Destiny (1997)

The story is set in the 12th century in Arab-ruled Spanish province Andalusia, where famed philosopher Averroes is appointed grand judge by the caliph and his liberal court judgements are ... See full summary »

Director:

Youssef Chahine

Writers:

Youssef Chahine, Khaled Youssef

Stars:

Nour El-Sherif, Hani Salama, Mahmood Hemaidah

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nour El-Sherif	...	Averroes (as Nour El Cherif)
Hani Salama	...	Abdellah
Mahmood Hemaidah	...	Al Mansour, The Caliph (as Mahmoud Hemeida)
Layla Olwi	...	(as Laila Eloui)
Safia El Emari	...	Averroes' Wife (as Safia El Emary)
Mohamed Mounir	...	The Bard
Khaled Nabawy	...	Nasser, The Crown Prince (as Khaled El Nabaoui)
Seif Abdelrahman	...	The Caliph's Brother (as Seif Abdel Rahman)
Abdalla Mahmoud	...	Borhan
Rogeena	...	Salma (as Régina)
Ahmed Fouad Selim	...	Cheikh Riad
Magdy Edris	...	Emir of the Sect (as Magdi Idris)
Ahmed Moukhtar	...	Bard
Sherifa Maher	...	Manuella's Mother
Rayek Azzab	...	El Razi

Storyline

The story is set in the 12th century in Arab-ruled Spanish province Andalusia, where famed philosopher Averroes is appointed grand judge by the caliph and his liberal court judgements are not liked by everyone. The caliph's political rivals, centered around the leader of a fanatical Islamic sect, force the caliph to send Averroes into exile, but his ideas keep on living thanks to his students.

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Plot Keywords:

caliph | andalusia | 12th century | sect | power lust | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | History | Musical | Romance

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Details

Country:

France Egypt

Language:

French Arabic

Release Date:

16 October 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Destiny

Filming Locations:

Saint-Gilles, Gard, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

France 2 Cinéma,MISR International Films,Ognon Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Official submission of Egypt for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category of the 70th Academy Awards in 1998.

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Quotes

Caliph's brother: Thoughts have wings. No one can prevent them from flying.

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Connections

Referenced in Out of Cordoba: Averroes and Maimonides in Their Time and Ours (2009)

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Soundtracks

Alli sotak
Performed by Mohamed Mounir

User Reviews

"Destiny" -- a pushy-pushy review ...

Mr. Chahine is masterful and downright crafty in pushing forward his message for cosmopolitan rationality vs. parochial fanaticism: Starting from a telegraphed overview of historical events, ideological currents and characters from the two-century period (XI-XII) in Andalusia that saw a wave of North-African fundamentalist mercenary Berbers wrestle power away from the weakened remnants of the enlightened Umayyad dynasty, he made a deceivingly simple parable using old-time Hollywood formats and entertainment values à la `Thief of Baghdad.' Chahine is thus successfully addressing matters of dense philosophical and political import under the guise of an almost infantile entertainment. The plot, furthermore, echoes `Fahrenheit 451' and its overall ideological stance is reminiscent of ‘A Man for All Seasons.' On the other hand, seeing its `musical' values as a bow to Hollywood is merely scratching at the surface, since it must be kept in mind that poetry in song – the obsessive discipline of enlightened Islam – was the most efficient vehicle for the birth and expansion of all values appropriated by Christian Western (read, European) civilization. Hence, the formal solution signifies much more than the surface. On the other hand, Chahine ties the past quite neatly -- through his storytelling and filmmaking craft -- with current world events and thought convolutions. For example, the stabbing of the bard character in Destiny couldn't be less than a painful fictionalization of the fundamentalist attack on the contemporary Egyptian novelist Mafouz. El Massir is an important piece of work, and I think everyone who is at all concerned or curious about the nature of the global forces at work today should take a long and detained look at it. This film carries a hefty punch and – what's best -- you can barely feel it, as the masterful handling of the narrative, in terms of nothing but an entertaining parable, lets the dense message flow without any pretensions of `avant-garde' stylist truculence. M