In 1979, the Egyptian director Yahya Al-Alami presented a series about the life of the great writer Abbas Mahmoud Al-Aqqad, entitled “The Giant”, which is a title that Al-Aqqad deserves, just as the late great artist Mahmoud Morsi, who had the “unique personality” who played the role of Al-Aqqad in the series, deserves it, as he is one of the masters of the art of acting. Bones, whose performance is taught in acting institutes.
Morsi enriched Egyptian cinema with important films, 6 of which were chosen on the list of the 100 best Egyptian films during the twentieth century, in addition to his theatrical, television and radio works that he presented on radio stations in France, Britain and Egypt, as an actor and director. The Alexandria Film Festival celebrated it during its 39th session that passed a few days ago. On the centenary of his birth, he published a book covering his career, entitled “The Giant,” written by Dr. Walid Saif, professor of film criticism at the Academy of Arts, which analyzes his “exceptional” performance, as he described it, and reveals the features of his uniqueness along with the richness of his artistic experience.
Mahmoud Morsi (1923: 2004), a native of Alexandria, lived away from the limelight throughout his artistic career, which exceeded half a century. You rarely find him interviewed in the press or on television, and his fans hardly know about his private life except for his marriage to the artist Samiha Ayoub, who… It lasted for about three years, and he had a son with her, Dr. Alaa, the artist and psychiatrist.
The author begins the book by talking about the beginnings under the title “Stories of Dignity, Art, and Alienation,” addressing the artist’s harsh childhood after the separation of his parents. Morsi mentioned in some of his previous rare interviews that this separation left a profound impact on him in the short and long term, as he described it, His father sent him to boarding school, and he was not allowed to see his mother except twice a week. He enrolled in multiple language schools during the thirties in his city of Alexandria, which was bustling with European communities as a “cosmopolitan” city.
Mahmoud Morsi presented various characters (archive)
Mahmoud Morsi did not expect that life would push him toward acting. During high school, his schoolmates nominated him to star in the play “Louis Oedipus character.
With Samiha Ayoub in the movie “The Rebel” (author of The Giant)
The author points out that the late artist worked as a teacher for five years, and in 1951 he implemented his decision to turn to art. He sold his house and traveled to study directing at the Institute of Higher Cinematographic Studies (IDEC) in France. He succeeded in his studies and worked on French radio, but he was exposed during the tripartite aggression against Egypt in 1956. Under pressure to read hurtful comments about Egypt that affected the country and President Gamal Abdel Nasser, he left France for Britain, only to leave it after a few months as well, because he and his colleagues refused to remain in a country that assaulted his country and attacked its lands, a heroism that the Egyptian press talked about at the time. After his return, he was appointed as a radio director. Egyptian, where he directed and acted in many Egyptian and international plays, only to be surprised one day when producer Ramses Naguib summoned him, and director Niazi Mostafa gave him the first cinematic role in his life.
“I did not think or want to be an actor, but acting was destined for me as if it was an inescapable destiny, and every time I ran away from it, I was suddenly surrounded by it again,” Morsi said, adding: “For me, acting at all stages was closer to To the ball that I was trying to get rid of, I throw it forcefully to the last range, and it returns to me with the same force.
Dr. says Walid Saif in his book: “Despite this, it is not possible to imagine a profession other than acting.”
Dr.. Walid Saif, author of “The Giant” (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Morsi’s beginning was through the movie “I Am the Fugitive.” The author of the book believes that his great success in this role was the reason for trying to mold him into evil roles for some time, but he was able to get out of this circle quickly, and he presented various roles commensurate with his abilities and talent in his next two films. “The Rebellious” and “The Open Door,” while his fourth film, “The Last Night,” opposite Faten Hamama with director Kamal Al-Sheikh, is what the author considers his serious debut, and it is the most important and prominent role for him at that stage. The language of the film, which relied on silence and expression, contributed With a tense face and rhythm, he demonstrated his abilities as an actor.
During his cinematic career, Morsi made 25 films, which is a relatively small number even considering that he entered the scene late in life, but it is noticeable, according to the author, that the majority of the works in which he participated were characterized by a good level, as he did not slip into the level of bad or weak works, and it was Six of his films were selected on the list of the 100 best films in the history of Egyptian cinema, which are “Quail and Autumn,” “A Thing of Fear,” “A Song on the Passage,” “My Wife and the Dog,” “Night and Bars,” and “Sons of Silence.” ».
Morsi (archive)
Mahmoud Morsi participated in teaching at the Institutes of Cinema and Theater Arts. He also took over the management of the National Theater and translated many international works, including the book “Preparing the Actor” by the famous director “Stanislavsky” with the participation of his friend and colleague Dr. Muhammad Zaki Ashmawi, Professor of Arabic Literature.
The book “The Giant” contains five chapters, including “Films and Personalities,” which includes the author’s analysis of his cinematic works, and “The Giant Outside Cinema,” which deals with his television works that he began in the late sixties, with which he left an unforgettable impact, including “Zeinab and the Throne.” And “The Journey of Mr. Abu El-Ela Al-Bishri,” “The Bird of Fire,” and “Bein Kasserine,” which is the only work that he felt regret accepting when he said about it (that he lost this round to Yehia Shaheen, and the series “Summer Glow” in 2004 was his last work. ) who passed away while filming it.
