The Frenkel brothers were three Egyptian Jewish brothers – Herschel Frenkel (1902-1972), Salomon "Shlomo" Frenkel (1912-2001), and David Frenkel (1914-1994) – who pioneered
animated film
Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
in
Egypt
Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
. Their first successful film, ''Mafish Fayda'' (1936), made its protagonist Mish-Mish Effendi the first Arab cartoon star.
Mickey Mouse got an Egyptian brother
Historical Society of Jews From Egypt. After Israel's declaration of independence, the brothers emigrated to France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. There they continued to make films, but without the success they had enjoyed in Egypt.
Egypt
Herschel, Shlomo and Hershel Frenkel were one of six brothers born into a family of Belarusian Jewish origins. Their father Bezalel was a furniture maker with a big commercial success. In 1914, the family moved to Egypt from Jerusalem
Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
.Al Ahram
''Al-Ahram'' (; ), founded on 5 August 1876, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second-oldest after '' Al-Waqa'i' al-Misriyya'' (''The Egyptian Events'', founded 1828). It is majority owned by the Egyptian governm ...
'' in 1936. As a result, they hired collaborators to improve their later work. At the National Festival of Egyptian Cinema in 1936, they showcased eight black-and-white animated shorts, documentaries and advertising spots. ''Mafish faida'' (1936), introducing the character Mish Mish Effendi, was a huge success, and stayed in Egyptian cinemas until 1939. The character's success led to demand from the government for use in national propaganda films. ''National defence'', screened in 1940, was in support of efforts to modernize the Egyptian army. ''Enjoy your food!'' was another Mish Mish short, set in a circus.[Bravo Osman]
Torino Film Festival. Accessed September 24, 2020.
France
After moving to Paris in the early 1950s, the brothers tried to make a French version of Mish Mish, Mimiche, who wore a beret
A beret ( , ; ; ; ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap made of hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre.
Mass production of berets began in the 19th century in Southern France and the north of History of Spain (1808 ...
instead of a fez. The brothers continued producing a film a year, pairing Mimiche with another character Jenny, who was later combined with a character called Danny. However, they did not find commercial success.Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower ( ; ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower from 1887 to 1889.
Locally nicknamed "''La dame de fe ...
, Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...
, the Egyptian Pyramids
The Egyptian pyramids are ancient masonry structures located in Egypt. Most were built as tombs for the pharaohs and their consorts during the Old Kingdom of Egypt, Old and Middle Kingdom of Egypt, Middle Kingdom periods. At least 138 identi ...
and the Sphinx
A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle.
In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...
all into the air.
Rediscovery
The Egyptian movies of the Frenkel brothers were rediscovered in 1995, and restored for presentation at several film festivals. The brothers were the subject of a 2019 documentary ''Bukra fil Mish-Mish'', directed by Tal Michael.[
]
Films
* ''Marco Monkey un singe sympa'', 1935.
* ''Mafish Fayda'' (It's Useless/Nothing To Do), 1936.
* ''Mish Mish el shater'' (Mish Mish the Brave), 1939.
* ''Al difau `al watani'' (National Defence), 1940
* ''Bilhana Oushefa'' (''Enjoy your Food'' / ''Bon Appétit''), 1946
* ''Bravo Osman'', 1949/1950. Screened at the 19th Torino Film Festival, 2001.[
* ''Simfoniyya ala difaf al Nil'', 1949
* ''Sunlight'', 1949
* ''Abu ras nashfa'', 1950
* ''Al walad al nagib'' (The prodigal son). Commercial, 1951.
* ''Une expérience atomique'' (Atomic Adventure). Commercial, 1954.
* ''Aventures et fantaisies''
* ''Mon chien, mon âme et moi''
* ''Oeil Pour Oeil''
* ''C'est arrivé au zoo''
* ''Le stylo magique''
* ''Le grand triomphe''
* ''Noël parisien''
* ''La Bolte magique''
* ''Le Trésor insaisissable''
* ''Reve du Beau Danube bleu'' (Dream of the Beautiful Blue Danube), 1964
]
References
External links
*
*
* {{imdb name, 9507194, Schlomo Frenkel
Ashkenazi Jews from Ottoman Palestine
Egyptian animators
Egyptian Ashkenazi Jews
Egyptian emigrants to France
Filmmaking collaborations
French people of Belarusian-Jewish descent
French people of Egyptian-Jewish descent
Brother trios
20th-century Egyptian Jews