A newspaper hawker (played by the director himself) at the eponymous train depot develops a frightening obsession with a sexy lemonade vendor. That’s the premise for this suspenseful drama which cunningly uses the bustling station to depict clashing strata of Egyptian society. Chahine’s combination of gritty authenticity and psychosexual Expressionism created a landmark of Egyptian cinema—despite public boycotts over its unflinching perversity and politics. Costar Hind Rustum was nicknamed “The Arab Marilyn Monroe.”

Double Feature with UNION STATION