Underplayed Gems

Qays wa Laila (1960)

Qays wa Laila poster
Directed by
Ahmad Diyaeldin
Country
United Arab Republic
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

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How it feels

This Egyptian film retells the classic story of Qays and Laila, a pair of ill-fated lovers from Bedouin folklore. Their love is thwarted by family opposition, leading to Qays's descent into madness and poetic exile in the desert.

romantictragicnostalgicdramaticfolkloricmelancholicslow-pacedpoetic

What happens

Qays wa Laila (Arabic: قيس وليلى, lit. “Qays and Laila”) is an Egyptian film released in 1960. The film is the second film of the same name (a remake of the 1939 film of the same name) based on the story of Layla and Majnun. Majnun is the name rendered in most transliterations of the semi-legendary poet Qays ibn al-Mulawwah. Like the film it remade, it features a screenplay co-written by El-Sayed Ziada. The only actor in common is Abbas Fares. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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