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Healing on the Heels of 1967: Chahine, Cinema, and Coming to Terms with the Defeat
Abstract
Though the 1967 war lasted for six days only, its legacies are still unfolding. What has been written about it takes the form of historical accounts that explore the origins and the aftermath of the war, always in the context of diplomacy, military, and regional politics, particularly, the Arab-Israeli conflict, but rarely from a social or cultural perspective, let alone from a cinematic viewpoint. But, how can one write such a history? What sources could one use to depict the emotional state of Egyptians following Egypt’s defeat? This paper hopes to fill this lacuna in the literature dealing with the 1967 War. Specifically, it aims to explore the significance of such a devastating loss onto Egyptian society through the lens of post-1967 cinema, itself an overlooked subject. By focusing on three films, The Land (al-Ar?, 1969), The Choice (al-’Ikhtiy?r, 1971), and The Sparrow (al-‘Usf?r, 1973), all directed by the highly acclaimed Egyptian filmmaker Youssef Chahine, this paper seeks to tackle the following questions: how did the Egyptians perceive, address, and react to the defeat? What were the socio-political, cultural, and intellectual experiences and conditions that prevailed in post-1967/pre-1973 Egypt? And, what new dimensions can the focus on film add to our understanding of not only the defeat but its legacies as well?
Discipline
History
Geographic Area
Egypt
Sub Area
Cinema/Film