Al-massir

Oct 16 1998 N/A 2h 15m
Comedy, Drama, History

In the 12th century's Andalusia lives Ibn Rushd a prominent Islamic philosopher with his wife Zeinab and daughter Salma. The principality is ruled by Khalifa ElMansour who has two sons, ElNasser, an intellectual that likes Ibn Rush and is in love with his daughter Salma. The younger son Abdallah is more into dancing and poetry, spending most of his times with the gypsy family and getting the daughter pregnant. The Khalifa is depending on the extremists to build his army granting them more power which they use to combat artists and philosophers. The extremists succeed in recruiting Abd Allah and train him to kill his father. Events go on where Marawan, the gypsy singer, is killed and Ibn Rushd's books are burnt. Adapted from the real life of Ibn Rushd AlMasir is Chahine's statement against extremism.

Plot

The story is set in the 12th century in Arab-ruled Spanish province Andalusia, where famed philosopher Averroes is appointed grand judge by the caliph and his liberal court judgments are not liked by everyone. The caliph's political rivals, centered around the leader of a fanatical Islamic sect, force the caliph to send Averroes into exile, but his ideas keep on living thanks to his students.

Written by

Youssef Chahine, Khaled Youssef

Directed by

Youssef Chahine

Cast

Nour El-Sherif, Layla Olwi, Mahmoud Hemida

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

France, Egypt

Production Companies

Ognon Pictures, France 2 Cinéma, MISR International Films

Languages

Français,

Awards

2 wins & 1 nomination

Scores
# of Votes
3,442
Average Rating
7.1 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA