Cairo Road (film)

Last updated

Cairo Road
"Cairo Road" (1950 film).jpg
British theatrical poster
Directed by David MacDonald
Written by Robert Westerby
Produced by Aubrey Baring
Maxwell Setton
Starring
  • Eric Portman
  • Laurence Harvey
  • Maria Mauban
  • Harold Lang
Music byRobert Gill
Production
company
Distributed by Associated British-Pathé (UK)
Release date
  • 21 May 1950 (1950-05-21)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£108,000 [1]
Box office£145,502 (UK) [2]

Cairo Road is a 1950 British crime film directed by David MacDonald and starring Eric Portman, Laurence Harvey, Maria Mauban, Harold Lang and John Gregson. [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

A team of Egyptian anti-narcotic agents led by Colonel Youssef Bey, the chief of the Anti-Narcotic Bureau, and his new assistant Lieutenant Mourad, recently relocated from Paris with his wife Marie, try to prevent shipments of drugs crossing the southern Egyptian border. They are constantly on alert as even camel caravans are suspect in smuggling narcotics.

The agents are investigating the murder of a rich Arab businessman named Bashiri. Raiding a berthed ship in the harbour of Port Saïd leads them to the trail of heroin smugglers, including Rico Pavlis and Lombardi. One of the police agents, Anna Michelis, is targeted by the smugglers.

Eventually Pavlis turns on his partner, killing Lombardi, but Youssef sets a trap for the Pavlis brothers, and the capture of the two remaining criminal gang leaders and their men, proves the police are competent at stemming the flow of narcotics.

Cast

Production

The film was based on real cases worked on by the Egyptian police. Producer Maxwell Setton had been born in Cairo. [5] It was originally known as Poison Road and was made with the co-operation of the Egyptian government. [6]

The production was centred around Egypt where principal photography took place, and its cast included Egyptian film star Camelia, who died in 1950 in an aircraft crash. [7]

Reception

The film returned £112,000 to the producers meaning it made a profit. [1]

Cairo Road received a reasonably positive review from The New York Times , who called it an "unpretentious and consistently sensible little film... British restraint and taste not only have saved the day but succeeded in dignifying a battered subject... this routine picture has some sterling ingredients." [8]

The critic from Variety said "action moves slowly in the first half and much of the story is veiled so as to obscure the plot. However, it winds up with a meaty climax." [9]

In a review in the Time Out Film Guide by Trevor Johnston, Cairo Road is described as "a workaday thriller, whose makers actually took the trouble to go to Cairo and Port Said to shoot it. Twenty-something Harvey makes an early appearance as Inspector Portman's bumbling, keen-as-mustard assistant." [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvey Keitel</span> American actor (born 1939)

Harvey Keitel is an American actor known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with director Martin Scorsese, starring in six of his films: Who's That Knocking at My Door (1967), Mean Streets (1973), Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), Taxi Driver (1976), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), and The Irishman (2019).

<i>Darling</i> (1965 film) 1965 film by John Schlesinger

Darling is a 1965 British romantic drama film directed by John Schlesinger from a screenplay written by Frederic Raphael. It stars Julie Christie as Diana Scott, a young successful model and actress in Swinging London, toying with the affections of two older men, played by Dirk Bogarde and Laurence Harvey. The film was shot on location in London, Paris and Rome and at Shepperton Studios by cinematographer Kenneth Higgins, with a musical score composed by Sir John Dankworth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youssef Chahine</span> Egyptian film director (1926–2008)

Youssef Chahine was an Egyptian film director. He was active in the Egyptian film industry from 1950 until his death. He directed twelve films that were listed in the Top 100 Egyptian films list. A winner of the Cannes 50th Anniversary Award, Chahine was credited with launching the career of actor Omar Sharif. A well-regarded director with critics, he was often present at film festivals during the earlier decades of his work. Chahine gained his largest international audience as one of the co-directors of 11'9"01 September 11 (2002).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mohamed Naguib</span> Egyptian revolutionary and President of Egypt (1901–1984)

Major General Mohamed Bey Naguib Youssef Qutb El-Qashlan, also known as Mohamed Naguib, was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary, who along with Gamal Abdel Nasser, was one of the two principal leaders of the Free Officers movement of 1952 that toppled the monarchy of Egypt and the Sudan, leading to the establishment of the Republic of Egypt, and the independence of Sudan, and eventually South Sudan in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muhammad Ali's rise to power</span> Establishment of Muhammad Alis rule over Egypt

Muhammad Ali rose to power in Egypt following a long, three-way civil war between the Ottoman Empire, Egyptian Mamluks who had ruled Egypt for centuries, and Albanian mercenaries in the service of the Ottomans. The conflict ended in victory for the Albanians led by Ali.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Gregson</span> English actor (1919–1975)

Harold Thomas Gregson, known professionally as John Gregson, was an English actor of stage, television and film, with 40 credited film roles. He was best known for his crime drama and comedy roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Youssef Wahba</span> Prime Minister of Egypt (1919–1920)

Youssef Wahba Pasha GCMG (1852–1934) was an Egyptian Prime Minister and jurist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Jews in Egypt</span> Ethnic group

Egyptian Jews constitute both one of the oldest and one of the youngest Jewish communities in the world. The historic core of the Jewish community in Egypt mainly consisted of Egyptian Arabic speaking Rabbanites and Karaites. Though Egypt had its own community of Egyptian Jews, after the Jewish expulsion from Spain more Sephardi and Karaite Jews began to migrate to Egypt, and then their numbers increased significantly with the growth of trading prospects after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. As a result, Jews from many territories of the Ottoman Empire as well as Italy and Greece started to settle in the main cities of Egypt, where they thrived. The Ashkenazi community, mainly confined to Cairo's Darb al-Barabira quarter, began to arrive in the aftermath of the waves of pogroms that hit Europe in the latter part of the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ottoman Egypt</span> Administrative division of the Ottoman Empire from 1517 to 1867

