Destiny

Part melodrama, part musical extravaganza, and part plea for religious tolerance, this film by the celebrated Egyptian director Youssef Chahine is the story of the medieval philosopher Ibn-Rashd (known in the West as Averroes). A tireless warrior for free speech, literacy, and rationalism, he strives to preserve the works of Aristotle and other great thinkers while being harassed by conservative clerics. Meanwhile, his followers counteract the zealots’ austerity through exuberant song and dance. While not based on The Thousand and One Nights, we’re including it in this film series because its setting in the multicultural society of twelfth-century Muslim-ruled Cordoba evokes the tales’ era and atmosphere. “Rip-roaring entertainment . . . a hot-blooded romantic adventure” raved Stephen Holden in The New York Times.

Director: Youssef Chahine. Countries: France, Egypt. Released: 1998. Length: 137 min. Format: 35mm. Languages: Arabic and French with English subtitles.

Image courtesy of Pyramide International