Adrift on the Nile

(115 mins) In Adrift on the Nile, we meet a group of hedonistic middle-aged friends who gather each night on a luxurious houseboat for dancing, love-making and smoking hashish. When a young reporter visits the houseboat one evening, she is outraged to learn the tragic depths of the group's social alienation.
Based on the novel by the Nobel Laureate Naguib Mahfouz, this 1971 production offers a revealing look at the Egyptian elite on the eve of the 1967 War. By this time, Nasser had ushered in an age of enormous social change, leaving the sons and daughters of the old bourgeoisie high and dry. Directed by Hussein Kamal, Adrift on the Nile features the atmospheric cinematography of Mostapha Emam and a delightful musical number presented in color.

In Arabic with English subtitles.