Sleepless (1957): Cast & Plot
Sleepless is a 1957 romantic drama directed by Salah Abu Seif, starring Faten Hamama as Nadia Lutfy, Yehia Chahine and Emad Hamdy. It is based on I Do Not Sleep by Ihsan Abdel Kouddous and Jonathan Smolin. It runs 2 hours 5 minutes.
- Released
- Runtime
- 2h 5m (125 min)
- Director
- Salah Abu Seif
- Original language
-
Arabic - Studio
- Ittihad Elfananeen
- After the credits
- No No extra scene
What Is Sleepless About?
The premise of Sleepless without spoilers, adapted from I Do Not Sleep by Ihsan Abdel Kouddous and Jonathan Smolin. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.
Nadia, a pampered daughter, becomes envious when she learns her father intends to remarry. Determined to keep the union from happening, she sows false rumors about his new fiancée, manipulates family members, and embarks on a reckless affair with a man twice her age.
Sleepless Themes & Keywords
· 50 tags- hospital
- sexual desire
- couple dancing
- stepmother stepdaughter relationship
- false accusation of adultery
- incestuous desire
- brother in law sister in law relationship
- swimming pool
- guilty conscience
- husband wife kiss
- father and daughter share a bed
- housekeeper
+38 more Show fewer
- older man young woman relationship
- gold digger
- hiding behind a couch
- stepmother and stepdaughter have sex with the same man
- woman on fire
- seduction
- pokies
- bare shoulder
- uncle niece relationship
- father kisses daughter's forehead
- pushed into a swimming pool
- nile river
- rich man
- widower remarries
- teenage girl with pigtails
- great pyramids of giza
- daughter spies on father
- black nightgown
- swooning
- woman kisses a woman on the cheek
- beach
- doctor makes a house call
- drunk father
- man kisses a woman's hand
- woman sits on a man's lap
- melodrama
- rebound relationship
- ponytail
- woman wears white gloves
- woman with long hair
- voice over letter
- girls boarding school
- cigarette holder
- daddy's girl
- adult actress plays a teenage girl
- woman wears a nightgown
- reel to reel tape recorder
- ululating
Sleepless Cast & Characters
Faten Hamama leads the cast as Nadia Lutfy, with Yehia Chahine as Ahmed Lutfy and Emad Hamdy as Mustafa. Directed by Salah Abu Seif; 8 actors are credited in all.
- Director Salah Abu Seif
- Faten Hamama as Nadia Lutfy
- Yehia Chahine as Ahmed Lutfy
- Emad Hamdy as Mustafa
- Mariam Fakhr Eddine as Safia
Also Starring in Sleepless
· 4 more- Omar Sharif Aziz
- Hind Rostom Kawthar
- Rushdy Abaza Samir
- Rafeaa ElShal
More from Salah Abu Seif
More films directed by Salah Abu Seif: Citizen Masrey, The Beginning, Al-Qadisiyya and The Water-Carrier Is Dead.
Sleepless Plot Summary
What happens in Sleepless from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 13 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.
Spoilers ahead
Nadia Lutfy, Faten Hamama, is a young woman born into an aristocratic, upper-class family. After her parents divorce, her father Ahmed Lutfy Yehia Chahine wins custody and raises her. Over the years, their bond grows unusually strong, a closeness that sometimes feels more intimate than what is typical in a father–daughter relationship. This complicated dynamic is described in the story as an Electra complex, a troubling attraction Nadia experiences toward her father while seeking his affection and attention.
Full summary
The whole story of Sleepless, scene by scene
How Well Do You Know Sleepless?
10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.
Question 1 of 10
- Question 1: not answered
- Question 2: not answered
- Question 3: not answered
- Question 4: not answered
- Question 5: not answered
- Question 6: not answered
- Question 7: not answered
- Question 8: not answered
- Question 9: not answered
- Question 10: not answered
Which actress portrayed the young aristocratic woman Nadia Lutfy?
Sleepless Also Known As
5 alternative titles, including “No Tomorrow” and “I Never Sleep”.
- Also known as
-
- No Tomorrow
- I Never Sleep
- La anam
- لا أنام
- لا انام
Seen Sleepless?
Movies Like Sleepless
Films with a similar story, tone or audience, including Sleepless Nights, Sleep, My Love and The Sleepwalker.
Sleepless FAQ: Cast, Runtime & Release Date
Runtime, release date, director, cast, the book behind it, post-credit scenes and language of Sleepless, each answered in a sentence.
How long is Sleepless?
Sleepless runs 2 hours 5 minutes (125 minutes).
When was Sleepless released?
Sleepless was released on October 31, 1957.
Who directed Sleepless?
Sleepless was directed by Salah Abu Seif.
More films by Salah Abu Seif Who is in the cast of Sleepless?
Sleepless stars Faten Hamama as Nadia Lutfy, Yehia Chahine as Ahmed Lutfy and Emad Hamdy as Mustafa, among 8 credited actors.
Is Sleepless based on a book?
Yes. Sleepless is adapted from I Do Not Sleep by Ihsan Abdel Kouddous and Jonathan Smolin.
Does Sleepless have a post-credit scene?
No. Sleepless has no extra scene during or after the credits.
What language is Sleepless in?
The original language of Sleepless is Arabic.
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