Between 1940 and the mid-1960s, the Egyptian cinema industry
was the third largest in the world (and it still produces more
than 75% of all Arabic-language films). This golden age of Middle Eastern creativity generated hundreds of movies that appealed to the popular imagination, most of which followed formulaic plots and wove together song and dance with adventure, humor, and happy endings.

In 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser became the second president of Egypt after leading the overthrow of the monarchy. In an effort to modernize the country, he pushed for pan-Arab secular unity, the decolonization of the Middle East, and many socialist government reforms, one of which was the gradual nationalization of Egypt’s film industry starting in 1961. Cairo By Night was the first film completed under state control. The government spared no expense for this production, which featured lavish sets and a star-studded cast.

The plot mimics those of many Hollywood ensemble films from the preceding decades in which a loose storyline is punctuated by scenes involving celebrities playing themselves. This trope was solely intended to showcase a particular studio’s robust talent and
increase sales at the box office. Here, three comedians are trying to meet Sabah, a hugely famous Lebanese singer. They get lost inside the Maspero television building (built under Nasser’s direction to broadcast Egypt’s first television signal) and run into all kinds of entertainers along the way, including well-known actors Nadia Lutfi, Maha Sabry, and Shadia, singers Fayza Ahmed and Nagat El-Sagheera, and the belly dancer Nagwa Fouad, all of whom happen to be in the middle of rehearsing their signature routines.