An Egyptian Story

An Egyptian Story

Year: 1982

Runtime: 120 mins

Language: Arabic

FantasyDrama

After “Alexandria, Why?” Egyptian director Yehia Mourad, now in his thirties, enjoys professional success but has grown distant from his wife and children. While shooting the climax of his new film he suffers a symbolic heart blockage; doctors in England order emergency surgery. The film blends fact and fiction with absurdist fantasy to probe the personalities and forces that made Yehia—and Youssef Chahine—who they are.

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Timeline – An Egyptian Story (1982)

Trace every key event in An Egyptian Story (1982) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Heart attack on the film set

Yehia Mourad collapses from a heart attack while directing a film, an opening moment that underlines his volatile temperament and obsession with control. The event shocks the crew and signals a life lived under intense creative pressure. It sets up the film’s meditation on fragility and self-importance.

Opening scene On a film set
2

Journey to London for diagnosis and bypass

Following the heart attack, Yehia travels to London for medical evaluation. He is eventually advised to undergo a heart bypass, a procedure that becomes a pivot in his life. The trip pits his ego against medicine and fate.

Shortly after the heart attack London, United Kingdom
3

Day before surgery with his chauffeur

The day before the operation, Yehia spends time with his chauffeur, a moment that hints at intimate tensions between them. Their exchanges are charged with glances that readers interpret as homoerotic undercurrents. The scene adds a personal, private layer to his public image as a filmmaker.

The day before surgery London
4

Anaesthetic plunge into a surreal chest-court

As Yehia is put under, the action shifts to a surreal court trial inside his chest cavity, with the ribs forming roof beams. The proceedings become a psychedelic arena where his inner self is judged. The setting blends anatomy with allegory to explore his vulnerabilities.

During anesthesia Yehia's chest (surreal court)
5

Inner child on trial and arterial witnesses

Yehia's inner child takes the stand, while plastic tubes serve as witness conduits and white crystals symbolize the arteries and cholesterol choking them. The courtroom chaos intercuts with flashbacks, blurring fantasy and memory. The scene probes abandonment and self-loathing from Yehia's past.

During the court proceedings Inside the chest
6

Youthful riots in Egypt

Flashbacks show Yehia as a youth taking part in riots against British forces in Egypt. The sequence links his early political engagement to his later insistence on personal artistic vision. These memories frame the film's political and creative context.

Youth period Egypt
7

Cairo Station allusion film

He stars in and directs a film that alludes to the classic Cairo Station, signaling his early ambitions and provocative style. The episode marks a key moment in his struggle for cinematic recognition. It emphasizes how his work mingles art with controversy.

Early career Egypt / on set (the film within the film)
8

Seeking Euro-American validation; Moscow prize

Yehia travels to Cannes and New York seeking European and American validation, but faces rejection from those markets. Undeterred, he wins a prize at the inaugural Moscow International Film Festival, signaling official recognition from the Eastern bloc. The contrasts illustrate the geopolitical tension in his career.

Early career / festival circuit Cannes, New York, Moscow
9

Film about the Battle of Algiers

In the flashbacks, Yehia makes a film about the Battle of Algiers (1956–57), possibly alluding to the later 1966 movie, The Battle of Algiers. The project underscores his artistic ambition to engage with political history. It also foreshadows clashes with censorship and the limits placed on his vision.

1956–57 era Studio / Film set
10

Ageing Yehia clashes with censors but continues

As censors tighten their grip, Yehia refuses to shelve his controversial project and presses on with filming. The resistance heightens the political tension surrounding his work. His stubbornness becomes a defining trait of his late career.

Late career Egypt / studio
11

Second heart attack during censorship clash

In the midst of this censorship battle, Yehia suffers another heart attack, underscoring the perilous cost of artistic defiance. The medical crisis intensifies the surreal balance between body and cinema that the film dramatizes. This failure forces a pause that shifts the narrative toward recovery.

During the censorship clash On set / hospital
12

Family: mother, sister, Amal and patriarchal oppression

Interwoven flashbacks reveal Yehia's fraught relationships with his mother, sister, and wife Amal, each constrained by patriarchal norms. Their behavior is shown as both a consequence and reinforcement of oppression he experienced. The trio's dynamics illuminate the social context shaping his art and life.

Throughout life Egypt / family settings
13

Inner child condemned to death

Within the chest-court, the inner child is condemned to death and plunges into an artery with a knife in an attempt to kill Yehia. The moment crystallizes Yehia's self-destructive impulses and the urge to deny his own humanity. The dramatic image intensifies the surreal court's indictment of his life choices.

During anesthesia Inside the chest
14

Surgical extraction and bodily reconciliation

The surgeon operates and extracts the inner child, saving Yehia from death. As he regains consciousness, Yehia confronts the fragment of himself he just expelled. The healing process begins with this symbolic separation and reunion.

Post-anesthesia Hospital operating room
15

Inner child merges back and ending

In a final, intimate exchange, Yehia meets his inner child, makes peace with him, and watches the two merge back into one. The merge signals a reconciliation between self-destructive impulses and creative ambition. The film ends on a note of fragile, hopeful harmony.

Ending / post-recovery Hospital

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:55

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An Egyptian Story Summary

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