So what’s playing doesn’t really matter since my friend and I are here to experience an evening of Egyptian cinema. And it’s not like we’re going to miss out on more elevated film fare anyway; we’d been warned that post-Ramadan movies constitute fairly lowbrow entertainment.

This is the time of year when the Egyptian film industry releases a flood of mass-produced feature films – melodramas and family comedies starring popular singers and TV stars. Our chance selection turns out to be Seib Wana Seib , which, as we learn in a review the next day, is an unholy cross between Home Alone and Adventures in Babysitting.

We use the intervening hour to explore the city, then return to the theatre and take our place at the end of the line. The noise level from the crowd of excited teens and young families reaches deafening proportions. The narrow entrance, guarded by two vigilant officers, allows only one person to squeeze through at a time. Despite the police presence, there is a great deal of jostling for a better spot. As I take in the pandemonium, I contemplate offering our tickets to two braver moviegoers.

We are about to make our escape when the dust settles and we manage to get inside. Astonishingly, the theatre is half empty. All that commotion for this? We grab two seats on the lower level, and soon the action picks up again. People are running and chasing each other around the room while various scuffles break out as officers try in vain to maintain order. Turns out the real entertainment is just beginning.

Before the lights dim, we take a good look around. With most of the seats missing at least one bolt, it’s clear that not a piastre has been spent on the interior since Nasser died. The Egyptians have a decidedly strange attitude toward preserving their heritage. The pyramids, the temples, the Nile Delta – all suffer from the same neglect despite the constant flood of sightseers they attract. Having been so richly endowed by history, maybe the people of Cairo are simply unaware of the impact the passage of time has had on their national treasures?

We decide to pack it in after an hour, our curiosity about Egyptian cinema satisfied. We wave to the ticket girl on our way out and offer ourselves up to the post-Ramadan throng. At the hotel, we meet up with our Cairo friend who eagerly asks us what movie we saw. I pause for a second, shrug my shoulders and reply, “I’m not sure, but I think it was called The Faded Rose of Cairo.” 

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