Films sometimes lead to controversy. In the
Arab World, politics and religion are topics that lead to debate especially if
they are discussed in films. Religious
topics infuriate peoples in the Arab world. One of the films that lead to long
debate before and after its showing is The Emigrant (Al Mohager), a 1994
Egyptian film by Youssef Chahine.
The release of this film, which is loosely
based on the story of the Biblical Joseph, raised a storm of protest, since
Islam forbids the visual representation of religious figures. Chahine changed
the names of all of the characters and stripped the story of all its
supernatural and miraculous elements to evade such protest. Joseph becomes Ram,
Jacob becomes Adam, Potiphar becomes Amihar, and Potiphar's wife, unnamed in
the Bible, becomes Simihit, the high priestess of the Cult of Amun. Chahine
emphasizes all through the film that Joseph does not advance because of a
miraculous ability to receive and interpret dreams, but because of his personal
merits.
After achieving all necessary approvals
from the censorship authorities, the film ran successfully in Egyptian cinema
until a lawsuit initiated by a fundamentalist Islamist lawyer caused a
temporary ban. After a year-long court battle, Chahine won the case, only to
face a second ban resulting from a lawsuit initiated by a Christian lawyer who
objected to the movie's many deviations from the Biblical account.
The film runs 128 minutes, features a
symphonic score by Mohamed Nouh, and mixes set and location shots, with a few
special effects by Excalibur. Ramses Marzouk did the camera work, Rachida
Abdel-Salam acted as film editor, Hamed Hemdan provided art direction, Nahed
Nasrallah handled costume design, Dominique Hennequin handled sound, Walid
Aouni performed choreography, and Ahmed Kassem acted as assistant director.
In this film, young Ram is a thinker who
has grown up in a primitive and superstitious society, hated by his brothers
and suspected of sorcery. Dissatisfied with the nomadic lifestyle of his
family, he dreams of traveling to Egypt to study agriculture. Forewarned by his
weather knowledge, he saves the family's flocks from a destructive sandstorm,
and manages to persuade his father to let him leave for Egypt. His older
brothers travel with him, but at the shipping dock they tie him up, knock him
out, and dump him into the hold of a boat traveling to Egypt. When he wakes up,
he is discovered by the boat owner family, who intend to sell him as a slave.
They let Ram know that this sale would be his opportunity to enter the service
of a powerful family, since the man they wish to sell him to, Ozir, is
assistant to Amihar, the military head of Thebes. Ram actively participates in
the bargaining to get the best possible price for his purchase. His initial
months as a slave are a disappointment, however, since he is assigned to assist
in the mummification of bodies rather than learning about agriculture. Ram is
not afraid to express his contempt for the Egyptian obsession with death and
the preservation of one's mortal remains, and affirms his belief in one God and
the immortality of the soul independent of one's body. Amihar is impressed by
Ram's honesty, takes a personal liking to the young man, and gives Ram a chance
to convert a barren stretch of land into a working farm. Through a combination
of hard work, good mentoring, and a bit of luck, Ram is successful in this
endeavor.
Unfortunately, Ram becomes caught up in an
intertwined mesh of sexual, political, and religious intrigues. Ram's
relationship with Simihit and Amihar is far more complex than in the Biblical
version of the story. Amihar is a eunuch, a former harem guard. His marriage to
Simihit, former princess of a vanquished nation, was at first simply a political
maneuver, but he later came to care deeply for her. Ram catches the eye of
Simihit. As in the Bible, when Simihit is caught after making advances towards
Ram, she tries to cover her tracks by accusing Ram of attempted rape. Amihar does not necessarily believe her. He
asks Ram what happened, but Ram steadfastly defends Simihit's honor, leaving
Amihar no choice but to have him thrown into prison. Simihit is deeply affected
by Ram's willingness to accept prison rather than reveal her attempted
infidelity and relents of her accusation, confessing the truth. After Ram's
release, he becomes involved in a power struggle between the wealthy followers
of Amun, chief of the traditional Egyptian pantheon, versus the oppressed
followers of Aten, god of the monotheistic Atenist heresy. Although Simihit is
a priestess of Amun, she is a secret convert to the Cult of Aten. Throughout
these troubles, Ram is fiercely loyal to both Simihit and Amihar, and his
loyalty is rewarded by his release from slavery. Over the subsequent years, he
rises in stature, takes an Egyptian wife, and becomes a trusted adviser to
Pharaoh. Severe famine strikes, and Joseph's brothers turn up asking for food.
Ram toys with his brothers before revealing his identity, and they become
reconciled. The movie ends with Ram and his family traveling back to his
homeland and becoming reunited with his father.
Open-minded practicing Muslims liked the
movie as they believe that art is a soul builder. Some Muslims and some
Christians disliked the movie as it is not a thorough adaptation of the
religious story or utter new version. They also disliked the idea of the
philosophical shades Chahine added up to the story as they believe religion and
religious stories should be followed thoroughly and should be taken for granted
rather than thought about.
References:
"Founding father of Egyptian cinema". The
Australian. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 23 October 2018.
Elley, Derek (20 November 1994). "The
Emigrant". Variety. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012.
Retrieved 28 October 2018.
Page, Matt. "Al-Mohager (The Emigrant)".
Retrieved 12 October 2018.
"FILM: Egypt - Banned: Al-Mohager (The Emigrant)".
dOCUMENTA (13). Archived from the original on 6 March 2015. Retrieved 12
October 2018.
Questions for discussion:
Movies should not discuss religious
subjects.
People should think about religious dogma.
