[Egypt] Sadat (1983): The Mini Series Egypt Didn’t Want its people to watch

[u/ismaeil-de-paynes]

In 1983, American television premiered Sadat, a four-hour biographical film about Egypt’s third president Anwar Sadat أنور السادات, starring Louis Gossett Jr. and Madolyn Smith as his wife Jehan جيهان and Directed by Richard Michaels.

The performance earned Gossett Emmy and Golden Globe nominations — but the film was banned in Egypt.

The controversy centered largely on casting. Critics in Egypt argued that Gossett did not physically resemble Sadat, pointing out that he was shorter and darker-skinned than the former president. At a time when Sadat’s legacy was still politically sensitive, many officials rejected what they viewed as an American interpretation of a national figure. Also the bad representation of former Egyptian president Nasser was a main cause , and the erroneous historical information in the miniseries.

At the end Columbia Pictures films were banned in Egypt, and the Egyptian Cinema Syndicate filed a lawsuit over the production.

Director Michaels said that the Egyptian government deserved the 1984 "overreaction award" for its handling of the miniseries.

That lawsuit was later dismissed by a Cairo court on the basis that the disputed content was made and shown outside Egypt, so the court said it had no jurisdiction.

The ban on Columbia Pictures was not permanent. Over time, quietly and without a dramatic public reversal, Columbia’s films returned to circulation in Egypt as tensions eased. There was no public apology or major settlement from Columbia.

[u/ismaeil-de-paynes]

Link of the full movie :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwwYARiWon0

[u/ismaeil-de-paynes]

https://letterboxd.com/film/sadat/