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Saladin the Victorious

January 22, 2024

Saladin the Victorious, also known as Saladin and the Great Crusades (Arabic: الناصر صلاح الدين, Al Nasser Salah Ad-Din), is a 1963 Egyptian epic film directed by Youssef Chahine. It is written by Yusuf Sibai and others, based on the novel by Naguib Mahfouz. The film features an ensemble cast, It stars Ahmed Mazhar, Salah Zulfikar, Nadia Lutfi, Omar El-Hariri, Mahmoud El-Meliguy, Leila Fawzi, Hamdi Gheiss, Ahmed Luxor, Hussein Riad, Laila Taher and Zaki Toleimat.

Al Nasser Salah Ad-Din
English cover
Directed byYoussef Chahine
Written by
Produced byAssia Dagher
Starring
CinematographyWadeed Sirry
Edited byRachida Abdel Salam
Music byAngelo Francesco Lavagnino
Production
companies
  • Lotus Films
  • General Egyptian Corporation for Cinema Production
Distributed byLotus Film Distribution
Release date
  • 1963 (1963)
Running time
186 minutes
CountryEgypt
LanguageArabic

It was entered into the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival.[1] The film was restored to its original running time of 186 minutes from the original negative by the Cineteca di Bologna and was shown at Il Cinema Ritrovato in June 2019. Saladin the Victorious is one of the Top 100 Egyptian films.[2]

Background edit

The movie depicts the events of the Third Crusade. What happened during those events is that after Saladin reclaimed Jerusalem, the European powers led by King Richard of England, Emperor Barbarossa of the Holy Roman Empire and King Phillip Augustus of France joined together to reclaim it and return it to Christian hands. This resulted in the war between the Europeans and Saladin, which lasted for three years before a truce was made between Saladin and King Richard, allowing Saladin to keep the land while Christians could freely enter Jerusalem.

When the movie came out, it came at a time when Egypt was free of colonial rule and was released between two wars with Israel. Due to this, the Egyptian government was trying to promote its ideals, with the leader at the time, Gamal Abdel Nasser, being the representative of it. Saladin in many ways references and parallels Nasser as like the president, the movie Saladin pushes forth the ideal of a Pan Arab unity as all Arabs are united in the movie in fighting the European powers, which is no better portrayed than in the line "My dream is to see an Arab Nation under one flag, hearts united and free of hate." This is also portrayed well with Issa, who is a Christian Arab, yet chooses to fight alongside Saladin and his army. Similarly, it also has an anti-colonialism message as the European powers are trying to subjugate the Arab lands under their rule, but they resist and successfully manage to peacefully resolve the war. This is shown in showing the bronze Arabs pulling siege towers at the head of the Crusader army, the Arabs represent those who remain in oppression under imperialistic rule while the mechanical siege towers represent the war-like machines that were present in the battles Egypt fought for their independence.[3]

Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi, widely known as Saladin, is regarded as one of the most iconic figures in Islamic history. He rose to prominence during the 12th century as the leader of the Muslim forces during the Crusades. Saladin’s unwavering determination, military prowess, and chivalry won the respect of his allies and foes alike. He famously recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders and promoted peaceful coexistence among diverse religious and cultural communities.

Production edit

The budget was enormous at this time in Egypt, reaching 120,000 L.E.[4][5] The poster was created by Egyptian artist Mohamed Ragheb.[6]

Plot edit

The story of Saladin (Ahmed Mazhar) portrays the title character, ruler of the kingdoms surrounding Jerusalem, during the events of the Third Crusade. The film starts with Jerusalem, which is under the authority of the Christians of Europe, having its Muslim pilgrims slaughtered by the Christians in the holy lands. Saladin upon hearing this news seeks the reclamation of the holy lands in a short, almost impossible campaign. He succeeds in taking back Jerusalem, which leads the powers of Europe to organize the Third Crusade with the combined forces of the French king (Omar El-Hariri) and the German emperor under the leadership of Richard the Lionheart of England. Saladin succeeds in preventing the recapture of Jerusalem, and in the end negotiations between himself and Richard (whom Saladin admires as the only honorable infidel leader) leave the Holy Land in Muslim hands.

The movie also has a subplot involving Christian Issa El Awam (Salah Zulfikar), and the Crusader Louisa (Nadia Lutfi) portraying the title characters. At the beginning, both first meet when Issa accidentally comes upon her when she's taking a bath, and after he turns away waiting for her to get dressed before he takes her prisoner due to being a Crusader, she shoots an arrow at him and escapes. Eventually, after Issa in turns spares her life twice, Louisa chooses to give up her arms as a Crusader and becomes a nurse. This leads to the two falling in love and marrying each other, with Louisa choosing to remain in Jerusalem with him.

