Yousef Shahin...Living for the Cinema is a new book recently published by Lebanese film critic Walid Shmeit, in which he reviews the long career of the legendary Egyptian director, according to AFP.
Shmeit depicts the development of Shahin’s awareness of various aspects of Egyptian society and his reaction to international development.
The book comes in two volumes. The first deals with Shahin’s 50 years of work in the field of cinema. The writer shows the changes that took place in Shahin’s vision and his reaction to international changes.
Shmeit casts light on the "sublime" values, ideas and human and political attitudes expressed by Shahin’s films, which reflect his great wish for research, education and knowledge in order to be able to confront authority and Western values.
The book highlights the values of tolerance and love, which are extensively dealt with in Shahin’s features, citing examples from features such as Al Wadaa Ya Bonaparte (Farewell, Bonaparte), which focuses on the strong relationship linking an Egyptian citizen and a French man.
Al Yawm Al Sades (The Sixth Day) is another feature that deals with relationships, this one connecting a teenager with a French woman in her 50s.
Shemit told AFP that Shahin has addressed Western society, pointing out that Arab societies faced difficulty in building a relationship with it because of the difference in culture and values.
Shahin has concluded that the most difficult thing was dealing with the US, because of its ongoing campaign to impose its values by force.
However, Shahin has tried very hard to establish this relationship by reminding the West of the glorious Arab civilization that was prevalent in the Middle Ages.
This trend is crystal clear in his two features Al Massir (The Fate) and Al Akhar (The Other).
The book shows that Shahin is one of the few Arab filmmakers to have taken stock of himself and gained from his past experience.
The second volume of the book includes six interviews by the writer with Shahin. This part includes information about Shahin’s studies in the US and his early features – Albawaba.com
