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The second of Youssef Chahine's autobiographical
Alexandria Trilogy takes place largely in the mind of Chahine's cinematic alter ego, Yehia Mourad (Nour El Cherif), or, to be more accurate, his torso. Rushed into emergency open-heart surgery after an on-set heart attack, Yehia is put through a fantasy trial in a courtroom situated in his rib cage (a rather theatrical-looking contraption of white sheets draped over wooden ribs) as he flashes back on his life. Chahine embraces the absurdity of the silly device with fanciful fun (his inner child rebels against the stodgy grownup by crawling through his veins and undoing the surgery) but it's the flashbacks that carry the film's power. Think of it as Chahine's
All That Jazz, only less flashy and more thoughtful. The young director struggles within the industry, sacrificing his vision and his politics in commercial compromises, sacrificing his family for his art, still dreaming of Hollywood while toiling in the low-budget environs of Egypt.
Fans of Chahine will recognize startling re-creations of two of his most famous films, Cairo Station and The Sparrow, but you don't need to know his work to feel the strain of his conflicts. Inspired by his real-life bypass surgery and the self reassessment it triggered, Chahine is more critical than you might expect; he forgives himself his sins, naturally, but never quite lets himself off the hook. Followed by Alexandria Again and Forever, which stars Chahine himself as Yehia. --Sean Axmaker
From the Back Cover
ALEXANDRIA...WHY?
Set against the panoramic backdrop of war-torn Egypt, director Youssef Chahine tells a highly personal tale of love and determination. Amid the poverty, death and suffering caused by World War II, 18 year-old Yehia, retreats into a private world of fantasy and longing. Obsessed with Hollywood, he dreams of one day studying filmmaking in America, but after falling in love and discovering the lies of European occupation, Yehia profoundly reevaluates his identity and allegiances.
AN EGYPTIAN STORY
Famed Egyptian director Yehia falls ill with a heart condition that requires surgery. During the operation, a child embodying his conscience accuses him of betraying his ideals. A metamorphic trial ensues in which various witnesses offer their testimony about "the defendant." These proceedings force the filmmaker to come to terms with hidden emotions involving his life, his work and his country. Yehia's conscience loses the trial and a redundant organ is expelled from his body. But will this loss be fatal?
ALEXANDRIA AGAIN and FOREVER
This complicated and surreal autobiographical film, explores the personal life and fantasies that have shaped the motion pictures of Youssef Chahine. Taking a stand for democracy, Yehia (Chahine's on-screen alter ego) joins a hunger protest which has rallied together the entire Egyptian film industry. As the strikers mount their demands, the director becomes overwhelmed by his infatuation for Amir, the young actor whose career he launched with the film Alexandria...Why? But this obsession is soon overshadowed by his interest in Nadia, the beautiful inginue whom he decides to cast in his next feature.
