Children's Movies In The Arab Cinema

To begin with, the meaning of "children's cinema" must be defined. Does it refer to the content, to the roles played by children, to specific techniques or to something else?

In the second half of the twentieth century, attempts to use cinematic arts to address children have so far been too inadequate, although the cinema is the art that can most influence children because of its direct appeal to the senses. It is also a means of opening up the world to the little audiences who may gain much from watching films from different parts of the world.

In terms of content, children's movies may be divided into a few categories. The first category is animated pictures, which have always been made for children since the earliest days, even though some animated productions may be intended for an adult audience. The main feature of this cinematic form is the emphasis on action and imagination. Indeed, provoking the imagination is an essential element in all writings and works intended for children. Action in children's animated pictures has another function. It does not copy reality but transcends it. Without this element, an animated picture does not strictly qualify as a children's movie. This is probably why the Mickey Mouse pictures have been so successful.

Another category is feature films that are popular with both adults and children. The story line or the plot is the most important element that attracts children to this category. Suspense in a feature film may be created by various cinematic elements including music and directing techniques. Feature films especially produced for children are very few and not compatible with the population of children in the Arab world. Two Brother-Friends (directed by Abdul Qadir Al-Tilmisani), produced in 1962, was one such film.

A third category is the documentary and is based on real characters, places and events. One Thousand Years to Look at (directed by Feryal Kamel in 1973) is the first children's documentary in the Arab world. It is a short 10-minute film on children who learn traditional Arab arts in an art center. The film incorporates shots of mosques and Islamic architecture highlighting aspects of beauty in this area and other forms of art in the Arab world.

As for the roles played by children in the cinema, this is an equally important point. Children tend to imitate whatever they see. A child in a movie is more interesting to a child who watches the film - a point to be carefully considered by filmmakers. Evil, violent or ill-tempered children should not be presented in the cinema unless there is an intrinsic necessity arising from characterization or the plot. The representation of reprehensible behavior by children in the cinema should be essentially corrective.

Children have appeared in Arab films since the early productions of the 1930s. The most famous child at that time was Faten Hamama who appears as an attractive innocent child in one of the classics of the Egyptian cinema.

The fact that a role in a film, even if it is the leading role, may be played by a child is not enough to make the film qualify as a children's movie. Many films with children performers are specifically addressed to an adult audience.

The Umbrella tells the story of a little girl who dreams of having an umbrella of her own. She breaks her moneybox and takes the money to buy an umbrella. She goes back home happy with her new possession, but her chiding mother sends her back to the store to return the umbrella and get a refund. The film makes a point here. The mother is portrayed as too uncompromising. Children should be allowed to have some of their little wishes, especially when no harm is involved.

Generally speaking, films produced for the sake of children should have the following features: