''Khalli Balak Min ZouZou'' ( ar, خلي بالك من زوزو) is a 1972 Egyptian movie directed by Hassan El-Imam starring

Soad Hosny System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, voca ...

Hussein Fahmy Hussein Fahmy ( ar, حسين فهمي; born 22 March 1940) is an Egyptian actor. He worked in the film and television industry for more than 50 years, specializing in film directing and appearing in over 100 film, television, and theatre productio ...

and

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 ...

. As with many Egyptians movies of the era, it combines drama, comedy, and music. With its musical numbers and dance sequences, it has become one of Hosny's best loved films and a household favourite in

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

. However, through these dance sequences, it holds a mirror up to Egyptian society in the 1970s. The movie focuses on the tensions within Egyptian society between tradition and modernism, as well as social pressure towards liberalism. ''Watch Out for ZouZou'' was listed in the

top 100 Egyptian films Top 100 Egyptian films aliases: CIFF 100 Egyptian films or Greatest 100 Egyptian films in 20th century or Top 100 films in the centenary of Egyptian cinema (Egyptian Arabic: قائمة أفضل مئة فيلم في مئوية السينما الم ...

list.

Plot

ZouZou is a college student that comes from a family of entertainers. Her mother was a retired belly dancer and runs a troupe of performers that entertain at weddings. Her home was on Cairo's famous Muhammad Ali St., known for housing entertainers and musicians. Zouzou performs every night with her family at weddings and private parties as a dancer and singer. This is kept as a secret from all her friends because she worries about how she will be perceived by her peers. Being a professional belly dancer in Egypt during this period was understood to be a low profession, one loosely associated with prostitution, or a lack of morality. Zouzou falls in love with one of her professors who breaks his engagement in order to be with her. The cousin of the professor tries to break off what he has with Zouzou and eventually finds out that she is an entertainer. The cousin frames Zouzou in public, arranging an event that forces her to expose her work as a dancer. Her professor was shocked and ashamed at first, but in the end, all is resolved as Zouzou decides to return to her studies and embrace a bright future free of the need to work as a Muhammad Ali St. dancer.

Cast

Soad Hosni System of a Down (also known as SoaD or simply System) is an Armenian-American heavy metal band formed in Glendale, California, in 1994. Since 1997, the band has consisted of Serj Tankian (lead vocals, keyboards); Daron Malakian (guitar, voca ...

as Zouzou Almazia *

as Naima Almazia *

as professor Said Kamel *Azza Sherif *

Samir Ghanem Samir Yousef Ghanem ( ar, سمير يوسف غانم; 15 January 1937 – 20 May 2021) was an Egyptian comedian, singer, and entertainer. Career Ghanem was born in al-ʿAtawlah, Asyut Governorate. He earned a bachelor's degree in Agriculture f ...

*Shahinaz Taha *Mohie Ismail * Abbas Fares *Zouzou Shakib *Ali Gohar * Mostafa Metwali

Music

''Khalli Balak Min ZouZou'' has many songs that are still sung by Egyptians till now. The songs were the most influential and memorable on Egyptians and many more. Two main music composers were Kamal El-Taweel and

Salah Jahin Muhammad Salah Eldin Bahgat Ahmad Helmy (, ), known as "Salah Jaheen" or "Salah Jahin" ( ar, صلاح جاهين, ; December 25, 1930 – April 21, 1986) was a leading Egyptian poet, lyricist, playwright and cartoonist. Life and career Jah ...

. Kamal El-Taweel was friends with

Abdel Halim Hafez Abdel Halim Ali Shabana ( ar, عبد الحليم علي شبانة), commonly known as Abdel Halim Hafez ( ar, عبد الحليم حافظ,) (June 21, 1929 – March 30, 1977), was an Egyptian singer, actor, conductor, businessman, music teach ...

, also another great music composer and singer. Kamal El-Taweel created the most memorable song Ya Wad Ya Te’eel (O Teaser Boy) which was sung by Soad Hosny.

References

Azza Sharif (عزة شريف) and Souad Hosni (1972)
*http://www.elcinema.com/person/pr1083752/ *http://www.elcinema.com/person/pr1028411/ Walter Armbrust. Mass Culture and Modernism in Egypt. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996, pp 117–125.

External links

*{{IMDb title, tt0784146 1972 romantic comedy films 1972 films Egyptian romantic comedy films 1970s Arabic-language films