For this sixth episode, Cinematology creator Mohamed Soliman switched tactics, focusing less on the technical aspects of film and more on biography. In it, he re-edits films featuring much-loved comedian Ismail Yassin and classic cartoons with radio interviews given by the actor to tell his life story.

“I stumbled across several hours of a radio show in which Ismail Yassin talked about his life. It was like discovering a gold mine,” Soliman says.

“Hearing him narrate his life in his own voice really moved me. Instantly I could see scenes from his films matching up with his story,” he adds. “Like his art imitating his life.”

During his career, which spanned from 1935 till 1972, Yassin was involved in hundreds of films and over 60 plays, in addition to his radio monologues.

Yassin often played the kind character everyone took advantage of, and got away with awkward scenes due to his innocent air. After 1952 he made a series of films promoting the military, but when he died he was almost broke. So his life did seem like an extension of his onscreen persona.

“He’s incredible, a comedy giant! I’ve loved him since I was a kid. Whenever he’s on TV, I’ll watch him,” Soliman says. “But it was his real life story that made me want to talk about him this episode. Hope and pain and how we all can identify with that in our own lives.”

In February, we teamed up with Cinematology and translator Amira Elmasry to publish short English-subtitled video essays on Egyptian cinema every other Wednesday. This previous episodes can be found here.