A mayor trades a peasant's son for his own — what could go wrong?
The story of Mayor Abdul Razek al-Sharshabi (Omar al-Sharif) when his younger son, Tawfiq (Khalid al-Nabawi) is called for army recruitment, his wife (Safiya al-Omari), rejects it, suggesting to send someone else to go instead. So the Mayor persuaded a poor father named Abdul-Muqeem (Izzat al-Alayli) to send his only son Masrey instead.
Acting
Omar Sharif's final great performance — chillingly charming.
Direction
Salah Abu Seif's last film, pure Egyptian neorealism.
Director
Salah Abu Seif
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Omar Sharif's return to Egyptian cinema after decades in Hollywood, and his final collaboration with Abu Seif, who directed him in his 1958 breakthrough.
The film mirrors real military conscription scandals in Egypt's elite circles, where wealthy families famously paid substitutes — the 'Masrey' system was literal history.
No ratings yet
Sign in to join the discussion — comments are spoiler-gated to your watch progress.
Discussion starters
EG
