Search - A Glass and a Cigarette on DVD

A smoke and a drink - a metaphor for whatever distracts us f

Utah Blaine | Somewhere on Trexalon in District 268 | 08/08/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Beautiful Egyptian bellydancer Hoda Gamal (played by the real life bellydancer Samia Gamal) marries a successful doctor. She becomes jealous though when an Italian nurse trys to maneuver her out of the picture. Hoda's husband remains faithful, but every time she suspects his infidelity, she begins to smoke and drink. Her growing alcoholism eventually destroys her life. Can she clean up her act before tragedy strikes? At one level this is simply a film about the dangers of smoking and drinking (!), but at another, the glass and the cigarette represent anything that distracts us from what is important (there is a song about 2/3 of the way through the movie that makes it clear that this is the director/producer's real intention).

There is alot to like about this film. The story itself presents an interesting twist on the love triangle theme. We get to see Samia Gamal dance (spectacular), and the musical score is enchanting. There is also a great face slapping scene (one of the reviewers on Netflix describes it as the best face slapping scene in a month of Sundays! I agree!) This is supposedly a early classic of Egyptian cinema (not that I know much about Egyptian cinema - I'm sure that there are lots of cultural subtleties that are completely lost on me throughout the film). The production quality is not high (it was made in the 50s, but I would compare it to Hollywood of the 30s). The acting isn't always the best quality (particularly the slapstick/comic relief roles), although the main characters are spot on. Worth a look, if not uniquely outstanding. An interesting slice of Egyptian life in the 1950s in any case."