FEATURES OF THE CINEMATIC IMAGE IN FOLK EPICS, AN Analytical Study for The Film Of “Shafiqa And Metwally 1978”

The research problem derives from the lack of a direct and explicit formula for identifying features of epic films, although this type of epic poetry is an inherent part of our Arab heritage. The research deals with the task of finding an accurate description of the composition elements in the cinematic picture of films of an epic nature, so that through this analytical study, it is possible to develop an advanced pattern that could be a model for measuring the cinematic image in this type of film. The objectives of this paper are threefold: to clarify and highlight epic feature treatments in the epic picture of epic films; to find a visual equivalent related to the subject, meaning and goal of epic folk tales, and the mechanism of its application to the elements of cinematic composition in the film under study; and, to extract appropriate criteria for characterizing the epic features of the epic cinematography.
The descriptive analytical method used in this study, depicts epic features that strongly appear in the details of the story of two brothers "Shafika and Metwally"; it includes a visual interpretation of the most important sites design in the film, such as (Hanadi’s House, Al-Mawlid); the costumes that play a vital role in the accomplishment of an epic character with an evident influence of classical Islamic arts; in addition to the colors and their distribution within the cinematic frame of an epic film. Through the analysis of cinematic work, we can develop a sophisticated pattern to reveal the formative values ​​of the elements within the frame, starting from the ideal image of story heroes, their costumes design, passing[AA1]  through human groups that achieve the principle of human masses cohesion, then the accessories that are usually used as a mechanism to occupy the voids of the cinematic frame thus achieving a vital component among its elements. The visual features of the epic image in the film are based on analyzing the movie clips and comparing them with Islamic arts, in which we evaluate the frame through the proportions and costumes of the characters, the performance location within the frame, the usage of dark spaces, the employment and distribution of accessories and colors, and, the perspective and rhythm treatments followed.
The result of this analytical study came out with plastic arts values for the film scenes, for example, but not limited (primitive nature, which added to the image confusion between classic Islamic methods in the manuscripts and the spontaneous expression - hatred of emptiness and avoiding details - disregarding highlighting the rules of perspective - Sparse distribution of colors in the aspects of frame to serve the epic conflict).