Omar Sharif stars with a young Pierre Boulanger in the French film Monsieur Ibrahim et les fleurs du Coran (2003) by François Dupeyron. Cairo-born Sharif plays a Sufi grocer, Ibrahim Demirci, in a Sephardic Jewish section of Paris on rue Bleue in the 1960s. Sharif describes this in the voice-over commentary as the Sentier section in the 2nd arrondissement, center of the "schmatta business", although rue Bleue is a bit north of rue Sentier. The young Jewish Moise Schmidt (Momo) befriends Ibrahim as a father figure, after his own father has abandoned him. This heartfelt affection between Muslim and Jew forms a backdrop of tolerance relative to the chasm between Arab and Persian culture.
Momo's father frequently asks him to go across the street to purchase items from the "Arab." There is a great line from Ibrahim "I'm not an Arab, Momo. I'm from the Golden Crescent." And later, "I'm not an Arab, Momo. I'm a Muslim." This is reminiscent of the similar line in the triple-Oscar winning American movie Crash (2004), by Paul Haggis, a film based on racial stereotyping. The Iranian shopkeeper is so distraught after his store has been wrecked and tagged with racist graffiti. He says "They think we're Arab. When did Persian become Arab?" It seems that mistaken identity is more damaging than the trashed store. Of course, this is against a backdrop of 9/11.
There is a strange nexus between the two films. Ibrahim and Momo go off on a trip to his homeland,Turkey, in a brilliant red Simca Aronde Océane (spyder). Well, that sports car ultimately crashes and leads to Ibrahim's death. By the way, Brigitte Bardot appeared in a red Simca Océane in the movie la Parisienne, which is the basis of a scene in the film, played by Isabelle Adjani.
Timmy Thomas' Why Can't We Live Together (1972) is the main soundtrack for Monsieur Ibrahim. The lyrics speak wonderfully to the "collision." Sade did a great cover on Diamond Life (1984).
Tell me why, tell me why, tell me why.
Why can't we live together?
Tell me why, tell me why.
Why can't we live together?
Everybody wants to live together.
Why can't we be together?
No more war, no more war, no more war...
Just a little peace.
No more war, no more war.
All we want is some peace in this world.
Everybody wants to live together.
Why can't we be together?
No matter, no matter what colour.
You are still my brother.
I said no matter, no matter what colour.
You are still my brother.
Everybody wants to live together
Why can't we be together?
Everybody wants to live.
Everybody's got to be together.
Everybody wants to live.
Everybody's going to be together.
Everybody's got to be together.
Everybody wants to be together.
I said no matter, no matter what colour.
You're still my brother.
I said no matter, no matter what colour.
You're still my brother.
Everybody wants to live together.
Why can't we be together?
Gotta live together...Together.
It's all great, except I just can't believe you ruined the end of the movie! he dies!?
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