The Bellydance Museum counts many movie brochures and it is time to share them with you. We will start with a brochure of the movie Baladi Wa Kheffa (She is cute!) from 1949, featuring Naima Akef. In this article, you will find many, truly many details. First of all, we have created an online form of the brochure - now you can list through it thanks to its flipbook version! Furthermore, with the huge help of Morjana, who translated the whole brochure, we bring you here all the translations and the clips showing the songs and dances! At the complete bottom of the article, you can find a recording of a discussion between Morjana and Badriyah about the meaning of the movie. What else to say than: Enjoy!
Online flipbook brochure
List through and enjoy the online version of the brochure! Don't forget that you have to turn from right to left ;) Just click on the image below and enjoy!
Translation
Enjoy the texts of the songs, watch the clips, get inspired by the dance of Naima Akef or sing along!
Nahas Films presents: NAIMA AKEF and SAAD Abdel WAHAB starring in the movie She’s cute! (Baladi Wa Kheffa), written and directed by Hussein Fawzi
Introduction
A severe war between the Angel of good (Mazen El-Ansari) and the Devil of evil (Stephan Rosti) that takes place in the so-called “Belhana Weshefa” [bon appetite], over Hanouma, the “baladi wa kheffa” [local and cute girl] (Naima Akef), the daughter of the fruit seller Saniya Gargeer (Zeinat Sedki). Hamouna wasn’t very happy with her poor life and was looking forward to having a rich and luxurious life, while her fiancée Mahrous, the poor musician and singer (Saad Abdelwahab) is content with his simple life. The circumstances threw Hanouma in Khaled Bek, who is a rich movie producer, who likes her beauty and cuteness and started to seduce her with the idea of being a movie star. The devil made her listen to him and she was carried away with the fake frills, so she abandoned her life and fiancée, who started to build his artistic glory with the help of the female singer Habaiyeb (Lola Sedki), who was Khaled Bek’s mistress, and this female singer thought that Khaled Bek replaced her with Hanouma. The devil kept pushing Mahrous and Hanouma towards the path of evil with the help of Omm Zaabel the café owner (Soad Ahmed), the angel of good tried to save them from evil with the help of their friend, the tea boy (working at the café) Meshmesh (Shokoko). Both Mahrous and Hanouma took their way in life till they met after being very glorious, Mahrous thinks that Hanouma sold her honour for glory and became the mistress of Khaled Bek and Mahrous denounced Hanouma as the whole lane and her mother did with her. When Hanouma woke up from the “euphoria of glory” she tried to return to her old life, but it was too late as she had lost everything, her fiancée, mother and family.
Will the Devil win the battle?
Or the Angel of good will prevail?
The end of this war will be revealed in the movie “Baladi we Kheffa” with all what it has of coincidences and surprises in a dancing and singing story telling way.
Hussein Fawzi
The First is “Aaah” (El-Awela Aah)
Arrangement: Hassan Tawfiq
Composition: Shokoko
Singing: Naima Akef and Shokoko
The First says: “aaaah”,* [*sounds depicting the agony of the lover]
The Second says: “aaaah”,
And the Third says: “aaaah”.
The First, we were melting in loving you (loving you so passionately).
The First in our love is wondering what we went through with the loved ones.
The Second, your loved one was the winner and became defeated.
The Second, why our loved one doesn’t want to repent (leave us alone).
The Third, you’ll gain only shame and defaults because of your wandering around (bad deeds).
The Third, in our wandering around, we don’t commit any sins
If people’s talk spread around, no one can stop it.
And chastity is our crown and people’s talk doesn’t matter.
Is love in your law (point of view) replacing a loved one by another.
No, love in our law is a paradise and a promised bless.
The First one is “aaaah”,
The Second is “aaaah”,
And the Third is “aaaah”.
Dance and never mind, we are all yours (your people),
If you go away, we get your back, dance and never mind.
…
Put your head at ease, pay attention to the precious
And love the available and dance and never mind.
The song in the movie:
One Egyptian Pound (El Ginneh)
Arrangement: Hassan Tawfiq
Music: Ali Farag
Singing: Saad Abdel-Wahab
Your Excellency [Mr.] “one pound”(El Ginneh), your buddy is suffering a lot…
Why would you leave me penniless, what should I do without you?
