8 - 14 August 2002
Issue No. 598
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 Recommend this page

Fatma reborn

THE PRINT of Umm Kulthoum's classic film, Fatma, has been restored by Funun, The Egyptian Company for Arts and Publishing. Produced in 1947 Fatma stars Anwar Wagdi opposite Umm Kulthoum. The script was written by Mustafa Amin and the film directed by Ahmed Badrakhan.

It took film experts three months to restore the film -- both picture and soundtrack -- to its original state. English and French subtitles have been printed and the film released on DVD as part of Funoun's Egyptian Classics Series. The company plans to restore some 850 films and release them on DVD. Several are already finished and are due to be launched in September.

Fatma contains nine of Umm Kulthoum's most memorable songs, including Gamal Al-Dunya (The Beauty of the World) and Al-Ward Gamil (Flowers Are Beautiful). It is one of only six films Umm Kulthoum made.

Umm Kulthoum, who died on 3 February 1975, remains the uncontested diva of Arabic song, her recordings topping best-seller lists throughout the Arab world. Will she storm the incipient Arabic DVD market as well?

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