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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 12 - 18 October 2000 Issue No. 503 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 12 - 18 October 2000 Issue No. 503
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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On screen
The Perfect Storm Whoever said that disaster movies have become the disaster of the Hollywood film industry should have made an exception: a film that captures the tragic essence of a natural disaster with the least possible pretence. Besides an above-average performance from most of the cast, led by George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, the digital special effects wizards at George Lucas's Light Work and Magic studios perform a true miracle by visually re-creating 1991's Hurricane Grace and the sea storm that accompanied it. Director Wolfgang Petersen, of Das Boot's fame, and cinematographer John Seal, of The English Patient, give a considerably balanced depiction of man pitted against nature, accounting for the film's top box office grosses this summer and qualifying it as the best disaster film in the past 25 years.
Reviewed by Mohamed El-Assyouti
At the opera
Pop star Hani Shaker will be performing at the Cairo Opera House's Main Hall tomorrow night. The concert, organised by the Arab Academy of Music and held under the auspices of Arab League Secretary-General Esmat Abdel-Meguid, is set to be a highly symbolic, emotional affair, coming as it does in the midst of increasing political tension in the region. Shaker plans on starting the concert with a rendition of his personal favourite, the "Jerusalem poem," written by Kamal El-Tawil and composed by Abdel-Rahman El-Abnoudi, in tribute to the Palestinians martyred by Israeli forces in the recent clashes in Jerusalem. Shaker will also cover a selection of songs by Abdel-Halim Hafez and Mohamed Abdel-Wahab, in addition to his own tunes.
Reviewed by Reham El-Adawi
On stage
Habibti Ya at the Salam Theatre takes us back to the Egypt of the early '70s, revealed here as a police state where everyone is spying on everybody else. The plot involves an intelligence officer who rapes a budding actress, only to have her take revenge by revealing the state secrets he had confided to her. The cast features some of the more serious members of the younger generation of stars -- Salwa Khattab, Khaled El-Sawi and Fathi Abdel-Wahab.
Reviewed by Mustafa El-MinshawiSee listingsfor venue and show-times.
Around the galleries
Recent works of painter Safwat Abbas are on display at the Cairo Atelier, downtown. Comprising colourful and idiosyncratically twisted portraits, these paintings testify to the artist's command of his medium and his ability to convey deep messages about the human condition using the simplest of means. A feast of the senses that is nonetheless profoundly disturbing, Abbas's exhibition -- a cross between primitive and pop art -- links the joy of creation to the agony of existence.
Reviewed by Nagwa El-Ashri
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