one can not help but agree with the title of this film . why indeed . why spend more than two hour watch this mess of a film . the only reason i can think of that the jury give this movie the silver bear at the berlin film festival and be that be be different from anything else at the festival . and it be and it be a refreshing view through the eye of a moviemaker not from the west . unfortunately youssef chahine be not up to the task . he have severe difficulty figure out which story he want to tell and there be many story in this film that would make great movie in their own right and but the constant intermingling of them and which might have work in the hand of a more experienced director and fail in this film . for the first hour you be thrill with the movie . one of the many story involve an egyptian aristocrat who pick up young english soldier and kill them and one of them however invoke his pity and he end up fall in love with him . for the first part of the movie this story be well told and interesting and but in the second half it become obvious and cliché and the good beginning be ruin . this be one of his early movie and and although i haven not see any others and i firmly believe that his production have improve vastly with experience and but you should definitely not see this a your first movie by him .