Product Details

• Actors: Virginia Danielson, Om Koultoum, Omar Sharif
• Directors: Michal Goldman
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, NTSC
• Language: Arabic, English
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Afd
• VHS Release Date: November 11, 1998
• Run Time: 67 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6305188009
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #22,194 in Video (See Bestsellers in Video)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
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

Product Description
"My father was uneasy. The idea that his daughter should sing in front of men he didn’t know was difficult for him to accept, but my singing helped support the family. So he dressed me in boys’ clothes and I sang this way for several years. I realize now that he wanted to convince himself, and the audience too, that the singer was a young boy and not a young woman." -From "Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt"

She had the musicality of Ella Fitzgerald, the public presence of Eleanor Roosevelt and the audience of Elvis Presley. Her name was Umm Kulthum and she became a powerful symbol, first of the aspirations of her country, Egypt, and then of the entire Arab world.

Born a peasant at the turn of the century, she became a woman of great wealth and power, confidant of presidents and kings and, above all, President Gamal Abd al-Nasser’s unofficial ambassador in the region. Four million people were on the streets of Cairo for her funeral in 1975. To this day, her cassettes outsell every other Arabic female vocalist.

Narrated by Omar Sharif, Umm Kulthum: A Voice Like Egypt is the first documentary to bring Umm Kulthum to an American audience. The film puts her life in the context of the epic story of 20th century Egypt as it shook off colonialism and confronted modernity. The camera explores her astonishing connection with her audience, taking us into her village in the Nile Delta and into the cafes, markets and streets of Cairo where she lived and worked. From the Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz to a 12-year-old girl in an outdoor restaurant, people speak about the role Umm Kulthum’s music has played in their lives and sing their favorite songs for the camera.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He who has not listened to Oum Kolthum has not heard music, October 8, 1999

By A Customer

Oum kolthum is the healer of hearts, and the keeper of love. The words that she utters are unreal. After studying arabic for 7 years and living in the middle east, I must say that Oum Kolthum is the greatest singer that has lived on the face of the earth. Their is a legend that She used to stand a meter away from the micrphone so, that it would not explode from the magnitude of her voice. Oum Kolthum is a refecletion of arab women and their romanticism. She truly was Egypt, that is no more. She represented the people against colonial rule and was Egypts strength in times of struggle. But, now we only have as she would say the "Atlall".

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding overview, July 9, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This is a documentary that covers the history of Egypt during the first three quarters of this century through the life of Umm Kolthum. The film depicts numerous changes in Umm Kolthum's life that paralleled changes that took place in the Middle East. From small-time gigs in the country side to the big city; from an outstandingly talented vocalist to a legend that shaped a culture lasting until today and many decades to come; and from a musician to an influential politician. This happens as Egypt experiences two World Wars and numerous battles and wars in the region; British occupation; national revolutions; a Kingdome that turned to a Republic; and three major wars against Israel. The film cleverly displays the history of a nation and a whole region through the life of this monument of a human, Umm Kulthum, with uncompromising brevity and in depth interviews with contemporaries of all walks of life. This film is a must for every Um Kulthum fan, every Arab, everyone interested in the Middle East and its history; and musicians from all over the world. Here is a woman whose musical career spanned all of her life; and whose life still influences ours; and here is a chance to get a factual flavor of Umm Kulthum; who lived with Egypt running through her veins. Um Kulthum experienced many changes in her own life; socially, economically, politically, and personally. One thing remained unchanged, her love for Egypt, this is the essence of this documentary.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Listening to Um Koulthum singing is an ecstasy, August 24, 2004

By	AngelVolcano "Zeus" (USA) - See all my reviews

Even though I do not understand Arabic language,I feel an ecstasy when Umm Koulthum's playing. I really have no words to describe that woman because there are no words that can give the real value of her voice and personality. I invite you to listen to her just one time, and you'll never hesitate listening to her more and more.