Yesterday I re-watched the Egyptian movie "Desert & Desire" ("Raghba Motawahesha"). The movie was a typical example of an energy movie.
Its energy mix relied heavily on sex and money. Force also came into play in the form of the rifle and the ending of the movie with the death of the visitor or hero of the movie. A tragic ending that can classify the movie as a tragedy if we want to classify it using the tragedy-comedy system.
The sex element of course was the most prevalent of the three energy elements. Not only because the three women in the movie had a sexual desire towards the hero (tragic hero, if we may say so) and actually had sex with him, except for the youngest one, but because even the title of the movie itself was a bare sexual expression "Forceful Desire" which is closer the the Arabic title. This forceful desire may also refer to the desire for money which brings us to the second energy element: money.
Although the movie relies heavily on the first two energy elements sex and money and also does not forget to make use of the third one namely force or violence yet it does have some positive or let's say artistic elements in it.
The director of the movie systematically uses scenes of wild animal life to symbolize or foreshadow the actual events taking place in the movie. The scorpion digging in the sand, the fox coming for the hens but being killed with a rifle by the wife, the same rifle which she uses to kill the visitor at the end of the movie. Also the eagle flying in the sky.
Another good element in the movie was its dialog. The scenario is well written.
Although the short symbolic wild animal scenes are something to praise the director for yet they are still not well blended into the movie and are to some extent artificially inserted into it.
Despite its good scenario and not-bad acting also it's symbolic and foreshadowing scenes the film lacks any real message. It lacks coherence and is far from being an organic aesthetic work of art that elevates the soul and spirit. It only works on the base desires, its title not hiding that, as other energy movies do.
Sunday, May 30, 2004
Thursday, May 27, 2004
Energy Movies
Some movies can be categorized as "energy movies." Such movies are generally cheap movies that aim at getting the largest number of low-class viewers who have no aesthetic sense what so ever and cannot appreciate a good movie or perhaps even any work of art. Some movies can be labeled as pure energy movies while others just retain some of the elements and qualities of an energy movie as an attempt to attract a larger audience and not fall into the shadows. Energy movies tend to have three strong and intertwined energy elements: violence (physical power); money and sex.
Violence
Violence is often shown by the bad guys physically hurting the hero or the ones whom the hero cares for. Many scenes of violence in the form of fights taking place between the bad guys and the hero, or people on his side, are shown.
The effect of such scenes is to get the low type of audience glued to the cinema screen and serves as an outlet to their trapped dreams of power and violence.
Money
Money and material belongings of expensive assets with an accompanying luxurious life style are the second element in the energy mix. Often the bad guy is the rich one who has the money while the hero is the one who does not. Many times the hero who might have physical power or just superhuman courage might get rich at the end of the movie after succeeding in concurring the evil of the bad guys.
Once more, money and a luxurious life stile plays on the trapped desires of the low-type audience and magnetizes them using a cheap technique.
Sex
Finally, the third and final element of this devilish mix is sex. After playing on the cravings of the youth or low class workers for violent physical power and money, an energy movie tightens its grip with the third required energy element: sex.
Combining Elements
Energy movies are created by mixing these three elements in different proportions. Often two of the elements are also intertwined together to produce an even stronger effect. For instance violence and sex can be combined in a single act in once scene (rape). Also money and sex may be combined in a single scene (prostitution).
Non-Energy Movies
Movies could be put on a continuum with the purely energy ones on one side and the energy-clean ones on the other. Many movies though lie somewhere in between. Some good movies even make use of energy elements either to hide their main message or in order just not to loose audience. Cinema is the place where energy movies often appear. Their stories are not inspiring. They usually have no real art in them, just playing on the base desires and dreams of ordinary people.
A New Element
The comic element is not really a new one in movies for it has been there in movies all along. What's new is that the comic element has taken a much larger place now. The comic element can be inserted in all kinds of movies, even energy ones. This element does not necessarily appear in comedy movies only. Some movies which have comic elements in them, and others which are purely comedy movies, are actually political or social reform movies in disguise.
