#6Oct73War at 53 : Watch the Showdown , Egypt’s documentary on the war in English

If you are Egyptian or Arab and grew up watching Egyptian TV channels, you will probably recognise some of the scenes in this documentary about the 6 October 1973 War by heart.

The documentary is called “The Showdown” in English and “The Decision” in Arabic. Written and directed by Egyptian documentary filmmaker Nabil Al-Baih, “The Showdown” presents the October 1973 War — also known as the Yom Kippur War — from an Egyptian perspective. It presents the October 1973 War, also known as the Yom Kippur War, from an Egyptian perspective.

The film was released in 1974 and is a fascinating example of how the war was documented and presented to audiences at the time.

Beyond presenting the Egyptian perspective on the war, what makes this documentary particularly interesting is its combination of actual wartime footage and staged or reconstructed scenes.

Some of the most recognisable sequences — including the crossing of the Suez Canal from the west bank to the east bank, soldiers scaling the sand embankment and the raising of the Egyptian flag — were filmed as reconstructions after the war, recorded in the famous reenactments of the war in August 1974.

The documentary also contains genuine footage from the conflict, making it particularly interesting to anyone trying to distinguish between the real battlefield footage and the reenactments.

The real footage is often recognisable by its noticeably grainier appearance, shaky or handheld camera work, and the spontaneous, unpolished reactions of soldiers.

Among the genuine wartime footage are the artillery bombardment at 11:01, the capture of Bar-Lev Line strongpoints, Israeli prisoners of war at 28:23, and the liberation of Qantara East at 27:28, in addition to footage of President Anwar El-Sadat visiting the front. The timestamps correspond to the surviving version uploaded by Periscope Film.

The documentary is also a reminder of the unusual access Egyptian filmmakers and journalists were given to the battlefield during the October War, beginning on 8 October 1973. To protect the secrecy of Operation Badr, as Egyptian army commanders called it at the time, the media did not follow the forces until 48 hours after the crossing.

One detail in the opening credits particularly caught my attention: the name “Martyr Abu El-Hassan El-Damdrash” appears among the assistant directors and documentary cinematographers.

I tried to find more information about the late cinematographer, but I have so far been unable to establish a reliable biography or confirm the circumstances of his death. If anyone has information about Abu El-Hassan El-Damdrash — particularly his work as a cinematographer during the October War — I would be very grateful if you could share it.

And if you enjoy this documentary, please share it more widely. Films like this are not simply records of a war; they are also records of how Egyptians saw, remembered and represented that war.

Huge thanks to Palestinian historian Najlaa for discovering this gem.