The Second Wife - الزوجة الثانية

Three of the greatest stars of Egypt's silver screen come together in this remarkably courageous and important film, celebrated as one of the all-time masterpieces in the history of Egyptian cinema. Screen legend Shukry Sarhan stars as a poor villager, who lives happily with his wife (played by the incomparable Soad Hosny) despite their humble means. Their contentment is shattered when the corrupt village chief (Salah Mansour, who won an award for this role) forces the couple to divorce, so he can claim the wife as his own. What he doesn't yet know is that his new wife intends to make his life unbearable, as punishment for his cruelty.

This is the first edition of this film poster, a very rare and important discovery. Mansour appears in the middle of the image as the Umda (village chief), commanding and unassailable atop his donkey. His first wife, cruelly cast aside, is to one side, while Hosny is on the other, beautiful as ever. Sarhan appears masked behind a shawl, evidence of his lack of means to resist the chief. The vivid red background symbolizes the story's drama, while Hosny's clever look and the cursive titles add an element of relief.

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