 Zahaw i, Jam il Sidqi’l-, 96 Zarqäni, ‘A lï’l-, 192 Zoroastrianism; see above Persia