A discussion of Nissae Bila Regal, Women Without Men, sometimes also known as Only Women, a Youssef Chahine film from 1953 with superb production values, musical numbers a la MGM and a plot that recalls Federico Garcîa Lorca's The House of Bernarda Alba. We discuss many of the themes that are to recur throughout Chahine's oeuvre: the influence of Hollywood cinema, melodrama, an exploration of modernisation, gender roles, a discussion of an idea of nation.....and much more.
