The Unknown Woman (
aliases
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...
: The Anonymous Woman, arz, المرأة المجهولة, al-marʾa al-majhūla, El-Mara'a el-Maghola, Al-Murra Al-Maghoola, El murra el maghoula) is a
1959
Events January
* January 1 - Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 - Lunar probe Luna 1 was the first man-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reached the vicinity of E ...
Egyptian film
The cinema of Egypt refers to the flourishing film industry based in Cairo, sometimes also referred to as Hollywood on the Nile. Since 1976, the capital has held the annual Cairo International Film Festival, which has been accredited by the Intern ...
written and directed by
Mahmoud Zulfikar
Mahmoud Qasdy Ahmed Mourad Zulfikar (18 February 1914 – 22 May 1970) was an Egyptians, Egyptian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He started his career as an architect, before becoming an actor in 1939. He was a major figur ...
. It is based on the play ''
Madame X
''Madame X'' (original title ''La Femme X'') is a 1908 play by French playwright Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912). It was novelized in English and adapted for the American stage; it was also adapted for the screen twelve times over sixty-five ...
''. The film features an
ensemble cast
In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17
Structure
In contrast to ...
that includes
Shadia
Fatma Ahmed Kamal Shaker ( ar, فاطمة أحمد كمال شاكر; 8 February 193128 November 2017), better known by her stage name Shadia ( ar, شادية, ''Shādiyya''), was an Egyptian actress and singer. She was famous for her roles in l ...
,
Shoukry Sarhan
Mohamed Shoukry El Husseiny Sarhan (1925–1997, ar, محمد شُكري الحسيني سرحان, Muḥammad Shukrī al-Ḥusaynī Sirḥān), better known as Shoukry Sarhan ( ar, شُكري سرحان, Shukrī Sirḥān), was an Egyptian ...
,
Kamal El-Shennawi
Mohammed Kamal el-Shennawi ( ar, محمد كمال الشناوي, ; December 26, 1921 – August 22, 2011) was an Egyptian film and television actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor perf ...
,
Emad Hamdy
Emad Hamdy ( ar, عماد حمدي, ; November 25, 1909 – January 28, 1984) was an Egyptian actor. He was married to the Egyptian actress Shadia between 1953 and 1956. And between 1962 and 1975 he was married to the Egyptian actress Nadia E ...
and
Zahrat El-Ola.
It was the
highest-grossing film in the Soviet Union for 1961, the only African film to ever achieve that.
Plot
Fatima marries Dr. Ahmed and they give birth to Samir. She goes to visit her friend Souad, the police attack the place because it is suspicious and arrest everyone, including Fatima, she gets released but Ahmed divorces her. Fatima is forced to work as a singer in a Cabaret, the thug Abbas asks Fatima for a sum of money (a royalty) in order to protect her. Selling the lottery tickets, her son Samir becomes a famous lawyer, Abbas gets out of prison, and threatens Fatima in order to blackmail her family, so she kills him, then Ahmed is surprised by what she reached and regrets what he did to her, and her son Samir defends her and his father reveals her truth to him in public in court.
Staff
* Based on:
Madame X
''Madame X'' (original title ''La Femme X'') is a 1908 play by French playwright Alexandre Bisson (1848–1912). It was novelized in English and adapted for the American stage; it was also adapted for the screen twelve times over sixty-five ...
* Adaptation:
Mahmoud Zulfikar
Mahmoud Qasdy Ahmed Mourad Zulfikar (18 February 1914 – 22 May 1970) was an Egyptians, Egyptian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He started his career as an architect, before becoming an actor in 1939. He was a major figur ...
* Screenplay:
Mahmoud Zulfikar
Mahmoud Qasdy Ahmed Mourad Zulfikar (18 February 1914 – 22 May 1970) was an Egyptians, Egyptian film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He started his career as an architect, before becoming an actor in 1939. He was a major figur ...
and Muhammad Othman
* Director: Mahmoud Zulfikar
* Production: Hassan Ramzy
* Distribution: Al Nasr Films Company
* Cinematography:
Abdel Halim Nasr
Cast
Primary cast
*
Shadia
Fatma Ahmed Kamal Shaker ( ar, فاطمة أحمد كمال شاكر; 8 February 193128 November 2017), better known by her stage name Shadia ( ar, شادية, ''Shādiyya''), was an Egyptian actress and singer. She was famous for her roles in l ...
as Fatima
*
Shoukry Sarhan
Mohamed Shoukry El Husseiny Sarhan (1925–1997, ar, محمد شُكري الحسيني سرحان, Muḥammad Shukrī al-Ḥusaynī Sirḥān), better known as Shoukry Sarhan ( ar, شُكري سرحان, Shukrī Sirḥān), was an Egyptian ...
as Samir
*
Kamal El-Shennawi
Mohammed Kamal el-Shennawi ( ar, محمد كمال الشناوي, ; December 26, 1921 – August 22, 2011) was an Egyptian film and television actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor perf ...
as Abbas
*
Emad Hamdy
Emad Hamdy ( ar, عماد حمدي, ; November 25, 1909 – January 28, 1984) was an Egyptian actor. He was married to the Egyptian actress Shadia between 1953 and 1956. And between 1962 and 1975 he was married to the Egyptian actress Nadia E ...
as Ahmed
*
Zahrat El-Ola as Souad
*
Najma Ibrahim as Amina Hanem
*
Soher Al Bably as Aida
*
Soraya Fakhri as Nanny
Supporting cast
*
Ahmed Lokser
* Ataouta
* Fifi Youssef
* Abdul Moneim Saudi
External links
The Unknown Woman on elCinema
*
References
1959 films
Egyptian drama films
Films shot in Egypt
Films directed by Mahmoud Zulfikar
{{Egypt-film-stub