باب الحديد
CAIRO STATION (1958)
Rank: 1st
CAIRO STATION (1958)
“When Cairo Station was released in 1958, Youssef Chahine was still at the beginning of his career. Yet with this single film, he cemented his reputation as a provocateur. In fact, Cairo Station marked a seismic shift for Egyptian cinema. Chahine did not merely challenge convention, he dismantled it entirely.”
— Read the full essay by Wael Khairy, as part of Cinemayaat’s The 100 Greatest Arab Films of All Time Issue
Country of Origin: Egypt
Run Time: 1h 17m
Language: Arabic
Genre(s): Crime Drama
Synopsis
Tensions run high on a hot day in Cairo Station, where Qinawi, a newsvendor with a lame leg, pursues his obsession with the beautiful drink-seller Hannouma. While she occasionally entertains Qinawi’s affections, Hannouma is actually in love with the dashing porter Abu Siri’. Things take a darker turn when an unhinged Qinawi, wounded by Hannouma’s rejection, reads the day’s news about a murder case in which a woman’s headless body was found in a trunk. While Abu Siri’ is consumed with his struggle to found a union for the station’s porters, Qinawi starts to put his plan into action.
Cinemayaat’s Teaser
Notable Cast and Crew
Mohamed Abu Youssef
Writer
Gabriel Talhami
Producer
Hind Rostom
Cast (Hannumah)
Farid Shawqi
Cast (Abu-Sri)
Hassan el Baroudi
Cast (Uncle Madbuli)
Youssef Chahine
Director and Cast (Qenawi)
Abdel Hai Adib
Writer
Essay From The 100 Greatest Arab Films of All time Issue
Cairo Station: The Greatest Arab Film of All Time
When Cairo Station was released in 1958, Youssef Chahine was still at the beginning of his career. Yet with this single film, he cemented his reputation as a provocateur. In fact, Cairo Station marked a seismic shift for Egyptian cinema. Chahine did not merely challenge convention, he dismantled it entirely.
By Wael Khairy