Enjoy the Movie
From now on, whenever you are watching a movie try to keep in mind the energy elements. See if what you're watching is a purely energy movie with no real value in it. Look deeply inside the movie. It might have strong but hidden political or social messages in it and is using comedy or some of the energy elements to conceal its true nature. Good movies often try to give you a message, a message that is different from what you have been taught at school and what you are being told by the media. That would be the movie you'll really enjoy and watch again and again.
Violence
Violence is often shown by the bad guys physically hurting the hero or the ones whom the hero cares for. Many scenes of violence in the form of fights taking place between the bad guys and the hero, or people on his side, are shown.
The effect of such scenes is to get the low type of audience glued to the cinema screen and serves as an outlet to their trapped dreams of power and violence.
Money
Money and material belongings of expensive assets with an accompanying luxurious life style are the second element in the energy mix. Often the bad guy is the rich one who has the money while the hero is the one who does not. Many times the hero who might have physical power or just superhuman courage might get rich at the end of the movie after succeeding in concurring the evil of the bad guys.
Once more, money and a luxurious life stile plays on the trapped desires of the low-type audience and magnetizes them using a cheap technique.
Sex
Finally, the third and final element of this devilish mix is sex. After playing on the cravings of the youth or low class workers for violent physical power and money, an energy movie tightens its grip with the third required energy element: sex.
Combining Elements
Energy movies are created by mixing these three elements in different proportions. Often two of the elements are also intertwined together to produce an even stronger effect. For instance violence and sex can be combined in a single act in once scene (rape). Also money and sex may be combined in a single scene (prostitution).
Non-Energy Movies
Movies could be put on a continuum with the purely energy ones on one side and the energy-clean ones on the other. Many movies though lie somewhere in between. Some good movies even make use of energy elements either to hide their main message or in order just not to loose audience. Cinema is the place where energy movies often appear. Their stories are not inspiring. They usually have no real art in them, just playing on the base desires and dreams of ordinary people.
A New Element
The comic element is not really a new one in movies for it has been there in movies all along. What's new is that the comic element has taken a much larger place now. The comic element can be inserted in all kinds of movies, even energy ones. This element does not necessarily appear in comedy movies only. Some movies which have comic elements in them, and others which are purely comedy movies, are actually political or social reform movies in disguise.
Enjoy the Movie
From now on, whenever you are watching a movie try to keep in mind the energy elements. See if what you're watching is a purely energy movie with no real value in it. Look deeply inside the movie. It might have strong but hidden political or social messages in it and is using comedy or some of the energy elements to conceal its true nature. Good movies often try to give you a message, a message that is different from what you have been taught at school and what you are being told by the media. That would be the movie you'll really enjoy and watch again and again.
Some Actors
Adel Imam is one of the best, not because he is funny, but because he has a point of view.
Another one who has "a point of view" is Mohamed Sobhy. His play "Weghet Nazar ("Point of View") does not fail to amaze me each time I see it. His early series "Rehlet el Melyown" ("Journey of a Million") and its sequel "Sombol Baad El Melyown" ("Sombol after one Million") did have a strong point of view in it and did influence things in Egypt.
Even Ahmed Zaki, also in his latest movies, many times has a point of view.
Nour El Sherif in his famous "El Hag Metwally" series, which has created an uproar in the critics community both locally and in the region, is one good actor too. I really enjoyed this series and find it exceptional. It's a creative work of art. I think if ever a prize was to be given to an Egyptian series in the past decade or so it should go to this exceptional series which has recieved lots of bad comments from critics! If they areally are critics that is.
I find "El Hag Metwally" really worth re-examining. It's facinating. It has true creativity in it. Perhaps I'll be writing on it some more in a coming post.
As for Egyptian actors, many do not fail to surprize me with their talent and enlightenment. I really enjoyed Adel Imam's "Toyour Al Zalam" ("Birds of Darkness") which had a strong political or let's say socio-political side. Also his movie "El Mansy" ("The forgotten") has a deep political and insightful point.
"El Mansy" presents the simple man who is actually doing the work and is the one that is making thigs move and keeping things from crashing. The character of El Mansy, which Adel Imam plays, is working in a train station. His job is to make sure trains go on their way smoothly without crashing. This simple man is the real person behind keeping things rolling. He dreams of being big, and even role playes an 'important' person in the country. In this role-play scene of his, he uses the same words and same style of this important person. Sure the normal viewer of the movie won't notice this, but the hidden political level is clear for an closely observing eye.
