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Cairo Station
Cairo Station
8.1
/10
1,196 Ratings

CAIRO STATION

Bab el hadid

Directed by Youssef Chahine
Egypt, 1958
Drama

Synopsis

In Cairo’s chaotic central station, Qinawi, an impoverished newspaper vendor, develops an infatuation with the free-spirited Hannuma, who dodges the authorities to peddle soft drinks to passengers. When he faces rejection, Qinawi’s obsession becomes dangerous as he falls into a state of insanity.

Synopsis

In Cairo’s chaotic central station, Qinawi, an impoverished newspaper vendor, develops an infatuation with the free-spirited Hannuma, who dodges the authorities to peddle soft drinks to passengers. When he faces rejection, Qinawi’s obsession becomes dangerous as he falls into a state of insanity.

Our take

Strikingly modern, and with a candid erotic charge, Cairo Station is among the most celebrated of Youssef Chahine’s features. Starring the great filmmaker himself as a disturbed loner on a collision-course with violence, what begins with shades of Fellini soon morphs into an expressionist nightmare.