Abee Fawq Al Shajara / My Father Is Up the Tree

Gana+Al+Hawa_Abi+Fawq+Al+Shajarah.jpg

أبي فوق الشجرة / Abee Fawq Al Shajara (My Father Is Up the Tree) is the quintessential Egyptian summer film from 1968, directed by Hussain Kamal and starring  Abdel Halim Hafez, Nadia Lutfi and Mervat Amin.

The film follows Adel (Abdel Halim Hafez) and his friends on a summer break in Alexandria, Egypt. Whilst on vacation, he attempts to spend some alone time with his girlfriend Amal (Mervat Amin), but being the good, well behaved girl that she is, she keeps refusing. Adel then meets and falls for  Firdaus (Nadia Lutfi), a nightclub belly dancer and a woman older than him. They have an affair together and during this affair, they go to Beirut for a break together where she has a dancing gig. I won't explain what happens in the rest of the film, but it will include heartache and betrayal.

But for now, I'd like you to watch this scene from the film with Adel and Firdaus in Beirut - what is basically a video clip for Abdel Halim's song جانا الهوا / Gana Al Hawa (The Wind Has Come to Us).

The tanned bodies, passionate kisses, dancing, hillside picnics, swimming pools and boat rides, it's all in this clip.