Cairo Station Reviews

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it seemed to have a solid reputation (it is included in the ‘1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die’ list among other things), I was quite eager to check it out. Well, I have to admit that it was only when the film started that I discovered that it was actually directed by Youssef Chahine, the great Egyptian director. In fact, I have to admit I have seen only one of his movies and it was more than 20 years ago so it was really neat to rediscover this master, especially since this movie is considered as his magnum opus. Since this movie was quite old, I was wondering if it was Chahine’s directorial debut but he had already made around 10 movies before that so the guy was really young when he started. Anyway, the damned thing was really intriguing. Basically, you spend one single day at the Central Station in Cairo with a multitude of colourful characters and Chahine definitely didn’t sugarcoat their living conditions, that’s for sure. Still, most of the people working there remained fairly cheerful so there was a fine balance between dark and grim realism (reinforced by the black and white cinematography) and the light banter between the characters. However, there was a shift in the tone, I’m not sure if it was sudden during the final act or if it was a slow progression, I should rewatch it  to be completely sure. Anyway, at some point, it became a rather nail-biting psychological thriller and I wonder if we will ever see a Hollywood production showing so much compassion towards a psychopath. Apparently, the Egyptian audience hated the damned thing so much when it was released and, eventually, it is not surprising that something so dark would be ban for 20 years in Egypt. Anyway, to conclude, even if it didn’t completely blow me away, it was still a really solid drama and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre. 

(OK) What happened woth Egypt and its cinema? Kind of rgression of this society who could produce modenity, neorrealism, constumbrism, tragedy and crime film of moors, in one short tight film...