MOUSTAPHA AKKAD MURDERED BY TERRORISTS

I have just gleaned that Hollywood's Arab producer was critically injured before dying as a consequence of the terrorist attacks in Jordan. One of his daughters died instantly and Akkad went into a coma before passing away. I understand that in total, three members of his family were killed including Moustapha himself. Akkad's name will always remain synonymous with the Halloween franchise as it was always his name that appeared before the main titles and John Carpenter's. It was his money that gave Carpenter his real break and fortunately for us cinema fans, grateful that he did. There are a countless number of us that have, and still, admire Carpenter's work and his soundtracks.
Moustapha Akkad also directed other films himself of which the two most well known are Lion of the Desert, which starred Anthony Quinn as a school teacher (Mukhtar) from Libya who took on the might of Italian facism during their assault on North Africa during WWII. In Quinn's biography he muses that Gaddafi said he would finance the movie at any cost to get the story of Mukhtar told. The second is the oscar nominated The Message about the beginnings of Islam also starring Anthony Quinn which was made simultaneously in English, with Western actors, and in Arabic with Arabic actors. Both with beautiful scores by Maurice Jarre.
My thoughts go out to his family and may God give them peace and rest their souls.
I just thought I would share that with you.

TheSaint.786, November 13, 2005; 4:05 PM