''A Night of Love'' ( ar, Lailat gharam) is a 1951 Egyptian film directed by
Ahmed Badrakhan
Ahmed Badrakhan (18 September 1909 – 26 August 1969) was an Egyptian film director and screenwriter of Kurdish origin. He directed 41 films between 1936 and 1968. He is famous for his 1952 romantic drama '' A Night of Love'' starring Ma ...
and starring
Mahmoud El-Meliguy
Mahmoud el-Meliguy ( arz, محمود المليجي, ; 22 December 1910 – 6 June 1983) was an Egyptian screenwriter and an actor of film, theater, and television. He started his career playing minor roles, but achieved stardom in the late 1 ...
. It was entered into the
1952 Cannes Film Festival
The 5th Cannes Film Festival was held from 23 April to 10 May 1952. As in the previous three festivals, the entire jury of this festival was made up of French persons, with Maurice Genevoix as the Jury President. The Grand Prix of the Festival w ...
Zeinab Sedky
Zaynab, also spelled as Zainab, Zayneb, Zeinab, Zenab, Zineb, Zinab, Zynab, Zaineb, Zaneb, Zaynob ( ar, زينب, ) is an Arabic female given name meaning "a fragrant flower".
Zaynab is the name of a daughter and a granddaughter of the Islamic p ...
orphanage
An orphanage is a Residential education, residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the Childcare, care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parent ...
. She works as a
nurse
Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...
, but her colleagues plot to expel her from the
hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emerge ...
. She meets a wealthy young man who sees a future with her, but his father refuses after discovering her secret, so she tries to find her real parents.
Plot
In the Kafr al-Ashraf neighborhood of
Qalyub
Qalyub ( arz, قليوب ; cop, ⲕⲁⲗⲓⲱⲡⲉ p.71) is a city containing a rural markaz, and an urban one. It is located in the Qalyubia Governorate of Egypt, in the northern part of the Cairo metropolitan area, at the start of th ...
, a mother ( Zouzou Nabil) leaves her infant daughter in front of a
mosque
A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...
, where Sheikh Imran (
Zaki Ibrahim
Zaki Ibrahim is a South African-Canadian singer-songwriter. Her music blends R&B, soul and jazz.Negma Ibrahim), who name her Laila Abdullah and entrust her to the wet nurse, Zainab (
Aziza Helmy Aziza or Azizah may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Given name Aziza
* Aziza Abdel-Halim, chairwoman of the Muslim Women's National Network Australia
* Aziza Brahim (born 1976), Sahrawi singer
* Aziza Jafarzadeh (1921–2003), Azerbaijani writer
* Aziza Mus ...
). Dr. Kamal Al-Safty (
Mahmoud el-Meliguy
Mahmoud el-Meliguy ( arz, محمود المليجي, ; 22 December 1910 – 6 June 1983) was an Egyptian screenwriter and an actor of film, theater, and television. He started his career playing minor roles, but achieved stardom in the late 1 ...
), who lives nearby and supervises the nurses at the orphanage, wishes to adopt Laila but demurs to avoid bothering his barren wife ( Zouzou Hamdi El Hakim). Zainab continues to care for Laila but catches
diphtheria
Diphtheria is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Corynebacterium diphtheriae''. Most infections are asymptomatic or have a mild clinical course, but in some outbreaks more than 10% of those diagnosed with the disease may die. Signs and s ...
from a recovering orphan named Jamila (Suhair Fakhri); before Zainab dies of it, she asks Laila to call Zainab’s daughter Kawkab, who lives in the affluent Al-Munirah neighborhood of
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
. Laila (
Mariam Fakhr Eddine
Mariam Mohamed Fakhr Eddine ( ar, مريم محمد فخر الدين , 8 September 1933 – 3 November 2014) was an Egyptian film and television actress, and was the second wife of prominent filmmaker Mahmoud Zulfikar (1914-1970). She was nickna ...
) grows up to become a nurse and is recruited by Kamal to work in his hospital, earning the jealousy of her colleagues. Laila rents a room in Al-Munirah from Umm Soraya (
Ferdoos Mohammed
Ferdoos Mohammed (; 13 July 1906 in Egypt – 22 September 1961) was an Egyptian actress, famous for playing the role of a mother or a motherly figure lady in Egyptian films in the 1940s and 1950s.
Partial filmography
* ''Ibn El-balad''
* '' ...
) alongside
milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digestion, digest solid food. Immune factors and immune ...
seller Kawkab (
Magda al-Sabahi
Magda Sabbahi or Magda ( ar, ماجدة; 6 May 1931 – 16 January 2020) was an Egyptian film actress notable for her roles from 1949 to 1994.
Life
Afaf Ali Kamel Sabbahi was born on 6 May 1931 in Tanta, Gharbia Governorate. She was one of th ...
