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The Open Door
The Open Door
	Film Poster
Directed by	Henry Barakat
Written by	Henry Barakat ; Latifa al-Zayyat ; Yussef Issa
Starring	Faten Hamama ; Mahmoud Mousry ; Saleh Salim
Release date	7 October 1963;
Country	Egypt
Language	Arabic

The Open Door (Arabic: الباب المفتوح, translit. El-Bab el-Maftuh) is a 1963 Egyptian drama film directed by Henry Barakat and starring Faten Hamama, Mahmoud Moursy, and Saleh Selim. The film was adapted from Egyptian writer Latifa al-Zayyat's 1960 novel of the same name and recipient of the inaugural Naguib Mahfouz Medal for Literature.^[1]^[2]^[3]

Plot

Set in the 1950, The Open Door follows Layla, a young woman challenging societal norms and family expectations.

Layla starts by joining a student protest against her father's conservative values, leading to conflicts at home. She is then pressured into an arranged marriage with her philosophy professor, highlighting the limited choices for women in that era. Throughout the film, Layla navigates various relationships while asserting her independence.

A turning point comes when Layla goes on a hunger strike to protest against her constrained life. Meanwhile, amidst political turmoil, Layla's personal journey reflects Egypt's broader social changes during the Suez Canal Crisis.

Ultimately, Layla finds love and support in Hussain who respects her desire for autonomy and represents a hopeful future for her and women's rights in Egypt.

Cast

Faten Hamama as Laila
Mahmoud Mousry as Fouad
Saleh Selim as Hussain
Shouweikar as Gamila
Hasan Youssef as Isam

References

^ Dream Makers on the Nile: A Portrait of Egyptian Cinema - Page 29 =977424429X Mustafa Darwish - 1998 ... She was at her best in films like Du'aa al-Karawan (Call of the Curlew, 1959), adapted from a novel by Taha Hussein; al-Bab al-Maftuh (The Open Door, 1963), from a story by Latifa al-Zayat; and al-Haram (The Sin, 1964), from a story by Yusef Idris. The Open Door is set in the city. The heroine, by ...
^ Arab Observer - Issues 172-184 - Page 152 1963 «THE OPEN DOOR» The last twenty years have witnessed a radical change in the position and outlook of women in Egypt. From a docile chattel owned and ordered about by ... The director Henry Barakat, gives us some interesting symbolism in his photography and montage. The piercing beat of the drum at the celebration of a loveless marriage is immediately followed by a shot in the Suez Canal area where the heroine's brother...
^ Oliver Leaman Companion Encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African Film 1134662521 - 2003 - Some of Barakat's highly praised films were literary adaptations, such as the patriotic Fi Baytinna Rajul/ A Man in our House (1961) and the quasi-feminist al-Bab al-Maftuh / The Open Door (1963). Barakat discovered, moreover, the Lebanese singer Sabah (singer) and presented her for the first time in al-Qalb Lahu Wahid/ The Heart Loves Only One in 1945. He directed in Lebanon two of the most successful musicals, starring the Rahbani Brothers and the singer Fayruz (singer) Safar Barlak (1967) ..