Twentieth-century Egypt in film posters – in pictures (15)

July 3, 2023
Alice Fisher, The Guardian

Left to right: posters for the films Nour Al-Din and the Three Sailors (1944), A Bit of Torment (1969) and An Appointment With the President (1990). Photograph: All images courtesy of Patrick Fry and CentreCentre publishing

The publisher Patrick Fry specialises in unusual collections of art and design, and when he discovered an archive of 20th-century Egyptian cinema posters he knew he’d found his next book project: “They’re so accomplished and masterful, hand-drawn and printed using limestone, which adds a unique character.” The Egyptian film critic Joseph Fahim provided historical expertise for the book. “For years, Egypt had the biggest film industry in the Middle East,” Fahim says. “It was called the Hollywood of the east and tackled every genre.” He loves edgier, complex posters, such as for the 50s film The Body, while Fry’s favourite is for Abo Dahab(1954), for its rich colours and perfect lettering. The posters in the book aren’t just an artistic archive though, says Fahim. “They also reflect the changing sensibilities and socioeconomic status of the country.”