Chahine weaves characters and plotlines together as busily as passengers come and go from the title station.

The Egyptian director Youssef Chahine stars in his teeming, sharp-eyed populist drama, from 1958, which blends a sympathetic view of a wide array of characters, warmhearted glimpses of their private dramas, and audacious social criticism.

With its tense score, contrasting performances of Chahine (twitchy and tightly coiled) and Rostom (sexy but cruel) and audacious moments of formal brilliance Cairo Station is a cinematic triumph.

While the narrative itself may not seem imaginative in the current era, what it sought to accomplish in 1958 is no less impressive and an important work for cinephiles to be aware of.