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Al-Ahram Weekly 17 - 23 June 1999 Issue No. 434 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 17 - 23 June 1999 Issue No. 434
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Living Travel Sports Time Out Chronicles People Cartoons Letters
Samuel Jackson and Robert De NiroJackie Brown (Quentin Tarantino, 1997)
FROM the director of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction -- who was hailed overnight by most critics and a wide audience as the best film-maker in the 1990's and by some as the best there ever was -- comes this third screen adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel, Rum Punch, in the same year. Pam Grier plays Jackie Brown, a black American hostess on a Mexican airline, who smuggles currency for gun-dealer Ordell Robbie (Samuel Jackson). Once arrested, she must choose between losing her life -- if she denounces Robbie -- or her job -- if she stands mute and ends in jail. Fate places 56-year-old bail bondsman Max Cherry (Robert Forster) in her path and the middle-aged pair soon establishe a sympathetic relationship, which gives Brown one last chance to survive in a world of violence and social injustice. After all, as police detective Mark Dirges (Michael Bowen) puts it: "If I was a 44-year-old black woman desperately clinging on to this one shitty little job that I was fortunate enough to get I don't think that I'd think I had a year to throw away". The Tarantino characterization, dialogue, non-linear plot, clear picture, smooth cuts, catchy soundtrack, and the overall minimalist co-ordination of all these elements makes this film a real treat not just for his loyal fans, but for anyone seeking something more profound than your run-of-the-mill Hollywood offerings.
Never far from the opera house
Amina RizqIN compliance with President Mubarak's call, during the Media Day celebrations, for establishing a museum for pioneer actors and actresses, Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni declared that the old building of the Supreme Council of Culture (SCC) in Zamalek will be transformed into a state-of-the-art museum to commemorate these renowned legends and document their history. "It is the first museum devoted to Egyptian actors," said Hosni, explaining that the new museum will be a two-flour building occupying an area of 800 square metres. Besides inspecting the stars' personal belongings, the state-of-the-art technology used means that visitors will also enjoy watching movie clips and documentaries about them. Hosni said that renovation works of the building will begin next week, as soon as the SCC is relocated to the Opera House grounds. The decision, however, was not condoned by actress Amina Rizq, who had her doubts about the location of the new museum. "Our place should be in the Opera House and nowhere else," she insisted, calling for the establishment of a permanent theatre in the Opera House grounds where the plays of Egyptian theatre's golden age can be periodically reproduced. Hosni, however, defended his decision: "I aim at setting up a unique building devoted exclusively to pioneer actors, and the National Centre for Theater will be transferred to this building as one of the new museum's departments."
Music day in the Citadel
HELLO again from the heights of the Citadel. Down below and elsewhere it's a big day. Up here, far above Cairo which spreads itself for miles around, fully lit, scintillating and wondrous, begins the festival of music. To coincide with the International Music Day, 21 June, official cultural bodies, in collaboration with the French Embassy, are organising a series of musical events in, among other places, the Opera House, the French Cultural Centre and, interestingly, the Citadel. Performances in the Citadel will continue till 27 June. Following a military band, folk troupes and a performance by the delectable May Yousri, the first day's offerings in the Citadel will end with Iraqi musician Nasseer Shamma and his oud. The great thing about this festival is to actually hear it. What's being performed by soloists and orchestra depends on the wind. The festival visuals are unique, but the sound that emerges is capricious. Seldom are you on the receiving end, what you get is what the amplifiers, the wind, and the general mayhem of the audience will permit you. Highlights in the next few days include the celebrated Nile Troupe for folk music, an Upper Egypt children's choir and El-Warsha Theatre Company.
For full programme of International Music Day see Listings.