), who knows and keeps the secret of being Laila’s milk sibling. The nurse Samira (Sanaa Samih) is the ringleader of those who discover Laila’s secret and expel her by telling Kamal she was secretly claiming to be his own child. A jurist named Sayid Amir (
Hussein Riad
Hussein Mohamed Shafiq ( ar, حسين محمد شفيق, more commonly known by his stage name Hussein Riad ( ar, حسين رياض , (1897–1965) was an Egyptian actor, who mainly played "dad roles". His career spanned about 46 years and he appe ...
), who she operates on, helps her find work outside Cairo, specifically at
Al Mouwasat University Hospital
Al-Mouwasat University Hospital was founded on 1958 in Damascus, Syria. It is mainly composed of 4 buildings; Administration Building, Emergency And Out-Patient Clinics Building and the Physician Residence Building, alongside those building there ...
in
Alexandria
Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...
, while Kawkab gets married and joins her husband in
Faiyum
Faiyum ( ar, الفيوم ' , borrowed from cop, ̀Ⲫⲓⲟⲙ or Ⲫⲓⲱⲙ ' from egy, pꜣ ym "the Sea, Lake") is a city in Middle Egypt. Located southwest of Cairo, in the Faiyum Oasis, it is the capital of the modern Faiyum ...
. Laila finds friendship and soon something more with Dr. Rushdi Abdellatif (Gamal Fares), bringing out jealousy once again from nurse Souad ( Samiha Tawfik. On Amir’s advice, she comes clean about her origins to Rushdi, who accepts her and takes her to meet his father Abdellatif ( Abbas Faris) and mother ( Zainab Sidqi) in Faiyum. Rushdi tells his parents that Laila is the daughter of a wealthy man, but Kawkab innocently reveals otherwise, causing Abdellatif to reject Laila. Laila accepts this, not wanting to come between father and son, but Amir steps in and proclaims that if he can accept her as his daughter, Abdellatif can accept her as daughter-in-law, paving the way for the happy ending.
Taheyya Kariokka
Taheyya Kariokka ( ar, تحية كاريوكا) also Tahiya Carioca (born Badaweya Mohamed Kareem Ali Elnedany), (February 22, 1915 – September 20, 1999) was an Egyptian belly dancer and film actress.
Early life
Born in the Egyptia ...
(herself)
*
Magda al-Sabahi
Magda Sabbahi or Magda ( ar, ماجدة; 6 May 1931 – 16 January 2020) was an Egyptian film actress notable for her roles from 1949 to 1994.
Life
Afaf Ali Kamel Sabbahi was born on 6 May 1931 in Tanta, Gharbia Governorate. She was one of th ...
(Kawkab)
*
Karem Mahmoud
Karem Mahmoud ( ar, كارم محمود) (March 16, 1922 – January 15, 1995), also known as "''the Melodious Knight''", was a popular Egyptian singer and actor. He was also popular in the Arab world.
Karem was born on March 16, 1922 in the ...
(Mahmoud)
*
Aziza Helmy Aziza or Azizah may refer to:
__NOTOC__ Given name Aziza
* Aziza Abdel-Halim, chairwoman of the Muslim Women's National Network Australia
* Aziza Brahim (born 1976), Sahrawi singer
* Aziza Jafarzadeh (1921–2003), Azerbaijani writer
* Aziza Mus ...
(Zainab the wet nurse)
*
Mahmoud el-Meliguy
Mahmoud el-Meliguy ( arz, محمود المليجي, ; 22 December 1910 – 6 June 1983) was an Egyptian screenwriter and an actor of film, theater, and television. He started his career playing minor roles, but achieved stardom in the late 1 ...
Mariam Fakhr Eddine
Mariam Mohamed Fakhr Eddine ( ar, مريم محمد فخر الدين , 8 September 1933 – 3 November 2014) was an Egyptian film and television actress, and was the second wife of prominent filmmaker Mahmoud Zulfikar (1914-1970). She was nickna ...
(Laila)
*
Hussein Riad
Hussein Mohamed Shafiq ( ar, حسين محمد شفيق, more commonly known by his stage name Hussein Riad ( ar, حسين رياض , (1897–1965) was an Egyptian actor, who mainly played "dad roles". His career spanned about 46 years and he appe ...
(Sayid Amir)
*
Ferdoos Mohammed
Ferdoos Mohammed (; 13 July 1906 in Egypt – 22 September 1961) was an Egyptian actress, famous for playing the role of a mother or a motherly figure lady in Egyptian films in the 1940s and 1950s.
Partial filmography
* ''Ibn El-balad''
* '' ...
(Umm Soraya)
*
Abbas Fares
Abbas Fares ( ar, عباس فارس;22 April 1902 – 13 February 1978) was an Egyptian film actor. He appeared in 26 films between 1929 and 1971.
Selected filmography
* '' A Night of Love'' (1951)
* '' The Monster'' (1954)
* ''The Poor Mi ...
(Abdellatif Bey)
*
Widad Hamdi
Widad Hamdi ( ar, وداد حمدى) was an Egyptian actress. She starred in over 600 films during her lifetime, and almost all her roles were as a servant or maid.
Early life and career
Hamdi was born on March 7, 1924, in Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt. ...