May God put you at ease and give you what would make you happy and satisfied,
Your Excellency “one pound”.
You are the cure of the sick ones, happiness of the empty ones, clothing to the naked ones, dear “Pound”.
You put some people up, and some down and I am confused, dear “Pound”.
You have a minaret [picture of a mosque on the banknote] of six storeys, what is Sterling or [US] Dollar.
May God put you at ease and give you what would make you happy and satisfied,
Your Excellency “one pound”.
From the National (Al-Ahly) [bank], they brought you and to the National (Al-Ahly) [bank] they took you, and my people [Ahly “in Arabic”] had no chance to even have a glimpse of you.
Would I pay my debts with you or spend you, poverty is a very bad thing for you, dear “Pound”.
I didn’t inherit half of a penny nor do I have an account at the bank.
May God put you at ease and give you what would make you happy and satisfied Your Excellency “Pound”.
You only go to those who have millions, you smart one, but very scrooge with us
You are ten of tens (ten time ten piasters), you are great and without you we only have God
May God put you at ease and give you what would make you happy and satisfied,
Your Excellency “one pound”.
The song in the movie:
I am well done (Ana Estawet)
Arrangement: Hassan Tawfiq
Music: Ali Farag
Singing: Naima Akef
I am cooked up and I am all done and became a comedian and operetta actress,
A singer, claquette dancer, zills (sagat) player and a 3 cards’ magician. [3 cards is a game where the bet is to choose one card and the magician mixes the cards in front of your eyes and you must find the card of your choice or you lose your bet]
I am done and had enough
If we talk about acting, it is very tiring and heavy, but we like it,
In each movie, I play a character that no other human can play,
I act as a bourgeoise of high class or a poor girl from the small lanes,
And in flirting I am like fire, with a wink up and a wink down.
The educated one would say “hihihi” when he sees me, while the uneducated would say “hahaha”. The religious one would say “hek hek hek”.
In the future you’ll see things from me more than what you have already seen
Because I got cooked up and got well done.
Singing and acting all in one side and dance is on the other side,
It [dance] needs energetic waist and a body full of springs.
When the waist shakes towards the right side, the breast shakes to the left,
The shoulders go up and down while the neck is going back and forth,
This is being original (baladi) and I shake in an original (baladi) way
Bear with me and don’t put any blame on me.
Oh lime colour (ah ya lamouni [rhyming with the song without any significant meaning]), I am so blamed and unfairly treated because I love you.
You who is dressed in blue, I love you.
You are making your eyes up using eyeliner.
You didn’t give me the permission to come near you and I was treated unfairly because I love you.
In the future you’ll see things from me more than what you have already seen
Because I got cooked up and got well done.
The song in the movie:
The world is dancing (Ed dunia btur‘us)
Arrangement: Hassan Tawfiq
Music: Ali Farag
Singing: Naima Akef and Saad Abdel-Wahab
Life is dancing and singing, and our hearts dance with it.
Life is making those who understand it happy and joyful
Life is the days we spend in this world,
Life is a song we sing in this world,
Life is a dance we win in this world.
Life is dancing and singing and make us happy and joyful.
…
The Egyptian (El Baladi)
From outside the windows’ shutters, while I am inside the shutters,
This boy passes by and he doesn’t wink
From outside the shutters.
His shawl is of silk and cashmere and he is a show off and nobody levels up to him.
He is wearing a fez (tarboosh) red and well done, tilted on one side on his eyebrow.
I sent him my greetings with the breeze, from inside the shutters.
He doesn’t care about my words, from outside the shutters.
And he passes by and he doesn’t wink from outside the shutters, while I am inside the shutters.
…
The Tunisian (El Tunisi)
You waiter go in rounds and give us the famous tea.
Tea from Green Tunisia, yaba yaba!
With musk and amber, yaba yaba!
Collected [the tea] of cottonwood trees, you waiter go in rounds with the fixed tea.
Give a glass, oh boy!
Between the rose and the jasmine, oh boy!
