OUT OF STOCK
Directed by Michal Goldman
1996, 67 minutes
With its esoteric sounds and exotic melodies, Arabic music remains a mystery to much of the Western world. A gem of a documentary, Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt begins to unravel the music and intertwines the life of this tremendous Middle Eastern singer with the history and politics of Egypt, giving a fuller look at a tumultuous time in the changing country. Umm Kulthum was born to peasants and she began singing religious songs to help her family earn money. Her father would dress her in boy's clothing, because he didn't approve of her singing in front of men he didn't know. Despite her country ways, her full-ranged voice brought her to the attention of society and soon she was performing both onstage and onscreen. The lyrics of her songs were poems--one of her most famous is a rendition of "The Rubaiyat." During her later years, she became on outspoken supporter of Nasser and traveled the Arabic-speaking world in support of her government. When she died in 1975, 4 million mourners flooded the streets of
Cairo to honor the beloved singer.
This beautifully styled documentary, narrated by Omar Sharif, carefully balances elements so that the video never drags. Long clips of Umm Kulthum singing are interspersed with a dramatized voice-over and shots of the Egyptian countryside. Interviews with writers, journalists, musicologists, folks on the street, a radio commentator, and even Nobel novelist Naguib Mahfouz emphasize the importance of her voice to the people who listened to her. Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt succeeds in making the singer and the music, and even to a certain extent the politics of the country, accessible to a whole new generation of music lovers. --Jenny Brown
With English Subtitles
OUT OF STOCK
