خلود أسمهان ويوسف وهبي

Perhaps the era of Arabic lyrical romance began in the early forties and flourished thereafter, but the song suffered a cerebral stroke with the departure of the geniuses of lyrics, composition, and singing. During those periods, all the soft powers capable of dominance and influence came together, leading to a peak in musical taste. It is said that the romantic trend was a political decision; to lull revolutionary sentiments or to wrap them up after the years of the (Nakba) and (Naksa); thus, the political decision became a driving force for artistic romanticism. Because most intellectuals were preoccupied with the enlightening message, there were fluctuations in every field related to these classifications, and what followed the years of defeat and artistic decline made those who lived in that time wish for a political push to keep us in the era of beautiful romanticism, when life was easy. The call for the return of the era of romanticism came after the famous line of the poet Tarfa bin al-Abd (The days will show you what you were ignorant of... and news will come to you from one you did not equip), for the days have told us that the essence of living well is to be safe and secure in your life. And because our Arab nation has faltered to the point where nothing brings joy, yes, the Arab centers have fallen, and they have wallowed in the memories of the past...

This article is not a case of "spilled milk," but rather I found an opportunity to talk about the aesthetics of Arabic films in their (black and white) version, in films of ease and tranquility, and the simple, calm life that flowed in the course of romanticism. If art is a mirror of reality, then those songs and films embodied the psychological state of Arab societies through the infusion of those romantic sentiments...

Yesterday, I was watching a black-and-white film titled (Love and Revenge), starring Youssef Wahbi and Asmahan. From that film, with its delicate idea and simple dialogue, I learned a piece of information that is rightly attributed to the great artist Youssef Wahbi, who directed the film. His boldness in the decision he made will immortalize his name forever, as he took a step that no one had taken before him (and I imagine no director will do what Youssef Wahbi did). The story goes that during the filming of (Love and Revenge), an unfortunate traffic accident occurred in which the film's heroine, Asmahan, drowned after her car fell into a canal. With the death of the heroine, the script was rewritten to give the heroine a dramatic end through an artistic twist involving her death. The boldness of the ending is that the artist Youssef Wahbi filmed part of Asmahan's funeral with a real scene of Asmahan's corpse.

This film will be remembered in history as the one in which the heroine completed filming her scenes from beginning to end, and I believe that Asmahan is the only actress in the world who completed her role in the film while being a lifeless body.

Youssef Wahbi's decision is one that will immortalize his ability to create shock and astonishment simultaneously. Therefore, an actor or director can succeed in any film with special specifications that enable them to transform death into life.