Reception edit

The film is considered one of the most important Arabic movies of all time, although some viewers took issue with the film's historical inaccuracies.[7][8] It is also infamous for a production mistake showing a military officer wearing a wristwatch.[9]

Historical Inaccuracies edit

Richard I was not shot by a poisoned arrow as depicted in the film but both Richard I and Philippe Augustus II of France were sick from arnaldia, a disease similar to scurvy.[10]

Saladin did not kill Raynald of Châtillon in a duel but did personally execute him.

Cast edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ . MIFF. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2012-12-01.
  2. ^ "Top 100 Egyptian Films (CIFF)". IMDb. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  3. ^ Sturtevant, Paul. "SaladiNasser". Hollywood in the Holy Land: 123–146.
  4. ^ Rebecca., Hillauer (2005). Encyclopedia of Arab women filmmakers. Brown, Allison (Translator), Cohen, Deborah., Joyce, Nancy. (Rev. and updated ed.). Cairo, Egypt: American University in Cairo Press. p. 31. ISBN 9789774162688. OCLC 506249242.
  5. ^ Malek., Khouri (2010). Arab national project in Youssef Chahine's cinema. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press. p. 47. ISBN 978-1936190515. OCLC 680621216.
  6. ^ "Tarek Ragheb Establishes Arts Scholarship to Honor Father's Memory". The American University in Cairo. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  7. ^ "أخطاء قاتلة في تاريخ صناعة الأفلام المصرية -" (in Arabic). 2017-04-07. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
  8. ^ "غسان مسعود: يوسف شاهين غيّر في أحداث "صلاح الدين" من أجل عبدالناصر | المصري اليوم". www.almasryalyoum.com (in Arabic). Retrieved 2018-09-02.
  9. ^ توفيق, أحمد خالد (2017). وساس وهلاوس. Kayan Publishing. p. 49. ISBN 9789778200348.
  10. ^ "The Illnesses of King Richard and King Philippe on the Third Crusade". Medievalists.net. 3 September 2014.

