Nadia Lutfi
Encyclopedia
Nadia Lutfi the daughter of an Egyptian father who was an accountant and a Polish mother, was one of the most popular actresses during the final phase of Egyptian cinema's "Golden Age".
was the reigning king of the Arab cinema, and his wife, Faten Hamama
, its queen. The star couple had just had a smash hit with the film La Anam
with Hamama as "Nadia Lotfy", a willful teen who destroys her father's marriage. Young Paula appropriated the name.
With her fresh new name, the young actress took her first role in a modest, black & white drama, Soultan. Her second picture was a smaller role in one of the film landmarks of its time, Cairo Station, the film that brought filmmaker Youssef Chahine
to international attention and acclaim when it played in competition at the Berlin Film Festival.
But in Egypt, as Bab el hadid, the film's story of a crippled newsboy's doomed love for a lemonade stand girl, and its tragic outcome, was abhorred by Cairo critics and audiences. The film wasn't screened again in Egypt for almost 20 years.
Lutfi's career progressed, and it soon became clear how her fans wanted to see her; primarily in light melodramas with a few sprightly musical interludes, à la 1962's al Khataya, with Nadia as a hopeful bride, rejected by her fiancee's father (until the final reel).
But there were a few exceptional films as well. In 1963, she played a Frankish woman warrior of the Crusade era, donning full armor to go into battle against her Christian-Arab lover, in Naser Salah el Dine (occasionally shown on US TV as Saladin and the Great Crusades). In 1964's Lil-Rigal Faqat, or For Men Only, Lutfi and co-star Su'ad Husni played women geologists who, denied employment, respond by disguising themselves as men and going to work, where they find they have to suppress their romantic natures to sustain the disguise.
In the mid-1960s, Lutfi starred in two films that were based on stories by Nobel-winning author Naguib Mahfouz
, just a few years following the publication of his widely-banned novel of Moses, Jesus and Mohammed, Children of Gebelawi
. Lutfi finished the decade starring in 1969's Abi foq al-Shagara, or My Father Atop a Tree, as a night club dancer who beds a much younger man, then discovers that she once knew his father equally well.
In the 1970s, Lutfi's career quickly wound down as Egypt's "Golden Age" for films came to a close, due to increasing competition from East and West, the growth of home video, and increasing costs for the film industry. Having made close to 50 films in the first 11 years of her career, she only made three in the decade that followed, and has not worked in film since 1981.
Early in 2004, Lutfi interceded with the press on behalf of her long-time friend, Omar Sharif, who had rashly told the Arab press that he would allow his grandchildren, one of whom is Jewish, to choose their own religions as they mature. In 2006, Lutfi returned to the spotlight when a video by young Lebanese singer Nourhanne
recreated a musical scene from one of her first films, Bain al Qasrayn.
Life and career
Acting for Nadia started as a hobby; when she was 10 years old she participated in a play at her school and did very well. When the 20-year-old was about to make her screen debut in 1958, Omar SharifOmar Sharif
Omar Sharif is an Egyptian actor who has starred in Hollywood films including Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago and Funny Girl. He has been nominated for an Academy Award and has won two Golden Globe Awards.-Early life:...
was the reigning king of the Arab cinema, and his wife, Faten Hamama
Faten Hamama
Faten Hamama is an Egyptian producer and an acclaimed actress of film, television, and theatre. She was regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from melodramas to historical films and occasional comedies, though her chief successes were romantic dramas...
, its queen. The star couple had just had a smash hit with the film La Anam
La Anam
La Anam is a 1957 Egyptian melodrama film. The film follows the intricate story of Nadia Lutfi, a daughter of divorced parents who suffers from Electra complex, which drives her to intervene in her father's relationships....
with Hamama as "Nadia Lotfy", a willful teen who destroys her father's marriage. Young Paula appropriated the name.
With her fresh new name, the young actress took her first role in a modest, black & white drama, Soultan. Her second picture was a smaller role in one of the film landmarks of its time, Cairo Station, the film that brought filmmaker Youssef Chahine
Youssef Chahine
Youssef Chahine was an Egyptian film director active in the Egyptian film industry since 1950. He was credited with launching the career of actor Omar Sharif...
to international attention and acclaim when it played in competition at the Berlin Film Festival.
But in Egypt, as Bab el hadid, the film's story of a crippled newsboy's doomed love for a lemonade stand girl, and its tragic outcome, was abhorred by Cairo critics and audiences. The film wasn't screened again in Egypt for almost 20 years.
Lutfi's career progressed, and it soon became clear how her fans wanted to see her; primarily in light melodramas with a few sprightly musical interludes, à la 1962's al Khataya, with Nadia as a hopeful bride, rejected by her fiancee's father (until the final reel).
But there were a few exceptional films as well. In 1963, she played a Frankish woman warrior of the Crusade era, donning full armor to go into battle against her Christian-Arab lover, in Naser Salah el Dine (occasionally shown on US TV as Saladin and the Great Crusades). In 1964's Lil-Rigal Faqat, or For Men Only, Lutfi and co-star Su'ad Husni played women geologists who, denied employment, respond by disguising themselves as men and going to work, where they find they have to suppress their romantic natures to sustain the disguise.
In the mid-1960s, Lutfi starred in two films that were based on stories by Nobel-winning author Naguib Mahfouz
Naguib Mahfouz
Naguib Mahfouz was an Egyptian writer who won the 1988 Nobel Prize for Literature. He is regarded as one of the first contemporary writers of Arabic literature, along with Tawfiq el-Hakim, to explore themes of existentialism. He published over 50 novels, over 350 short stories, dozens of movie...
, just a few years following the publication of his widely-banned novel of Moses, Jesus and Mohammed, Children of Gebelawi
Children of Gebelawi
Children of Gabalawi, is a novel by the Egyptian writer and Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz. It is also known by its Egyptian dialectal transliteration, Awlad Haretna, formal Arabic transliteration, Awlaadu Haaratena and by the alternative translated transliteral Arabic title of "Children of Our...
. Lutfi finished the decade starring in 1969's Abi foq al-Shagara, or My Father Atop a Tree, as a night club dancer who beds a much younger man, then discovers that she once knew his father equally well.
In the 1970s, Lutfi's career quickly wound down as Egypt's "Golden Age" for films came to a close, due to increasing competition from East and West, the growth of home video, and increasing costs for the film industry. Having made close to 50 films in the first 11 years of her career, she only made three in the decade that followed, and has not worked in film since 1981.
Early in 2004, Lutfi interceded with the press on behalf of her long-time friend, Omar Sharif, who had rashly told the Arab press that he would allow his grandchildren, one of whom is Jewish, to choose their own religions as they mature. In 2006, Lutfi returned to the spotlight when a video by young Lebanese singer Nourhanne
Nourhanne
Nourhanne also transliterated as Nourhan, is a Lebanese singer.A Lebanese Armenian, Nourhanne was born to an ethnic Armenian family from Lebanon...
recreated a musical scene from one of her first films, Bain al Qasrayn.