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Alexandria... Why?

Original title: Iskanderija... lih?
  • 19791979
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 2h 13m
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
  • Drama
Yehia is a young man living in the cosmopolitan Alexandria during World War II. Inspired by American movies and Shakespeare, he aspires to be an actor, but struggles to pursue his Hollywood ... Read allYehia is a young man living in the cosmopolitan Alexandria during World War II. Inspired by American movies and Shakespeare, he aspires to be an actor, but struggles to pursue his Hollywood dream, given the constraints of his life in the middle class and the horrors of war.Yehia is a young man living in the cosmopolitan Alexandria during World War II. Inspired by American movies and Shakespeare, he aspires to be an actor, but struggles to pursue his Hollywood dream, given the constraints of his life in the middle class and the horrors of war.
IMDb RATING
7.2/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Youssef Chahine
  • Writers
    • Youssef Chahine
    • Mohsen Zayed
  • Stars
    • Naglaa Fathi
    • Ahmed Zaki
    • Farid Shawqi
Top credits
  • Director
    • Youssef Chahine
  • Writers
    • Youssef Chahine
    • Mohsen Zayed
  • Stars
    • Naglaa Fathi
    • Ahmed Zaki
    • Farid Shawqi
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 13User reviews
    • 5Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations

    Photos32

    Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
    Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
    Mahmoud Al Meleji in Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
    Naglaa Fathi and Ahmed Zaki in Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
    Ahmed Zaki in Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
    Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
    Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
    Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
    Mohsen Mohieddin in Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
    Mahmoud Al Meleji and Mohsen Mohieddin in Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
    Mohsen Mohieddin in Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
    Ahmed Zaki in Iskanderija... lih? (1979)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Naglaa Fathi
    Naglaa Fathi
    • Sarahas Sarah
    Ahmed Zaki
    Ahmed Zaki
    • Ibrahimas Ibrahim
    Farid Shawqi
    Farid Shawqi
    • Mohsen's Fatheras Mohsen's Father
    Mahmoud Al Meleji
    Mahmoud Al Meleji
    • Qadrias Qadri
    Ezzat El Alaili
    Ezzat El Alaili
    • Shakeras Shaker
    • (as Ezzat El Alayli)
    Youssef Wahbi
    Youssef Wahbi
      Yehia Chahine
      Layla Fawzi
      Layla Fawzi
        Akela Kateb
        Zeinat Sedky
          Seif Abdelrahman
          Seif Abdelrahman
            Ahmed Abdel Wareth
            Abdulaziz Makhyoon
              Gerry Sundquist
              Gerry Sundquist
              • Thomas 'Tommy' Friskinas Thomas 'Tommy' Friskin
              Ahmed Mehrez
              Abdulwareth Asar
              • The Sheikhas The Sheikh
              Hassan Hussein
              Aida Kamel
              • Director
                • Youssef Chahine
              • Writers
                • Youssef Chahine
                • Mohsen Zayed
              • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
              • All cast & crew

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              Storyline

              Edit
              Yehia is a young man living in the cosmopolitan Alexandria during World War II. Inspired by American movies and Shakespeare, he aspires to be an actor, but struggles to pursue his Hollywood dream, given the constraints of his life in the middle class and the horrors of war. —Ahmed Nasr
              • homosexual
              • zionist
              • palestine
              • nazi
              • gay
              • 145 more
              • Plot summary
              • Add synopsis
              • Genre
                • Drama
              • Certificate
                • Not Rated
              • Parents guide

              Did you know

              Edit
              • Trivia
                This was the first of Youssef Chahine's autobiographical films.
              • Quotes

                Sarah: Every Jew now belongs to a country different from that of his birth.

              • Connections
                Features An American in Paris (1951)

              User reviews13

              Review
              Top review
              8/10
              Over-ambitious yet genius!
              Yehia has big dreams of Hollywood, utterly preoccupied with the American Dream. His classmates are lighting their cigarettes while he's entranced by the glitz and glamour of cinema, before paying for another ticket to see the same movie again. He's obsessed with acting and filmmaking but confined by financial circumstances. Though I can't say I identified with any of the remaining characters nearly as much, I still think their storylines are all given, to varying degrees, enough consideration to be of interest. Some people are mislead and blinded by the status quo, with their only concern being to change it, oblivious to the danger that may entail. Case in point, we see people anticipating an imminent German invasion in hope it would liberate them from the British occupation. Others are pretty content with things as they are for they're technically surviving, and thriving, on sleaze. And then there are people who are simply passive, some of them are yet to be disillusioned.

              Besides the main storyline revolving around Yehia, the script attempts to juggle multiple subplots but hits only a few barricades in the process. For one thing, it lacks a smooth flow due to muddled editing, resulting in some distracting shots. For another, it's unpolished when it comes to its tonality, as if the film regularly tries to attune itself to the characters focused-on at certain moments, coming across as out of place. Additionally, Chahine seems to adopt here more than one cinematic style, the thing that made the movie feel inconsistent. Then again, I think Chahine successfully managed, by and large, to squeeze all these characters, with their own plot threads, under the umbrella of WWII, which provides the backdrop of the story.

              Alexandria... Why? Is an ambitious and clever effort, which shows in every inch of its mosaic structure and artistic decisions. Cheerful music played over scenes interspersed with footage showing destruction to emphasize that war has become an essential part of their life, while underscoring the nefariousness of their world in a comedic light, and POV shots that involve us in Yehia's dreams. It's a film of cosmopolitan proportions; centring around British occupation yet flicking through other parts of the globe, all while being quintessentially Egyptian, even giving singularity to each household of different cultures and classes. Occasionally, it may feel a pretentious, jumbled mess or a pastiche of Italian cinema - with Fellini being the main inspiration, for sure - Mostly, though, it's a dramatic allegro of making the most of one's opportunities, executed at full throttle with a comedic vein running throughout, cemented by a genius ambiguous ending.
              helpful•1
              1
              • AhmedSpielberg99
              • Jul 30, 2021

              Details

              Edit
              • Release date
                • February 27, 1980 (France)
              • Countries of origin
                • Egypt
                • Algeria
              • Languages
                • Arabic
                • English
              • Also known as
                • Alexandria... warum?
              • Production companies
                • Algerian Television
                • MISR International Films
              • See more company credits at IMDbPro

              Technical specs

              Edit
              • Runtime
                2 hours 13 minutes
              • Color
                • Color
              • Sound mix
                • Mono
              • Aspect ratio
                • 1.66 : 1

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