I'm surprised there are not many films that incorporate both the popular film elements and some of the women films elements. It doesn't seem that hard to make a film that has multiple characters, some of whom are women who face problems pertinent to women. I do not know why some directors just cram every single women's issue into an entire film in an unrelenting onslaught. If you want a film that will generate commercial success, you need to make a film that men will want to see. A male audience may still be influenced enough by only small, unexpected presentations of women's issues.

Ozturk should watch "Mustang" and reconsider his position. I agree with Tanriover (based on his analysis) that things seem to have changed and a more "feminine" women's cinema has emerged that does focus on women's issues. However, I do not know which definition of women's cinema I would use. I would like to think they do not all have to focus on such issues like those presented in "Mustang," however. I believe social commentary on women's lives can be provided without addressing such serious issues.

I suspect that part of the glass ceiling in the popular film industry may be a factor of networking. In Hollywood, for example, many directors and actors seem to get their start because they now or are related to people who are already in the film industry. Newcomers in general have a tough time, as the article states, but the clearly male-dominated industry I believe are simply pushed out because they lack connections like men.

This is an important theme that might alter the viewer's perception of the film if he kept this theme in mind. The film excelled at this throughout its entirety, from the beginning and the closing of school, to the middle and the roadblocks, to the end and the starvation people faced. I did not think about this very much, perhaps because this is a typical theme shown in many films depicting the effects of war/occupation. I am personally almost numb to the scenes in the film given the much more graphic and disturbing scenes from other films. The Pianist for example comes to mind.

I could use some clarification. This is a film bringing an issue into the social conscience, challenging the norms/breaking a taboo. But it's not the only film that has done this as the author just mentioned on the previous page (the movies of the 80s, besides the action films, were about the war). So to what extent was this film groundbreaking strictly in terms of the subject presented?

This speaks immensely to not only the impact of Egypt's hegemonic hold on Arab cinema but also the struggle of Lebanese cinema as it attempts to compete with its Egyptian counterpart. This also reminds me of the Shafik reading which details this history more. The film should also be considered heavily in this context.

Interesting how the theme of isolation and loneliness presents itself to us again. We continue to witness individuals struggling, by themselves, to navigate in a world on their own. There almost always seems to be the potential for community or camaraderie, including in our current film as the leper colony is a community in and of itself. However, we do not see any sort of potential here which surely influenced Farrokhzad's poetry, as it's mentioned, and also the film.

Does love serve as a liberating for in "The House is Black?" We see glimpses of hope in the film, particularly during the scene involving music and dancing. Was the point of the film to show that those lepers could still be loved? Does loving a leper defies societal and cultural limitations? It would certainly go against norms.

This theme/symbolism persisted throughout "The House is Black," as the narrator refers to being a dove and flying away to allude to the desire for freedom. Instead of feeling trapped by only social norms, the lepers are trapped almost literally in a house that certainly feels like a prison at times, compounding their feelings of isolation and loneliness resulting from the social stigma against them.

I'm surprised that the article does not go into more detail regarding his character. Madbouli is, in my opinion, the best character in terms of morals and ethics. I think that everyone else in the film behaves questionably at times and often pursues their own interests with some exceptions (like Abu Saria protecting Kinawi from bullying). But Madbouli is the archetypal wise, fatherly figure trying to guide the disenfranchised Kinawi through life. I wish his character had been explored more

I loved the use of her as a comparison/contrast to Kinawi as they both seem to seek the same thing: love beyond their means. I couldn't help but wonder about her situation, her background, etc. She may be just as "lost" as Kinawi or have secrets she's hiding, but the audience judges her differently from Kinawi because of his socio-economic status and appearance.