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8.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 8.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Hawadess Kish Kish Bey remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have some free time and want to see where modern Middle Eastern comedy basically started, yes, this is worth your time. But if you cannot stand scratchy audio and actors who gesture so hard they might dislocate a shoulder, you will probably hate it. 🤷♂️
The whole thing is built around Kish Kish Bey, a village mayor who goes to the city and gets immediately tricked. He is played by Nagib El-Rihani, and you can instantly see why people loved him.
The man has an incredible face. He does this thing with his eyebrows where he looks deeply offended and totally clueless at the same time.
It has that same hyperactive, slightly messy energy you find in early silent era stuff like Snookums' Tooth. Everyone is just constantly moving and shouting.
There is this one scene in a hotel lobby where about six people are screaming over each other. The microphone they used must have been fifty feet away because it sounds like they are shouting from inside a tin can.
I definitly could not follow every single joke, but the physical comedy translates perfectly anyway. You do not need to understand the slang to laugh at a guy getting his hat knocked off. 🤠
Also, the clothes are amazing. Everyone is wearing these massive fezzes and suits that look about three sizes too big for them.
I noticed one extra in the background of a cafe scene who just stares straight into the camera lens for a solid ten seconds. He looks like he got lost on his way to the bathroom and just decided to be in the movie.
The plot does not really end so much as it just... stops happening. The movie just sort of runs out of steam and cuts to the credits.
But the energy is what makes it. It is a messy, loud piece of history that is actually fun to watch instead of just being respectable.