The River of Love (film)

The River of Love
VHS cover
Directed by	Ezzel Dine Zulficar
Produced by	Helmy Rafla
Written by	Leo Tolstoy Yussef Issa Ezzel Dine Zulficar
Starring	Faten Hamama Omar Sharif
Music by	Andre Ryder
Cinematography	Wahid Farid
Editing by	Hussein Ahmed
Release date(s)	December 12, 1960
Running time	120 minutes
Country	Egypt
Language	Arabic

The River of Love, (Arabic: نهر الحب‎, Nahr al-Hob) is a 1960 Egyptian romance film starring Faten Hamama and Omar Sharif. The film is directed by the Egyptian film director Ezzel Dine Zulficar and based on Leo Tolstoy's novel, Anna Karenina. The film was listed in the top 150 Egyptian films in 1996.^[1]

Plot

Taher Pasha (Zaki Rostom), a wealthy and powerful man, falls in love with Nawal (Faten Hamama) and decides to marry her. Influenced by the money, her brother Mamdouh (Omar El-Hariri) forces her to marry the Pasha. She accepts and marries Taher. After their marriage, Nawal's life turns into a miserable one, living lonely in the Pasha's house. She gets pregnant and gives birth to her only child. A young police officer named Khalid (Omar Sharif) falls in love with Nawal, who mutually shares the love.^[1][2]

For months the lovers keep their relationship a secret until Taher Pasha finds out that his wife might be having an affair. She faces her tyrant husband and demands a divorce, but he refuses. Nawal's brother threatens Taher of publicly revealing his wrongdoings and transgressions to the press if he wouldn't divorce Nawal. Nawal travels with Khalid to Lebanon. Taher Pasha sends some of his people to spy on her and receives pictures clearly showing Nawal with Khalid. Furious, Taher divorces her and keeps custody of their child. Khalid dies in a battle in the war. Nawal returns to Egypt and tries to get her child back, but fails. Despaired and devastated, Nawal commits suicide by binding herself to a railroad.^[1][2]

Cast

• Faten Hamama as Nawal
• Omar Sharif as Khalid
• Zaki Rostom as Taher Pasha
• Omar El-Hariri as Mamdouh
• Fuad Al Mohandes as Fuad, Khalid's friend

References

1. ^ ^{a b c} "Nahr al-Hob" (in Arabic). Faten Hamama's official website. http://www.fatenhamama.com/Arabic/films/Nahr-Elhob.html. Retrieved 2007-04-10. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "نهر الحب" (in Arabic). Adab wa Fan. http://www.adabwafan.com/display/product.asp?id=38145. Retrieved 2007-04-10. 

External links

• The River of Love at the Internet Movie Database