AllMovie

Director and co-writer Henri Barakat has adapted a story by Sekiena Fouad to tell the tale of the July, 1952 revolution in Egypt through the experiences of Fatma (Faten Hamama), a young betrothed woman. Her history is told in flashbacks as she sits on the roof of her house, intending to jump to her death if her brother carries through with his threat to confine her to a mental institution. Fatma's husband-to-be is a fisherman who has been away for a long time looking for work abroad, and she has stayed at home to take care of her two brothers instead of going with him. When he comes back, her brother Galal sees to it that he is arrested, intending to put him in prison for several years. Galal's actions are symbolic of the Egyptians who first swung to the side of the British and King Faruk at the beginning of the hostilities, and then switched to supporting the Egyptian rebel forces led by Gamal Abdel Nasser once they understood who was going to win. Fatma, in turn, represents loyal Egyptians who resisted foreign-backed rule even if it meant dying. The main protagonists are well-interpreted, some historical footage of the fighting is used to good effect, and the body of the story is fast-paced and consistent, but the ending does not ring true and the same can be said for a few other moments in the drama.