Nine must-watch Arabic films from the 1980s starring Noor El-Sherif, Ahmed Zaki and more

The decade was a time to look inwards and explore the issues affecting Arab culture

Hadduta misriya (An Egyptian Story) stars Nour El Sherif and Youssra in 1982. Photo: Misr International Films

While the Arab films in the 1970s explored modern Arab identity as well as pan Arabism in a grander scale, the 1980s looked more inward.

Some of the most significant films of the decade focused on issues pertaining to the social, economical and political challenges within Egyptian society and particularly those of marginalised communities.

These social issues and personal narratives, within cultural and political contexts, depicted the complexities of Arab societies and the continuing exploration of what it meant to be both Arab and human in the modern world.

The decade also elevated a number of Arab stars. Male leads such as Noor El-Sherif and Ahmed Zaki played significant and various roles to established themselves as serious and diverse actors, while actresses such as Mervat Amin, Elham Shahein, Sherihan and Youssra were introduced to audiences as young and important talents to watch out for.

From dark comedy to psychological thrillers, here are nine of the most important Arab films that defined the 1980s.

1. Ahil Al Qima (People on the Top), 1981

Based on the novel by the renowned Egyptian author Naguib Mahfouz and directed by one of Egypt’s most influential directors, Ali Badrakhan, Ahil Al Qima stars some of the greatest actors of the time, such as Soad Hosny, Nour El-Sherif and Ezzat El Alaili.

The film explored complex political and social issues in Egypt at the time through the perspective of Zaatar, a thief who is attempting to leave his criminal past behind and pursue a good life. However, he’s sucked back into a life of crime through the manipulation of Zaghloul, a corrupt businessman.

As Zaatar attempts to untangle himself from this dangerous relationship, he falls in love with Siham, the sister of an important police detective. This complicates his life further and forces Zaatar to face the choices he’s made in his life.

2. El Ar (The Shame), 1982

Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Nour El-Sherif and Hussein Fahmy star in El Ar (The Shame) in 1982. Photo: Cinema Lights production

Family honour, reputation and morality are on the line in this critically acclaimed drama directed by Ali Abdel-Khalek. Starring some the greatest Egyptian lead actors including El-Sherif, Mahmoud Abdel Aziz and Hussein Fahmy, as well as a young Elham Shaheen, the film looks into the lives of an upper middle class family who will do anything to maintain their wealth and status.

The narrative kicks off when patriarch Abdul Tawab, a well-known trader, travels to Alexandria to finalise a secret drug deal but is murdered before the deal goes through.

Kamal, his eldest son, must now tell his siblings the truth about the source of their family's wealth – an empire built on an complex network of drug deals. The family must now decide whether to proceed with the business that got their father murdered in order to secure their inheritance, or to reject it, risking not only financial ruin but to out their father’s secret life to society and ruin their legacy.

3. Hadduta Misriya (An Egyptian Story), 1982

How important is a storyteller to the narrative he weaves? Directed by the renowned Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine, Hadduta Misriya is a fictional biography about a self-centred and highly-strung filmmaker named Yehia Choukry Mourad.

Portrayed by El-Sherif, the story opens as Yehia suffers a heart attack on the set of his latest film. While getting an operation to save his life, his subconscious takes over and Yehia is propelled into a metaphorical courtroom trial where his inner child accuses him of betraying the promises he made to himself in his youth.

Yehia must now face the choices he’s made in life especially in regards to his relationships with the women, primarily his mother, sister and wife.

4. Sawwaq el-Utubis (The Bus Driver), 1982

Sawwaq el-Utubis (The Bus Driver) follows the story of one man attempting to proivde for his family. Photo: Atef El Tayeb films

Starring the leading man of the decade, El-Sherif, along with actress Amin in one of her most memorable roles, the bus driver is an intimate portrait of the social and economical struggles in Egypt at the time.

The film follows Hassan, the only male sibling among his five sisters, who is facing a moral dilemma after his father’s workshop has been suspended over tax issues and is due to be sold at auction. Hassan, who works as a bus driver, must find a way to support his family despite the economic obstacles in his way while also carving out a life for himself.

5. El-Avukatoo (The Lawyer), 1983

Starring one of the Arab world’s most famous comedians, Adel Emam, and famed Egyptian actress Youssra in one of her earliest roles, El-Avukatoo is a dark and moralising comedy about a manipulative, resourceful lawyer who employs unethical methods to win his cases.

However, when one of his plans go awry, he’s sentenced to one month in jail, where he meets a drug lord and a corrupt police officer. Their conversations behind bars leads him to confront the moral nuances of the law and the consequences of the choices he’s made.

6. Al Hob Fawk Hadabat Al Haram (Love Above the Pyramid's Plateau), 1985

Al Hob Fawk Hadabat Al Haram (Love Above the Pyramid's Plateau) in 1985 follows the trials of a young impoverished couple. Photo: Atef El Tayeb films

Based on another Mahfouz novel, the film follows the story of a young couple facing the socio-economic challenges of Egypt during the 1980s. They are simply trying to exercise their right to be together.

Due to financial constraints, a young man must marry his fiancee in secret. As they attempt to build a life together, they are denied even the private space and time to be truly intimate. Their attempts to be alone lead them to the pyramids plateau, where they are arrested and must face more of the challenges of poverty and societal pressures.

7. El-Toq wa el-Iswerah (The Collar and the Bracelet), 1986

Set in the village of Karnak in Egypt during the early 1930s, the film is based on the novel by critically acclaimed author Yahia Al Tahir Abdulla, and is considered one of the few films that portrays the experiences of women in upper Egypt.

The film follows Hazina, who lives with her paralysed husband, and their daughter and granddaughter, both portrayed by the actress Sherihan.

As the family awaits the return of their son from Sudan, their life is riddled with the hardships women face in a patriarchal society. Each of the female characters attempt to navigate through the conventions, pressure and shame placed on women within the sociocultural dynamics in the context of pre-Second World War Egypt.

8. Al Baree' (The Innocent), 1986

Perhaps one of the most controversial films of the decade, Al Baree’ was subjected to much criticism and faced significant censorship due to its critique of military and government practices in Egypt.

Zaki plays Ahmed Sabe' El Leil, a young farmer conscripted into the Egyptian army. As he navigates harsh military life, Ahmed finds that he is being used as a pawn and manipulated into believing that political activists are enemies of his homeland that he must actively fight.

As Ahmed becomes enlightened to the tactics and methods used against civilians and political dissidents, he begins to question the system and must face not only his superiors but himself when he decides to do what is right and not what is expected of him.

9. Zawgat Ragoul Mohem (The Wife of an Important Man), 1987

The psychological thriller centres on the life of a young woman, Mona, played by Amin, who marries a respected police officer, Hisham, played by Zaki.

While Hisham’s reputation as a decent and upstanding man is initially what attracted Mona to him, she quickly sees beyond this facade once they begin their married life. Hisham is an obsessive, authoritarian, unstable and dogmatic husband who transforms Mona’s reality into an abusive and hellish existence. As she navigates how to live with him or how to escape, Mona’s life is a personification of the misuse of oppressive power dynamics in society.