I was on the train on the way home from work, listening for the first time in ages to Algerian-French singer Rachid Taha on my MP3 player (yes, I still have one). I discovered him when I heard a song of his in a Simon Baker movie called “Something New” (lovely little film about a black woman falling in love with a white guy). Still love that song:
Anyway, I digress… I was in a bit of a Middle-Eastern mood, listening to this exact song, and right into that mood came the news that Omar Sharif (he was Egyptian) has died! http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-33483877
I remember loving him as Dr. Zhivago and in Lawrence of Arabia and in Funny Girl and Funny Lady! There was something about his eyes and the melancholy in his face that always struck me:
He was a bit of a bad boy and a gambler and I may or may not have once imagined him teaching me to play poker… In any case, I haven’t thought of him or heard of him in years, other than not too long ago a news item saying that he was suffering from Alzheimer’s. And today I read he has passed away and I find that that makes me a little sad… I may just have to go watch a few of his old movies now…
Rest in peace, Omar Sharif!
The Book of Esther 
Yes you´re right! There was always a melancholy in his eyes…..and I love Dr. Schiwago ❤
Spiegelonline sagt: ein außergewöhnliches Schimmern in seinen Augen:
http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/kino/omar-sharif-dieser-blick-ein-nachruf-a-1043189.html
😦
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Danke für diesen Link, war interessant zu lesen! Und ja, ausergewöhnliches Schimmern in den Augen stimmt wirklich….
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I also heard this after work today (having had two solid days of not being able to look in during the day). The BBC had an interesting piece on their worldwide radio network about how the perception of him in the West was very different to how he was thought of in Egypt and the Arab world.
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Yes, I had heard that too! Or actually read that, I didn’t hear the BBC broadcast you heard….
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Der größte Omar Sharif Fan der Familie ist meine Mama – ich glaube ich habe nicht einmal ‘Doktor Schiwago’ jemals ganz gesehen.
ABER ich mag Rachid-Taha 😉 … es gibt auch eine tolle “The Clash” Cover Version von “Rock the Kasbah” von ihm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DbFYsi9iSg von ihm 🙂
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Dr. Zhivago – der Film ist schön! Habe es zwei oder dreimal gesehen, ist aber lange her.
Dank für das Video! Hab’s mir angeschaut (kannte diese Version nicht) und es ist wirklich toll!
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Have you seen this movie “Mr. Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran” with Omar Sharif?
here’s a link (subtitled in english):
By the way, I love “Ya rayah”, for it’s a traditional algerian song covered by Rachid Taha (his version of “Rock the Casbah ” is great, too).
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I’ve heard of it, not seen it. Thanks for the link!!
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