Another one who has "a point of view" is Mohamed Sobhy. His play "Weghet Nazar ("Point of View") does not fail to amaze me each time I see it. His early series "Rehlet el Melyown" ("Journey of a Million") and its sequel "Sombol Baad El Melyown" ("Sombol after one Million") did have a strong point of view in it and did influence things in Egypt.
Even Ahmed Zaki, also in his latest movies, many times has a point of view.
Nour El Sherif in his famous "El Hag Metwally" series, which has created an uproar in the critics community both locally and in the region, is one good actor too. I really enjoyed this series and find it exceptional. It's a creative work of art. I think if ever a prize was to be given to an Egyptian series in the past decade or so it should go to this exceptional series which has recieved lots of bad comments from critics! If they areally are critics that is.
I find "El Hag Metwally" really worth re-examining. It's facinating. It has true creativity in it. Perhaps I'll be writing on it some more in a coming post.
As for Egyptian actors, many do not fail to surprize me with their talent and enlightenment. I really enjoyed Adel Imam's "Toyour Al Zalam" ("Birds of Darkness") which had a strong political or let's say socio-political side. Also his movie "El Mansy" ("The forgotten") has a deep political and insightful point.
"El Mansy" presents the simple man who is actually doing the work and is the one that is making thigs move and keeping things from crashing. The character of El Mansy, which Adel Imam plays, is working in a train station. His job is to make sure trains go on their way smoothly without crashing. This simple man is the real person behind keeping things rolling. He dreams of being big, and even role playes an 'important' person in the country. In this role-play scene of his, he uses the same words and same style of this important person. Sure the normal viewer of the movie won't notice this, but the hidden political level is clear for an closely observing eye.
Movie Comments
I've been blogging for some time. Not really heavily, but I only posted a handful of posts. I left blogger for a while. After its redesign, blogger relly wetted my appetite. Specially what it said about bloggers getting book contracts! This really sounded cool. I thought what could I ever right and Sharm El Sheikh stuff came to my mind as I now work there. But just now, something new came to my mind, something I've been really wanting to write about but blogging it just never came to my mind before. It's writing comments on movies. I've always enjoyed watching movies, weather Arabic ones or English. I usually have a comment or a couple of them whenever I do watch a movie. Also series interest me and I do also have an opinion that'd love to share about them once I see them.
Of course not all moveis or all series are woth commenting on. Some of them are really shallow. Even if shallow though, perhaps I can comment on them in two words only and say that they "are shallow."
I'm very excited about this new blog I just created. It'll help me vent all my opinions anc comments I have on movies. I hope that my audience be Egyptians and others who konw the Arabic language and have watched the movies and perhaps series I hope to comment and share my opinion on. Yet maybe, just maybe, non-Arabic speakers could also enjoy some comments. After all I'll probably be commenting on English movies too. Even when talking about Arabic movies, there is a possibility, even if a remote one, that it could interest those who have not even seen them!
I'd also enjoy getting heated comments and arguments that try to prove my opinions wrong whenever I comment on a movie or an actor in it. That's what I'd be enjoying most. It makes me feel alive. So please drop me a line and tell me how much you hate this or that comment of mine about a specific scene, movie or cinema actor. Waiting for your angry words to storm in.
Of course not all moveis or all series are woth commenting on. Some of them are really shallow. Even if shallow though, perhaps I can comment on them in two words only and say that they "are shallow."
I'm very excited about this new blog I just created. It'll help me vent all my opinions anc comments I have on movies. I hope that my audience be Egyptians and others who konw the Arabic language and have watched the movies and perhaps series I hope to comment and share my opinion on. Yet maybe, just maybe, non-Arabic speakers could also enjoy some comments. After all I'll probably be commenting on English movies too. Even when talking about Arabic movies, there is a possibility, even if a remote one, that it could interest those who have not even seen them!
I'd also enjoy getting heated comments and arguments that try to prove my opinions wrong whenever I comment on a movie or an actor in it. That's what I'd be enjoying most. It makes me feel alive. So please drop me a line and tell me how much you hate this or that comment of mine about a specific scene, movie or cinema actor. Waiting for your angry words to storm in.
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