1949 Beirut, Lebanon

Nouha Salameh Abu-Ghazaleh
Never Reveal a Women’s Age
Beirut, Lebanon
Interviewed on: January 31, 2018
by: Bilal Abu-Ghazaleh

The first movie I ever saw must have been El Warda Al Bayda (in Arabic), or The White Rose in English. I must have been around 10 or 12 years old at the time. It was in Beirut around 1949. I mainly remember the actors in the film: Laila Murad, and another one called Abdelwahab. Both these actors were really famous at the time, but they were more famous for being great singers. It was a beautiful musical.

I don’t really remember much about the movie to be honest, I was very young. Actually, it was a classic love story – at the time, all movies made everyone cry. These two actors, particularly, were the best at the time, they were really famous and. It’s funny, we used to go to the movies just to cry and then go back home. Al Warda Al Bayda was about two people who loved each other, and just like all love stories, someone wouldn’t allow them to be with each other, someone rebels and eventually, someone dies. Everyone in the film is sad, and so was everyone in the theatre; it was a classic love story.

My father and mother took me to the theatre for the first time, it was called Cinema Dunia (which means World Cinema). We went by car and my father drove. Movie theatres at the time were in the downtown, not the residential areas and so you needed to drive to get there. It’s funny, we used to dress up to go to the movies as if it were the most important event. I’m sure, at the time, my mother dressed me appropriately, with a ribbon on my head and everything.

They didn’t have popcorn at the time. It was mainly nuts, and chocolate. When the movie ended, the floor would be covered in peanuts and shells. Popcorn at the time wasn’t popular like it is today, I went to the movies recently and it was all about the popcorn. (See attached image below with popcorn.)

There were ushers at the time in the cinema, with torches to guide you to your seats. They actually used to get tips at the time, unlike today. You have to keep in mind that Beirut was a small city, not like Cairo and so films would only play for a short time. Films usually played for around a week, maybe two if the film was a must see.

I don’t remember what the first Hollywood film I saw was. I was much older at the time, I’m pretty sure I went to my first Hollywood film with friends and not with my parents. I had seen enough Arabic films at the time, that to be honest, it was nothing special for me. I’m sure it was a great film, but it just isn’t memorable enough since it was far from the first film I ever saw. One film that I do remember and really like however, is Wizard of OZ, but that’s a story for a different time.