Cairo is a 1963 heist film directed by Wolf Rilla, written by Joan LaCour Scott (credited under the pseudonym Joanne Court), and starring George Sanders, Richard Johnson, Faten Hamama, John Meillon, Ahmed Mazhar, and Eric Pohlmann. It is a remake of the 1950 film noir The Asphalt Jungle, relocating the story from the American Midwest to Cairo, Egypt.
Production and Release
The film was produced by Ronald Kinnoch through Lawrence P. Bachmann Productions and MGM-British Studios, and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was shot entirely in and around Cairo, including at the Egyptian Museum, the City of the Dead, the Giza Plateau, the Colossi of Memnon, Medinet Habu, and Cairo International Airport. Studio interiors were filmed at Arabian Studios. Principal photography took place in mid-1962. According to contemporary trade reports, it was described as the "first international film to be made in the English language in the Egyptian city."
The film premiered in San Francisco on January 29, 1963, and opened in Los Angeles on February 13, 1963. It runs 91 minutes and was shot in black and white.
Plot
Former British soldier Major Pickering (George Sanders) arrives in Cairo on a phony passport after years in a German prison, intending to execute a plan to steal King Tutankhamun's jewels from the Egyptian Museum. He assembles a gang including Willy (John Meillon), an explosives expert; Ali (Richard Johnson), a hashish addict; Kerim (Ahmed Mazhar), a getaway driver; Nicodemos (Eric Pohlmann), a casino operator; and Kuchuk (Walter Rilla), a wealthy fence. During the heist, an alarm is accidentally triggered, a guard is shot, and Willy is wounded. The gang escapes with the jewels, but a double-cross attempt by Kuchuk leads to a shootout. One by one, the gang members are killed or captured: Nicodemos is intimidated into confessing, Kuchuk commits suicide, Willy dies of his wounds, Ali dies in the arms of his girlfriend Amina (Faten Hamama), and Pickering is arrested after lingering to watch a belly dancer.
Cast
- George Sanders as Major Pickering
- Richard Johnson as Ali
- Faten Hamama as Amina (in her only English-language role)
- John Meillon as Willy
- Ahmed Mazhar as Kerim
- Eric Pohlmann as Nicodemos
- Walter Rilla as Kuchuk
- Kamal el-Shennawi as Ghattas
- Salah Nazmi as Police Commandant
- Shwikar as Marie
- Mona Saxena as Bamba
Background
The film reunited the star (George Sanders), producer (Ronald Kinnoch), and director (Wolf Rilla) of Village of the Damned (1960). The screenplay was based on the 1949 novel The Asphalt Jungle by W. R. Burnett. Prominent Egyptian composer Andre Ryder was originally attached to write the score but was replaced by Kenneth V. Jones before release. Contemporary reviews were mixed; Daily Variety (January 29, 1963) described the film as "laden with cliches and riddled with holes."
