Abboudi Abou Jaoude has collected 20,000 vintage Arab movie posters in his archive in Beirut. <br />
"El mudir el fanni" ("The Technical Director"), 1965 —
Abboudi Abou Jaoude has collected 20,000 vintage Arab movie posters in his archive in Beirut.
Leila Abu-saada
His collection includes posters he's acquired from Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco and Syria.
"Eve in the Road," 1960s —
His collection includes posters he's acquired from Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Morocco and Syria.
Leila Abu-saada
Abou Jaoude started collecting posters as a hobby.
Abou Jaoude started collecting posters as a hobby.
Leila Abu-saada
When he realized there was no official archive in Lebanon, he started taking time off from his day job as a book publisher to create one.
"24 Hours to Kill,"1965 (Starring Nadia Gamal) —
When he realized there was no official archive in Lebanon, he started taking time off from his day job as a book publisher to create one.
Leila Abu-saada
The posters were originally hand-painted by Armenian and Greek immigrants in Egypt in a few short days.
The posters were originally hand-painted by Armenian and Greek immigrants in Egypt in a few short days.
Leila Abu-saada
Bright yellow, red and blue Arabic calligraphy runs across most of the posters, which are meticulously detailed with dramatic facial expressions.
"The Girl Rebel," year unknown —
Bright yellow, red and blue Arabic calligraphy runs across most of the posters, which are meticulously detailed with dramatic facial expressions.
Leila Abu-saada
Most of the posters in Abou Jaoude's collection feature female Egyptian actresses as damsels in distress, scantly dressed and draped across James Bond-like saviors.
Most of the posters in Abou Jaoude's collection feature female Egyptian actresses as damsels in distress, scantly dressed and draped across James Bond-like saviors.
Leila Abu-saada
His collection is also a tribute to the Middle East's love for American and Italian B movies and spaghetti westerns.
"For a Few Dollars More," 1965 (starring Clint Eastwood) —
His collection is also a tribute to the Middle East's love for American and Italian B movies and spaghetti westerns.
Leila Abu-saada
Filming in Lebanon was so cheap and profitable, according to Abou Jaoude, that over 20 B movies were shot around the country in the 1960s and 1970s.
"El Naser Salah el Dine," 1963 —
Filming in Lebanon was so cheap and profitable, according to Abou Jaoude, that over 20 B movies were shot around the country in the 1960s and 1970s.
Leila Abu-saada
After the country's 1975 civil war many theaters were too expensive to maintain or were damaged along with their posters.
After the country's 1975 civil war many theaters were too expensive to maintain or were damaged along with their posters.
Leila Abu-saada
After the war, he says, "people stayed in their homes and VHS and TV began," and nostalgia for these films was lost.
After the war, he says, "people stayed in their homes and VHS and TV began," and nostalgia for these films was lost.
Leila Abu-saada
Abou Jaoude's favorite cinema during the 1950s and 1960s was the Cinema Rivolu in Beirut's Martyr's Square that divides the Christian East and Muslim West.
Abou Jaoude's favorite cinema during the 1950s and 1960s was the Cinema Rivolu in Beirut's Martyr's Square that divides the Christian East and Muslim West.
Leila Abu-saada
The Rivoli was eventually demolished in the 1990s and is now a parking lot.
Abou Jaoude sits in his office in Hamra, Beirut —
The Rivoli was eventually demolished in the 1990s and is now a parking lot.
Leila Abu-saada
What's Abou Jaoude's favorite cinematic era? "I prefer movies from the 1960s and 1970s. After Raiders of the Lost Arc and Star Wars, movies finished because they made them on the computer. It's not real. The action isn't real," he says. <br />
What's Abou Jaoude's favorite cinematic era? "I prefer movies from the 1960s and 1970s. After Raiders of the Lost Arc and Star Wars, movies finished because they made them on the computer. It's not real. The action isn't real," he says.
Leila Abu-saada