Cairo Station Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Cairo Station Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 19, 2025

Youssef Chahine's "Cairo Station" (1958) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include new program with critic Joseph Fahim; the documentary "Cairo as Seen by Chahine"; archival program with Youssef Chahine; and more. In Arabic, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The Devil is a woman

At the main train station in Cairo, Kenawi (Youssef Chahine) has been selling newspapers to make ends meet for years. However, it is not why he sticks out like a sore thumb, and virtually everyone knows him by name. Because he is an introverted, harmless cripple, Kenawi has become the area’s most popular punching bag.

A much bigger attraction at the train station is Hanuma (Hind Rostom), a curvy beauty with a radiant smile, who runs around, often too hot and soaked in sweat, selling soft drinks. Hanuma works with several other women, all her age, but not a single one of them can match her energy and ability to excite the predominantly male clientele. Because Hanuma has agreed to marry small-time businessman Abu Serih (Farid Shawqi), her partners and regular customers know that her working days at the train station are coming to an end.

Kenawi knows it, too, which is why he has finally gathered the courage to reveal to Hanuma that he loves her – truly and unconditionally. He is also ready to make a counter marriage proposal, hoping that Hanuma has already grown tired of waiting for Abu Serih to officially make her his wife. If she agrees to marry him, Kenawi will take Hanuma to the countryside, build a small but perfect home for them, and make her the happiest wife and mother on earth.

At the right time, while Hanuma takes a breather from selling her soft drinks, Kenawi approaches her with a fancy present and opens his heart. Then, while Hanuma is still trying to determine if her admirer might have spent too much time under the scorching sun, Kenawi begins describing their future perfect home in the countryside. The inevitable rejection instantly transforms Kenawi into the most miserable human being in the entire city of Cairo.

The most bitter one, too.

Soon after, as the latest news about a killer on the loose breaks out, Kenawi hatches a different plan for Hanuma. At a busy corner of the train station, Kenawi then spends his daily earnings to purchase a very long, very sharp knife.

Chahine is not just a tremendous actor, but also a rather remarkably good director. For example, there is a lot of material in Cairo Station that easily could have emerged from a famous classic film shot by one of the big post-war Italian neorealist directors. The effective overlapping of comedy and drama, both completely unfiltered, also feels borderline revolutionary, especially considering how Hanuma’s femininity fully dominates the two.

However, Cairo Station does have two unmissable weaknesses. First, no one else can match the quality of Chahine and Rostom’s performances, which is unfortunate because there are other interesting characters around them. Second, it feels like the resolution is slightly rushed. After the counter marriage proposal is rejected, the ensuing character transformation could have been longer, and the drama it unleashes even more intense.

Apparently, shortly after it premiered in local theaters, Cairo Station was banned by Egyptian authorities. Twenty years later, it was rediscovered and rereleased.

Cairo Station Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Cairo Station arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new 4K restoration was created from the 35mm original camera negative. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the original soundtrack negative.

Mastering supervisors: Lee Kline, Giles Sherwood.
Colorist: Anthony Rafaele/Resillion, New York.
Image restoration: Prasad Corporation, Burbank, CA.
Audio restoration: The Criterion Collection."

Excluding a bit of unevenness noticeable during the opening credits and prologue, the rest of the film looks excellent or gorgeous. I felt that in a few darker areas the grayscale could have been managed just slightly better, but on my system, all visuals, regardless of whether they came from darker or daylight footage, had a very stable and attractive organic appearance. There are no traces of problematic digital corrections. Image stability is excellent. Also, I was quite surprised to see how immaculate the film looked. If there were any age-related anomalies before, it is impossible to tell now. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Cairo Station Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: Arabic LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The lossless track is excellent. The narration and all exchanges sound very clear, sharp, and stable. The only decent dynamic contrasts emerge when the trains move, so dynamic variety is very, very modest. The film does not have a prominent music score. I did not encounter any age-related anomalies to report. The English translation is excellent.

Cairo Station Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Joseph Fahim - in this new program, critic and programmer Joseph Fahim discusses Youssef Chahine's life and career, as well as the production and reception of Cairo Station. In English, with English subtitles. (28 min).

• Chahine... Why? - this archival documentary examines the production history of Cairo Station. Included in it are clips from interviews with Youssef Chahine, screenwriter Abdel Hay Adib, and actors Hind Rostom and Farid Shawki. The documentary was produced by Mona Ghandour in 2009. In Arabic, with English subtitles. (25 min).

• Cairo as Seen by Chahine - in 1991, Youssef Chahine made this cinematic portrait for French television. Controversial in Egypt upon its original release, it was ultimately banned by the government and has rarely been distributed since. Presented here is a new 2K restoration of it, with an introduction by Joseph Fahim. In Arabic, with English subtitles. (24 min).

• Youssef Chahine - presented here is an excerpt from an exchange between Youssef Chahine and critic and filmmaker Peter von Bagh at the 1998 edition of the Midnight Sun Festival. In English, with English subtitles. (12 min).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring Joseph Fahim's essay "Of Time and the City" and technical credits.

Cairo Station Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Joseph Fahim disagrees with the popular claim that Cairo Station shares many of the qualities and themes that define the work of the Italian neorealist directors. However, this connection is beyond obvious. In fact, it is not difficult to conclude that it was likely one of the main reasons Cairo Station was initially a flop, which Egyptian authorities promptly sanctioned. I liked Cairo Station a lot. It is a poignant yet quite cruel and even oddly subversive film, so uncharacteristically brave that it is impossible not to admire. I will most likely include it on my Top Ten list at the end of the year. Criterion's Blu-ray release introduces a wonderful, exclusive new 4K restoration of it. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.