Limelight The last bullfight By Lubna Abdel Aziz ...and they expressed themselves in many ways. They danced, they sang, they chiselled in stone, they painted on walls. They recited poetry, they created dramas, they told stories, they wrote books... and the people cried, and they called it art. Some earnestly strove to imitate that divine creation, that supreme art, they call nature. Most simply expressed their deepest emotions, their finest thoughts, their anguish and rapture, their agony and ecstasy. This art was created by the people for the people, and at its highest heights it could make even the heavens cry! The 20th century came rushing in, bringing with it sweeping revolutions in industry, technology, communication and art. A new art was born, and they called it the art of film. And they presented it in theatres called cinemas and cinema became the name of the art and industry of film. With the new art, an artist was born and they called him film director. His art was to transform the written word into visual images of moving pictures, combining all the various arts of writing, acting, photography, design and music. The director would mix and mingle all these elements to relay his message and the message would transcend the confines of his land and language. It would break all barriers, fly the skies and swim the seas; and his message would be seen and heard and deeply felt everywhere. For such was the power of this new art and this new artist. And with the new century came a new awareness of the social and political rights of the people, and they lamented the lack of equality among themselves. They fought for justice and equal civil rights for all people, of every colour, every race, every creed. Far and near in many lands there was iniquity and misery, as the wolves voraciously devoured the lambs. In the land of Egypt the people suffered poverty and persecution....and the people cried. Simultaneous with the birth of this new art, a man was born in Bacus, Alexandria, whose very name inspired 'beauty' and 'victory'. He had one dream, one goal, one purpose. He wished to serve his country and his people. And Gamal Abdel-Nasser, for that is what they called him, joined the Armed Forces and went to war for those brethren whose land was usurped unjustly. People from all over the Arab world joined Egypt but were defeated at the hands of the Israeli army. Gamal Abdel- Nasser returned vanquished, ashamed. Miraculously, he had it in him, not only to express the dreams and ideals of his people, but to translate them, into practice, with passion and courage, and the determination only a soldier can muster. And on a day such as this, 50 years ago, together with a group of thirteen gallant 'Free Officers', Nasser quietly ousted the sitting monarchy from his palatial residence. Within three days, the last of an Albanian dynasty of rulers, sailed away never to return. And an Egyptian ruled Egypt for the first time in over 2,200 years, since Pharaoh Nectanebo I. Nasser walked among the people. He healed their wounds and calmed their fears. He was tall and dark with a charismatic commanding demeanour and an inspiring magnetism that electrified their spirits. His piercing luminous eyes glowed, as if by an eternally blazing flame from within, penetrating their souls and exorcising their demons. Far and wide, over land and sea, they heard of him. His spirit- stirring speeches called for Arab nationalism -- powerful, indestructible. He had the magic to stir men's blood. He impressed and overwhelmed them. The loss of Palestine scorched the soul of every Arab, but Nasser the 'beautiful' the 'victorious' one, would surely return it to the Arab bosom. And there was hope again. The poets delivered, the musicians composed, the singers sang, the writers recounted and the actors acted. The new artist, the film director, gathered them together and used his new media to chronicle the saga of his people's pain and his people's triumphs. The 1950s - 1960s were cinema's Golden Age as they were Nasser's. Publisher/novelist Ihsan Abdel-Quddous wrote Allahu Ma'ana (God is on Our Side). Ahmed Badrakhan, one of the new breed of artists, gathered the cream of his crop together, Faten Hamama, Magda, Shukri Sarhan, Emad Hamdi, Hussein Riad, Mahmoud El-Meligui and Kamal Yassin, and on a beautiful summer evening in 1955, President Nasser attended the premier of the film. It was a night of victory for the new republic, the military leader and the irrepressible art of film. The best was yet to come! Youssef El-Sebai, the romantic historian of his age wrote what is, until now, considered the definitive film of the revolution Rudda Qalbi (My Heart Has Been Restored), an epic saga of that era, depicting the class struggle of the haves and have-nots. It tells the story of romance and intrigue between palace walls. Princess Injy portrayed by the beauteous Mariam Fakhreddin, falls in love with Ali, the gardener's son, Shukri Sarhan, who after joining the army feels worthy to ask for her hand in marriage. He is subjected to persecution and ridicule for having dared to harbour such aspirations. Only when the revolution occurs could such dreams be fulfilled. The film was directed by Ezzeddin Zulfiqar. Though a military man himself and Nasser's classmate, Zulfiqar was one of the most sensitive and romantic expressionists in the new art medium of film directing. The film industry was flourishing and Egypt became the fifth highest- producing film capital in the world, following the US, Italy, France and India. While cinema spawned film after film, the Nasser movement evolved from what was a simple military coup d'état, to what was rapidly becoming a social and political revolution of ideas and ideals. He introduced agrarian reform, limiting land ownership to 100 feddans. When the World Bank reversed its decision to finance the great Aswan Dam, Nasser, in an electrifying speech in Alexandria, nationalised the Suez Canal, on July 26th 1956, which eventually spared Egypt from the drought and famine that later ravaged many parts of Africa. This was the greatest and noblest moment of all, the most beautiful and victorious. Nasser 56 (1996), a film with Ahmad Zaki portraying Al Rayyes, preserved that glorious moment on celluloid for future generations. But the tide was soon to change, as indeed it must! The victorious one now knew defeat in a shameful Six-Day War with Israel in 1967, in which the Arabs lost the West Bank, the Golan Heights and the Sinai. It was too much for Nasser to bear. He immediately resigned as president of Egypt. Millions took to the streets demanding his return. He was forced back into power, but the political and psychological blow had taken its toll. The great adventure of his life ended one quiet autumn day, 28 September 1970. He was 52. As news of his death spread across the Arab world a profound awe befell them followed by an unprecedented public demonstration of grief. It was the people's expression of gratitude and reverence for their favourite son, their fallen hero, their indomitable champion, their beloved Rayyes. His heart had stopped for surely it was broken... and the people cried. And they wrote and they sang and they told tales and they made films. Some praised and some denounced. But for all his flaws, he dreamed great dreams. "He helped give Egypt and the Arabs that sense of dignity" wrote Anthony Nutting; they would have been "poorer in spirit without the dynamic inspiration of his leadership". With every human endeavour, mistakes are made. Only those who do nothing make no mistakes.
