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Laila Eloui, Mahmoud Hemeida, Mohamed Mounir, Nour El Cherif, Safia El Emary ... see more see more... , Khaled El Nabaoui , Magdi Idris , Hani Salama , Nour El Sherif

Ideas are imperishable, such is the premise of this powerful, upbeat allegory from one of Egypt's most esteemed directors, Youssef Chahine. Ostensibly the true tale of revolutionary Muslim philosopher... read more read more... Averroes who lived in 12th-century Spain when Arabs ruled Anadulsia, it parallels the story of Chahine's own experiences with Islamic fundamentalists when he released his 1994 film L'Emigre because it dared depict a sacred Muslim prophet. During that time, fundamentalists were not content to merely have the film banned, they also threatened Chahine's life. Despite their destructive efforts, the fundamentalists ultimately failed and L'Emigre became one of Egypt's most successful films. Averroes was a follower of Aristotelian thought, an innovative lawyer and an important scientist (he discovered the purpose of the retina) who lived during the rule of the great liberal Caliph Al Mansour. At the time, the Caliph's rivals were part of Magdi Idris, a fundamentalist sect, who sought to destroy his power by cloaking their own political agendas in religious dogma and spreading it liberally amongst the easily influenced peasantry. Averroes' ordeal began when fundamentalists found his many books espousing a humanistic doctrine contrary to their own. Demanding an end to the spread of the philosophers radical, rationalist ideas, they insisted that the Caliph launch a fatwa against Averroes. To this end, all of his books were publicly burned and Averroes himself was exiled. But before the burning occurred, Averroes' faithful students copied each of his detailed Commentaries on Aristotle and smuggled them to Egypt where in time they were passed down to become the cornerstones of modern Western philosophy. While the narrative itself is relatively straightforward with few epic embellishments, the film contains a few decidedly Arabic twists, such as the inclusion of several Egyptian song and dance numbers that Western audiences may find jarring. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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80% liked it

578 ratings

Unrated, 2 hr. 15 min.

Directed by: Youssef Chahine

Release Date: October 16, 1998

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DVD Release Date: January 4, 2000

Stats: 44 reviews

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Critic Reviews

Sean Axmaker
April 30, 2007
Sean Axmaker, Seattle Weekly

... a rollicking intellectual adventure with the emotional tenor of a melodrama. Full Review

Deborah Young
March 26, 2009
Deborah Young, Variety

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Roger Ebert
February 14, 2001
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

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Peter Stack
February 14, 2001
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle

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Emanuel Levy
June 11, 2005
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

Philip Martin
February 8, 2005
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

No review available.

Wesley Morris
February 14, 2001
Wesley Morris, San Francisco Examiner

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Harvey S. Karten
February 14, 2001
Harvey S. Karten, Compuserve

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