External links edit

  • Al Nasser Salah Ad-Din at IMDb  

January 22, 2024
saladin, victorious, also, known, saladin, great, crusades, arabic, الناصر, صلاح, الدين, nasser, salah, 1963, egyptian, epic, film, directed, youssef, chahine, written, yusuf, sibai, others, based, novel, naguib, mahfouz, film, features, ensemble, cast, stars,. Saladin the Victorious also known as Saladin and the Great Crusades Arabic الناصر صلاح الدين Al Nasser Salah Ad Din is a 1963 Egyptian epic film directed by Youssef Chahine It is written by Yusuf Sibai and others based on the novel by Naguib Mahfouz The film features an ensemble cast It stars Ahmed Mazhar Salah Zulfikar Nadia Lutfi Omar El Hariri Mahmoud El Meliguy Leila Fawzi Hamdi Gheiss Ahmed Luxor Hussein Riad Laila Taher and Zaki Toleimat Al Nasser Salah Ad DinEnglish coverDirected byYoussef ChahineWritten byEzz El Dine Zulficar Mohamed Abdel Gawad Youssef Chahine screenplay Abd al Rahman Sharqawi screenplay Yusuf Sibai story Naguib Mahfouz novel Produced byAssia DagherStarringAhmed Mazhar Salah Zulfikar Nadia LutfiCinematographyWadeed SirryEdited byRachida Abdel SalamMusic byAngelo Francesco LavagninoProductioncompaniesLotus Films General Egyptian Corporation for Cinema ProductionDistributed byLotus Film DistributionRelease date1963 1963 Running time186 minutesCountryEgyptLanguageArabicIt was entered into the 3rd Moscow International Film Festival 1 The film was restored to its original running time of 186 minutes from the original negative by the Cineteca di Bologna and was shown at Il Cinema Ritrovato in June 2019 Saladin the Victorious is one of the Top 100 Egyptian films 2 Contents 1 Background 2 Production 3 Plot 4 Reception 5 Historical Inaccuracies 6 Cast 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksBackground editThe movie depicts the events of the Third Crusade What happened during those events is that after Saladin reclaimed Jerusalem the European powers led by King Richard of England Emperor Barbarossa of the Holy Roman Empire and King Phillip Augustus of France joined together to reclaim it and return it to Christian hands This resulted in the war between the Europeans and Saladin which lasted for three years before a truce was made between Saladin and King Richard allowing Saladin to keep the land while Christians could freely enter Jerusalem When the movie came out it came at a time when Egypt was free of colonial rule and was released between two wars with Israel Due to this the Egyptian government was trying to promote its ideals with the leader at the time Gamal Abdel Nasser being the representative of it Saladin in many ways references and parallels Nasser as like the president the movie Saladin pushes forth the ideal of a Pan Arab unity as all Arabs are united in the movie in fighting the European powers which is no better portrayed than in the line My dream is to see an Arab Nation under one flag hearts united and free of hate This is also portrayed well with Issa who is a Christian Arab yet chooses to fight alongside Saladin and his army Similarly it also has an anti colonialism message as the European powers are trying to subjugate the Arab lands under their rule but they resist and successfully manage to peacefully resolve the war This is shown in showing the bronze Arabs pulling siege towers at the head of the Crusader army the Arabs represent those who remain in oppression under imperialistic rule while the mechanical siege towers represent the war like machines that were present in the battles Egypt fought for their independence 3 Salah ad Din al Ayyubi widely known as Saladin is regarded as one of the most iconic figures in Islamic history He rose to prominence during the 12th century as the leader of the Muslim forces during the Crusades Saladin s unwavering determination military prowess and chivalry won the respect of his allies and foes alike He famously recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders and promoted peaceful coexistence among diverse religious and cultural communities Production editThe budget was enormous at this time in Egypt reaching 120 000 L E 4 5 The poster was created by Egyptian artist Mohamed Ragheb 6 Plot editThe story of Saladin Ahmed Mazhar portrays the title character ruler of the kingdoms surrounding Jerusalem during the events of the Third Crusade The film starts with Jerusalem which is under the authority of the Christians of Europe having its Muslim pilgrims slaughtered by the Christians in the holy lands Saladin upon hearing this news seeks the reclamation of the holy lands in a short almost impossible campaign He succeeds in taking back Jerusalem which leads the powers of Europe to organize the Third Crusade with the combined forces of the French king Omar El Hariri and the German emperor under the leadership of Richard the Lionheart of England Saladin succeeds in preventing the recapture of Jerusalem and in the end negotiations between himself and Richard whom Saladin admires as the only honorable infidel leader leave the Holy Land in Muslim hands The movie also has a subplot involving Christian Issa El Awam Salah Zulfikar and the Crusader Louisa Nadia Lutfi portraying the title characters At the beginning both first meet when Issa accidentally comes upon her when she s taking a bath and after he turns away waiting for her to get dressed before he takes her prisoner due to being a Crusader she shoots an arrow at him and escapes Eventually after Issa in turns spares her life twice Louisa chooses to give up her arms as a Crusader and becomes a nurse This leads to the two falling in love and marrying each other with Louisa choosing to remain in Jerusalem with him Reception editThe film is considered one of the most important Arabic movies of all time although some viewers took issue with the film s historical inaccuracies 7 8 It is also infamous for a production mistake showing a military officer wearing a wristwatch 9 Historical Inaccuracies editRichard I was not shot by a poisoned arrow as depicted in the film but both Richard I and Philippe Augustus II of France were sick from arnaldia a disease similar to scurvy 10 Saladin did not kill Raynald of Chatillon in a duel but did personally execute him Cast editAhmed Mazhar as Saladin Salah Zulfikar as Issa El Awwam Nadia Lutfi as Louisa de Lusignan Hamdi Gheiss as King Richard I Richard the Lion Heart Leila Fawzi as Virginia Princess of Kerak Mahmoud El Meliguy as Conrad Marquis of Montferrat Tewfik El Deken as Prince of Acre Omar El Hariri as King Philip of France Hussein Riad as Hykari Zaki Tulaimat as Duke Arthur Laila Taher as Queen Berengaria Ahmed Louxor as Raynald of Chatillon Fattouh Nchati as Guy of Lusignan Ibrahim Emara Mohamed Hamdi Mohamed Abdel GawadSee also editSaladin section of legacy in the films and Media Egyptian cinema List of historical drama films Salah Zulfikar filmography Youssef Chahine filmography List of Islamic films Battle of Hattin Third CrusadeReferences edit 3rd Moscow International Film Festival 1963 MIFF Archived from the original on 2013 01 16 Retrieved 2012 12 01 Top 100 Egyptian Films CIFF IMDb Retrieved 2021 09 05 Sturtevant Paul SaladiNasser Hollywood in the Holy Land 123 146 Rebecca Hillauer 2005 Encyclopedia of Arab women filmmakers Brown Allison Translator Cohen Deborah Joyce Nancy Rev and updated ed Cairo Egypt American University in Cairo Press p 31 ISBN 9789774162688 OCLC 506249242 Malek Khouri 2010 Arab national project in Youssef Chahine s cinema Cairo American University in Cairo Press p 47 ISBN 978 1936190515 OCLC 680621216 Tarek Ragheb Establishes Arts Scholarship to Honor Father s Memory The American University in Cairo Retrieved July 6 2020 أخطاء قاتلة في تاريخ صناعة الأفلام المصرية in Arabic 2017 04 07 Retrieved 2018 09 02 غسان مسعود يوسف شاهين غي ر في أحداث صلاح الدين من أجل عبدالناصر المصري اليوم www almasryalyoum com in Arabic Retrieved 2018 09 02 توفيق أحمد خالد 2017 وساس وهلاوس Kayan Publishing p 49 ISBN 9789778200348 The Illnesses of King Richard and King Philippe on the Third Crusade Medievalists net 3 September 2014 External links editAl Nasser Salah Ad Din at IMDb nbsp Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Saladin the Victorious amp oldid 1186864602, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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