Tea with mint with red cheeks
And Abu Nawass [Poet], oh boy
If he [Abu Nawass] tastes the cup, oh boy
From this tea he would leave the wine [Abu Nawass was a very famous alcohol drinker]
You waiter go in rounds and give us the famous tea.
Tea from Green Tunisia, yaba yaba!
With musk and amber, yaba yaba!
Collected [the tea] of cottonwood trees, you waiter go in rounds with the fixed tea.
…
The Lebanese (El Lebnani)
Aala la wla la wla la la
Oh Mother, these eyes and oh my God protect me of his hands’ touch
Make my heart beats heard by God himself
May God grant me with the mercy of being with him
Aala la wla la wla la la
…
The song in the movie:
Market of Love (Souq El Hawa)
Arrangement: Hassan Tawfiq
Music: Mohamed El Qasabgi
Singing: Saad Abdel-Wahab
In this “market of love” I am the capital, and my only capital is you.
And if they weighed the existence with money, I’d choose you (over the money).
At the night of love, I am the candles, who spend their lives burning for you.
And in the world of truth, I am the tears, watering the flower of your hopes.
You put my candles off with your carelessness and made my precious tears so cheap.
And my life went on this way, as if it has never existed nor have you (existed)
And if they weighed the existence with money, I’d choose you (over the money).
I am your long company for days and years being with you in good and bad times.
In a moment of illusion, you forgot our love and walked away from our memories and long lasting relation.
Loyalty was not enough and you didn’t believe in love
And if they weighed the existence with money, I’d choose you (over the money).
The song in the movie:
Poultry song (Ketter Ketter)
Arrangement: Hassan Tawfiq
Music: Mohamed El Qasabgi
Singing: Naima Akef
* Ketter ketter: an expression of wishing that your poultry increase in number
kaka kiki koko: cute nicknames for the poultry
Increase in number dear poultry! (Ketter ketter kiki koko)
Come to those who will make you grow up,
Come to those who will feed you,
And make you fatter (bigger).
Kaka, Kiki, Koko
Chicken and roosters that cluck and cackle (making the sounds “kaki kaki” and “shaki shaki”),
When they see me with the corn in my hand, they spread their wings and come to me.
Ketter ketter kaka koko
Pigeon coo and flirt
And get full and go back to their nest
Lay eggs that hatch without anybody sees
Ketter ketter kaka koko
Iraqi geese [known to be good in meat taste] of a high quality, and chubby ducks
I feed them with my hand to their mother day and night, they grow and become Woow!… [ya eini ya leil - used here with the meaning “ they become amazing/wooow/incredible”]
I slaughter and cook with Molokhlokh (nickname for Moloukhiya = mallow) [traditional Egyptian meal]
Ketter ketter kaka koko
The song in the movie:
Crew
Technicians
Scenario: Hussein Fawzy and Hassan Tawfiq
Dialogue and songs: Hassan Tawfiq
Set Engineer: Wala Eddine Sameh
Sound Engineer: Kassar Yekour
Assistant Director: Hassan Tawfiq
Montage: Raymon Qarbe
Make-up: Mahmoud Metwally
Stage Manager: Qassem Wagdi
Dance Teacher: Khristo Kladakis
Picture: Ali Hagaleddin
Hair Styling: Salim Saad
Costume: Mustapha Alan
Set furniture from the shops of Ali Assamra.
Assistants
Assistant cameraman: Helmi Farid
Assistants director: Abdel Shafiq Abdelqadus and Gamal Eddin Elrifai
Assistants producer: Adeeb Gaber and Soliman Naga
Set implementation: Abdel Hamid Essanhawi
Light: Estilio
Sound assistant: Edouard Carisati
Montage assistant: Atieh Abdo
Stage assistant: Hassan Taher
Sound effect: Abdel Aziz Mohamed
Director of production: Ramis Naguib
Photography: François Farkash
Interior and Exterior views shot at Studio Nahas in Gezira.
Sound recording: Recording-Western Electric
Written and directed by Hussein Fawzi
Produced by Nahas Films
Discussion
Would you like to know the context of the movie? Listen to Morjana, who kindly provided the translation, in this discussion:
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