Archive of films Devil of the Desert / Shaytan al-sahraa

Egypt
1954, 89 min

Section: Tribute to Youssef Chahine
Year: 2019

A sword-and-sandal adventure set in an ancient tribal society about a Zorro-like figure who decides to rebel against the tyrannical ruler of his village. Chahine’s first actioner, featuring another early performance by a young Omar Sharif.


Synopsis

A sword-and-sandal adventure set in an ancient tribal society about a Zorro-like figure who decides to rebel against the tyrannical ruler of his village. Chahine’s first actioner, featuring another early performance by a young Omar Sharif, was dismissed by the future Lawrence of Arabia star and would mark the end of his brief collaboration with Chahine. Today, this largely unseen film stands as a unique entry in Chahine’s canon and contains many of the hallmarks that would be refined in the director’s subsequent work: grand vistas, striking visuals, the combination of socio-political subtext with sensational entertainment, and the celebration of the human body.

Joseph Fahim

Contacts

Misr International Films
35 Champollion Street, , Cairo
Egypt
Tel: +20 122 2117478
E-mail: [email protected]

About the film

Black & white, DCP

Section: Tribute to Youssef Chahine
   
Director: Youssef Chahine
Screenplay: Hussein Helmy El Mohandes
Dir. of Photography: Alvise Orfanelly
Music: Fouad El Zahery
Editor: Marcelle Saleh
Art Director: Maher Abdel Nour
Cast: Omar Sharif, Mariam Fakhr El Din
Sales: Misr International Films

Guests

Marianne Khoury

YouTube

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