Egyptian critics: The movie “Barbie” did not deserve to be banned, and there are omissions from it
A few days after it was shown in Egypt, and it achieved huge revenues, the movie “Barbie” sparked controversy among Egyptian critics, especially since they found after watching it that it did not deserve a ban or any controversy surrounding it, and it was revealed that the producer, “Disney”, allowed some omissions.
The critic, Safaa Al-Laithi, wrote on her Facebook account: “Only yesterday I watched the Barbie movie, and I did not understand a reason for banning the show. I found that it is a nice social comedy film that mocks the claim of feminism as well as masculinity, and calls for a balanced society in a fantasy way, which may not be directed For young children, but it is appropriate for teens and other ages, not to prevent the arts.
The post sparked controversy among the critic’s followers, as the director, Muhammad Al-Adl, responded, directing his speech to the critic: “What you saw is this movie after omissions.” Al-Laithi replied, saying: “The version that I saw in it has sexual overtones, nothing more than the overtones of the new laughs we are aware of, talk about sex in a way comic”.
As for the critic Magda Morris, she told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that she did not see at all that there was a reason to prevent the film from being shown. “He calls for women’s liberation, lifting guardianship from the father, and her freedom to make her own decisions, so what is the reason for preventing this?!”.
For his part, critic Tariq Al-Shennawy said, in televised statements, that he had watched the film since it was shown in Egypt, stressing that there were omissions in the work, and a scene directly in homosexuality was deleted, and one of the dialogue sentences was also deleted. He pointed out that this is the same thing that happened in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as the two countries next to Egypt demanded that the producing party, Disney, delete what was mentioned for the possibility of showing it, and it was actually approved.
Al-Shennawy stressed that Disney’s approval of the three countries’ request indicates “the strength of the cinematic art market in these countries,” according to him. He pointed out that “in general, homosexuality exists in our world, but there are certainly reservations about discussing it artistically and presenting it in many countries, not only Arab, but there are also European countries that do not address this thorny issue, especially in works directed at children.”
The film was banned in several Arab countries, including Lebanon and Kuwait, and it was withdrawn from Algerian theaters days after it was shown.
And “Barbie” is a movie starring Margot Robbie in the role of “Barbie”, who is expelled from the world of Barbie for not being perfect enough, so she is forced to prove her worth in reality, and she is accompanied on her journey by Ryan Gosling, who embodies the role of “Ken”, and he also participates Also, Will Ferrell, Dua Lipa, Helen Mirren, and directed by Greta Gerwig.
