Response to afrita hanem

Response to Afrita Hanem
The English translation of the film Afrita Hanem, is Lady Genie or Little Miss Lady. The Egyptian film was produced in 1949, by Henry Barakat. The main actors in the film are Asfour and Aleya. The Asfour character is played by Farid Al Atrache, who is a Syrian musician. Asfour is illustrated as a poor and struggling singer, who greatly falls in love. He love Aleya, who is his boss’s spoilt daughter. Asfour desires to marry Aleya. However, her father disputes the marriage intention due to the lower social class status that Asfour belongs to.
Afrita Hanem describes two genres of film. The genres are; Superstitious film, and romantic film. The film is romantic because two scenarios of love are illustrated. Asfour loves Aleya and he desires to marry her. They experience obstacles in their love life. This is because the father of Aleya is against the marriage arrangement, because of differences in social status. The female genie also falls in love with Asfour, and hence tries to manipulate his feelings. The film is superstitious because it involves a supernatural being. The female genie loves and relates with Asfour, through supernatural abilities.
The film illustrates several European influences in the Arab or Islamic world. The first influence illustrated the accumulation of wealth, or the desire to accumulate more wealth. The father of Aleya disapproves the marriage relationship, because Asfour does not have wealth. He wishes that his daughter should be married by a wealthier man, or a person in the same social and economic class. The female genies, also provides Asfour with whatever he desires.
Arab tradition and culture is adequately illustrated in the film. The Arab culture illustrates that consent of the parents is required for a marriage process to take place. The love relationship between Asfour and Aleya, experiences challenges due to the disapproval by the father. The Arab culture illustrates the existence of genies, especially in bottles. The genies are believed to possess powers that grants people their desires; for instance, the desire for love, or wealth.
The Arab society is adequately explained in the film. The society is divided into social classes involving depending on wealth status. The rich are not supposed to relate freely with the poor; especially on serious issues like marriage. The men and women in the Arab society have different roles. The father is supposed to consent to the marriage of his daughter, and the man is supposed to search for a suitable girl and propose marriage.
Symbols are applied in the film. The genie being locked in the lamp for one thousand years illustrates the limited freedom that women have in the Arab world due to tradition; for instance, the limited decision to choose their life or marital life. The title name, Little Miss Devil, illustrates a mischievous personality. The female genie promises Asfour whatever he desires, as long as he stops loving Aleya.
My knowledge of the Arab culture and society has been enhanced by the film. The new issue that I learnt concerns the genie. The genie is a supernatural being that has the unnatural ability of satisfying the wishes or the desires of his or her master. The genies has gender, in the film the genie is female. Genies also fall in love because Kahramana was romantically interested in Asfour.
Work Cited
https://www. youtube. com/watch? v= dEf7jvT5tIA