Ottoman Egypt was an administrative division of the Ottoman Empire after the conquest of Mamluk Egypt by the Ottomans in 1517. The Ottomans administered Egypt as a province (eyalet) of their empire. It remained formally an Ottoman province until 1914, though in practice it became increasingly autonomous during the 19th century and was under de facto British control from 1882.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdul Munim Riad</span> Egyptian general (1919–1969)

Abdul Munim Riad was an Egyptian military officer and Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces. He commanded the Jordanian Armed Forces during the 1967 Six-Day War and later led the Egyptian forces in the War of Attrition, where he and several of his aides were killed in action in 1969. The date of his death on 9 March is observed as Egyptian Martyrs' Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Portman</span> English actor

Eric Harold Portman was an English stage and film actor. He is probably best remembered for his roles in three films for Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger during the 1940s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hind Rostom</span> Egyptian actress (1929–2011)

Hind Hussain Mohammed or Nariman Hussein Murad, more commonly known by her stage name Hind Rostom, was an Egyptian actress and is considered one of the icons in the Egyptian cinema, as she was mainly known for her sensual roles. Her physical appearance earned her the name Marilyn Monroe of the east. Hind Rostom starred in more than 80 movies in her career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French campaign in Egypt and Syria</span> 1798–1801 campaign during the War of the Second Coalition

The French campaign in Egypt and Syria (1798–1801) was a Napoleonic campaign in the Ottoman territories of Egypt and Syria, executed by Napoleon Bonaparte. Napoleon proclaimed to "defend French trade interests" and to establish "scientific enterprise" in the region. It was the primary purpose of the Mediterranean campaign of 1798, which was a series of naval engagements that included the capture of Malta and the Greek island Crete, later arriving in the Port of Alexandria. The campaign ended in defeat for Napoleon after abandoning his troops to head back to France for the looming risk of a Second Coalition. This led to the death and withdrawal of French troops in the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Egypt</span>

The Egyptian film industry is today based mainly in Cairo, which is sometimes referred to as Hollywood on the Nile or Hollywood of the East, despite having its beginnings in the city of Alexandria in the early 20th century. A strong industry grew in Egypt with a high distribution rate among the Arab world, and Cairo produces around three-quarters of the Arab world's screen output. It has had a large effect on the African and Arab film industry since the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Salah Zulfikar</span> Egyptian actor and producer (1926–1993)

Salah El-Din Ahmed Mourad Zulfikar was an Egyptian actor and film producer. He started his career as a police officer in the Egyptian National Police, before becoming an actor in 1956. He is regarded as one of the most influential actors in the history of the Egyptian film industry. Zulfikar had notable roles in more than a hundred feature films in multiple genres during his 37-year career, mostly as the leading actor. He was one of the most dominant leading men in Egyptian cinema.

<i>To the Ends of the Earth</i> (1948 film) 1948 film by Robert Stevenson

To the Ends of the Earth is a 1948 American film noir thriller film directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Dick Powell, Signe Hasso and Ludwig Donath. It was released by Columbia Pictures.

Mourad Wahba Pasha was an Egyptian politician and high court judge. He served as Vice President of the Court of Cassation, then Egypt's highest court from 1931 to 1937 after which he was appointed as Minister of Agriculture in 1937 and Minister of Trade and Industry in 1938. He was then appointed as senator from 1939 to 1945. He also served in the Board of Directors of various companies and was a leading figure in Coptic communal affairs.

<i>Assault on England</i> 1972 novel by Ralph Eugene Hayes

Assault on England is the 67th novel in the long-running Nick Carter-Killmaster series of spy novels. Carter is a US secret agent, code-named N-3, with the rank of Killmaster. He works for AXE – a secret arm of the US intelligence services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maria Mauban</span> French actress

Maria Mauban was a French actress. She appeared in around fifty films and television series during her career. in 1950 she starred in the British Egyptian-set crime film Cairo Road. The same year she appeared in the Ealing Studios film Cage of Gold. In 1954 she appeared in Roberto Rossellini's Journey to Italy.

References

Notes

  1. 1 2 Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 102. Income is producer's share of receipts.
  2. Porter, Vincent. "The Robert Clark Account." Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol. 20, No. 4, 2000, p. 493.
  3. "Review: 'Cairo Road' (1950)." IMDb. Retrieved: 27 August 2016.
  4. "Review: 'Cairo Road' (1950)." British Film Institute. Retrieved: 27 August 2016.
  5. Harper, Sue; Porter, Vincent (2003). British Cinema of the 1950s: The Decline of Deference. Oxford University Press. pp. 178–180. ISBN   9780198159346.
  6. Nepean, Edith (4 March 1950). "Round the British Studios". Picture Show. 54 (1405). London: 7. ProQuest   1880316696.
  7. "Highlights in brief of News of the world." The Barrier Miner , 5 September 1950., page 3. Retrieved: 17 July 2012.
  8. Thompson, Howard (H.H.T.) "Movie review: 'Anti-Narcotics operations shown at Globe." The New York Times, 1 November 1952. Retrieved: 27 August 2016.
  9. "Review: Cairo Road'." = Variety. Retrieved: 27 August 2016.
  10. Pym 2004, p. 174.

Bibliography