The movie, filmed one year after Guevara's death, was criticized for the false presentation of the communist hero.
Of the 80 foreign films Sharif has acted in, he said he is only proud of very few. But he said he is proud of almost all his 25 Egyptian movies, with few exceptions.
As for his new movie, Sharif said it's about a man whose nostalgia takes him back to his homeland, the Mediterranean city of Alexandria.
"It is a multi-faceted life journey. It is like a journey from life to death."
Sharif, who read hundreds of Egyptian and foreign film scripts, said he has never come across one like it.
"When Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni asked me to read the script, I never thought I would like it. Now, I love my role very much, especially the idea of never regretting anything one does throughout one's life."
The movie traces three stages of the lead character's life: youth, middle age, and old age. When he is young, he meets a woman and fathers twin children, and later has grandchildren, unbeknownst to him.
Sharif began his acting career in Egypt in 1954 with the Siraa fi al-Wadi (Struggle in the Valley). His first foreign film was the French La Châtelaine du Liban (The Lady of Lebanon) released in 1959.
It wasn't until the release of Lawrence of Arabia, in which he co-starred with Peter O'Toole and Anthony Quinn, in 1962 that Sharif shot to fame. After 22 years away from Egyptian cinema, Sharif came back with Ayoub (Job) in 1985.
Sharif has been almost a full-time resident of Egypt. This year, his first Egyptian TV serial ever Hanan wa Hanin (Nostalgia) aired during Ramadan.
(Translated from Arabic by Sonia Farid). |
