“A few years ago sudden, possibly fatal heart surgery forced director Youssef Chahine to reevaluate his life, its accomplishments and purpose. Although he had made 25 films in 32 years, he wondered whether he had been successful in creating work of lasting value, assuring him some small measure of immortality.
“Chahine decided the best contribution he could make would be an honest portrayal of his life, and through that, of society. The result of this effort is Hadouta Masriya, which begins as Chahine's alter ego Yehia Choukri lies on the operating table. In flashback, Choukri recalls his life and loves as interwoven with major national events: the ouster of King Farouk, the swinging of the political pendulum to socialism and back to capitalism. Despite these upheavals, social mores remained largely unchanged, as they still do today.
“Choukri finds himself between these political extremes and social absolutes, suspected by all for totally accepting none, trying to define his own middle ground. This is a dilemma we all face in any society, though to different degrees. So this Egyptian story is ultimately a universal story as well.
“In a sense, this film is a sequel, or reply to Alexandria...Why? (Filmex 79), in which Choukri is a young man hoping to become a director. Hadouta Masriya enables us to compare his anticipation with the reality.” Judith Szarka, San Francisco Film Festival