Starring: Oum Kulsum

In Arabic with English Subtitles  

Other Egyptian Musicals:
Love of My Life
Flirtation of Girls

Showing:
Sept. 18, 7:15 PM, Towne Theater

During the heyday of the Islamic Empire, poetry and song were among the most elevated forms of artistic expression. What better vehicle for the venerable Oum Kulsom than a film which captures this bygone era and its poetic glory? The name Salaamah, derived from the Arabic word for 'peace', is suggestive of the state of peaceful contemplation the singer invokes in her listeners. Salaamah has the natural gift of voice and is deemed by those who hear her to be better than the finest court singer. Paralleling Oum Kulsom's own rise from peasant to star entertainer, is Salaamah's ascendance from Bedouin girl to singing slave in the Caliph's harem. Along the way, Salaamah captures the heart of the morally upright El Kess, who sets out to win Salaamah's freedom and love, even at the expense of his own purity. However, his love is doomed as El Kess soon becomes torn between his religious devotion and loyalty to the Caliph, and his love for Salaamah. A melodrama of epic proportions, SALAAMAH stands as a tribute to the legendary Oum Kulsom in the archives of Egyptian film.

-- Samirah Alkassim