.jpg" }THE YACOUBIAN BUILDING
Egypt, 2006, 172 minutes, Colour.
Adel Imam, Nour el- Sherif.
Directed by Marwan Hamed.
The Yacoubian Building is based on a 2002 novel by Alaa El Aswani. It was a great success in Egypt. The film is an adaptation of the book – trying to compress into almost three hours rather vast amounts of material. The film is set in a quarter of Cairo, in a building with a wide range of characters as well. It is suggested that audiences were interested in the book and the film because it focused on political events in Egypt, it focused on religious Muslim issues, it also focused on issues of sexuality, both heterosexuality and homosexuality, the latter being somewhat of a taboo in Arab cultures.
The film is of interest for Egyptian audiences as an example of Egyptian film-making as well as mirroring its society. The film also is accessible to audiences beyond Egypt and raises universal issues.
1.The impact of the film? For Egyptian audiences? Non-Egyptians? Drama, melodrama? Criticism as soap opera? Justified or not?
2.The Egyptian style, the visuals, the humour, the drama, the heightened atmosphere, emotions? Climaxes?
3.The colour photography, Cairo, exteriors and interiors, the Yacoubian Building itself, exterior, interiors, the scope of locations in Cairo, drama and action, the offices, shops, restaurants, cafes, the torture and interrogations? The musical score and atmosphere? Highly orchestrated?
4.The structure of the film: the prologue, the old-style history of Cairo? The history of the Yacoubian building itself, the architecture from Italy, the Armenian owner, the residents, the changes after the 1956 revolution, officials, army, higher class, collapse? The change for the 1990s? The introduction to characters, intercutting their stories, the focus on the principal characters? The build-up to climaxes?
5.Themes of politics, corruption, power? Manipulation?
6.Religion, Islam, the Koran, prayers to Allah, naming Allah, prayer, belief, moral codes, strict codes, the critique of religion, surface religion and hypocrisy, the fanatical religion? The Coptic characters, Christian traditions, good and immoral?
7.Themes of sexuality: verbal innuendo, moral codes, portrayal of marriages, marriage failures, the playboy, the international life, affairs? The issue of abortion? Prostitution? Themes of homosexuality? The place of homosexuality in Egypt, in the Koran?
8.The story of Zaki: as a pasha, his family, his age, his experience, the oldest resident in the building, the clashes with his sister, not getting her ring, her mad outbursts, locking him out, her taking him to the courts, getting him arrested? His going to the bars, watching the girls, making the appointment, her coming to his office, the change of clothes, the sexual encounter, her robbing him, the money, his sister’s ring? Going back to the café, the owner being insulted, Zaki calling him a pimp? His staying at his servant’s house? His servant helping him, looking after him? Life, pleasure? Wandering the streets? Watching the women? His deals with Malaak? The visits to Christine, Christine’s phone call to his sister? The past memories? Her singing? His being introduced to Bothayna, her working for him, her efficiency, affection, changing her hairstyle, her temptation to betray him to get the documents signed, supporting him, the restaurant, Christine singing Piaf songs, his collapse, illness, her tearing up the documents? The arrest? The wedding?
9.Haj’s story: his shoe-shining in the past, avoiding military training, his marriage, his sons, his dreams, hash in the office, the dealership? His concern, going to his adviser, the law, the Koran, the possibility of four marriages? The contract? His courting the secretary? Marrying her? His relationship with her? His becoming rich, wanting to enter into politics, his contact with the minister, the discussions, the deals, his naivety, his being used? The percentage of profits demanded from him? The police raid for the hash? His wife’s pregnancy, his anger, his sons roughing up the woman, her miscarriage, the best hospital? The divorce? His plans – and confronting the minister?
10.Hatem: as editor, seeing him at work, decisions about the paper, not wanting the theme of homosexuality, chatting up the military man, giving him the money, taking him out to meals, the hand on the knee, the soldier’s reaction? Calming him down, bringing him home, the drinking, the talking, the video, suggestions of sexuality, talking about his life? The sexual relationship? The military man and his concern, the Koran? His military service over, Hatem getting the apartment, his wife and son coming, his wife’s comments about his pants and not liking Hatem? The son’s illness, the hospital scenes, death? His leaving? Hatem weeping? Picking up the next man, his being murdered?
11.The picture of Bothayna, her mother, supporting her mother, the various jobs, the sexual harassment, the men able to be harassers, her mother’s advice and permissiveness, the same with her friend? The job with the tailor, the other woman and the room downstairs, Bothayna allowing the man to behave in this way? Her disgust? Malaak and his wanting her to sell his clothes to the boss? Her love for Taha? The break, wanting to reunite with him, the ring? Her work, Taha’s disappearance? Her companionship for Zaki, the change, the signature for the documents, tearing them up, love for him, the arrest, the marriage?
12.The concierge, his work at the door, Coptic background, his deals, his brother getting the tailor’s room on the roof? The deals? The documents? His son, his disappointment? His helping Zaki?
13.Taha, his hopes, his relationship with Bothayna, wanting to be a policeman, the test, passing with good marks, his rejection because of his father’s work, going to the imam, learning, joining in the protest, the arrest, the books at home, his being tortured, silent, his being raped, going to the imam, his going to the training camp, the rigour of the training, his return, seeking out the policeman who tortured him, shooting him, his death?
14.The background of lawyers, the law? Religious law?
15.Politics, graft?
16.The imams, good advice, religious fanaticism? The training of terrorists?
17.The widow, her agreement to the marriage, her life, her son, her miscarriage?
18.The coming together of all the strands? The sad endings, the happy ending?
