Khadra and the Southern Sinbad


Khadra and the Southern Sinbad is an Egyptian musical comedy drama film released on December 2, 1952. The film is directed by El-Sayed Ziada, features a screenplay he has co-written with his brother Mahrous, and stars Kamal el-Shennawi, Doria Ahmed, Mahmoud el-Meliguy, Mahmoud Shokoko, and Hassan Fayek. The central character, Mohsen, becomes mentally ill when he learns of his daughter's death from his estate manager, Zaki. Zaki gets in trouble when he sees Khadra and kidnaps her, erroneously thinking her to be his long-lost cousin and Mohsen's daughter.

Cast

Synopsis

A wealthy man named Mohsen Bey suffers from mental illness, and his young nephew Zaki Bey secures a court appointment as his uncle's guardian. Zaki treat's Mohsen's staff harshly and threatens to sack them all, so Mohsen's butler al-Fahlawi hurriedly telegrams the virtuous young Fouad, the business manager for the estate, to bring the fellahin’s rent back quickly to keep it out of Zaki’s clutches. On the train, Fouad meets a peasant girl named Khadra and her father, the latter an admirer and imitator of Sinbad the Sailor who calls himself the “Southern Sinbad.” Fouad gives Khadra his address in case she needs help in Cairo.
Fouad arrives at Mohsen's house and finds Zaki, who has hired his friend Fifi and her brother Galal to help manage the estate. Fouad introduces Khadra to Mohsen as his daughter “Lula,” who traveled to Brazil a long time before. Zaki hires gangster Abu Hadwa to kidnap Khadra but Fouad calls the police and they free her. Khadra encounters many difficult situations impersonating her Brazilian character, but the real Lola Bey arrives and clears up the misunderstanding.

Songs

The songs include lyrics by El-Sayed Ziada and Fathi Qura with music by Mohamed Ihsan, Ibrahim Hussein, Sami Naasan, Omar el-Gizawy, and Mahmoud al-Sharif.
TitleSinger
“يا قطن مصر” Omar el-Gizawy
“ادي النعيم” Galal Sadiq, Doria Ahmed
“واحده وواحده يساوي اتنين” Mahmoud Shokoko
“ول يا ول” Doria Ahmed
“واه يابوي” Doria Ahmed
“على عيني” Doria Ahmed

Ziad Assaf wrote in the 2017 article, “درية أحمد، صوت المرح في الأغنية السينمائية”, in the Jordanian newspaper Al Ra’i that:
Doria Ahmed’s marriage to director El-Sayed Ziada paved the way for her to enter the world of cinema…She starred in the Khadra films…in which her songs were used to dramatic effect…We feel the lightness and joy in her songs, through which she expresses the whimsical nature of her character.

Reception

According to legendary critic Samir Farid in the entertainment ezine Shahrayar Stars:
Actress Doria Ahmed turned out a stellar performance as the character of Kadra…we forget the simple machinations of the plot to lose ourselves in the comic talents of Shokoko, El-Shennawi, Doria Ahmed, and even Omar el-Gizawy and Nabaweya Moustafa in the cotton harvest dance…The film features a screenplay by Mahrous Ziada…is directed by El-Sayed Ziada…and was a domestic success.

In Al-Wafd, Samar Medhat praised singer-actress Ahmed:
Best-known for the movie Khadra and the Southern Sinbad, she gained renown for songs like “Valley of Bliss”; “اه يا بوي آه يا نا” ; and “ل يمين ول شمال سنتر فرويد سنتر هاف”, a vivid description of a 1950’s association football match.