Harem (1985)

A young American woman is kidnapped by an Arabian sheik and held captive in his harem. At first she frantically tries to escape, but as they slowly get to know and appreciate each other the... See full summary »

Director:

Arthur Joffé

Writers:

Arthur Joffé (original scenario), Arthur Joffé (adaptation),

Stars:

Nastassja Kinski, Ben Kingsley, Dennis Goldson

2 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Nastassja Kinski	...	Diane
Ben Kingsley	...	Selim
Dennis Goldson	...	Massoud
Michel Robin	...	Monsieur Raoul
Zohra Segal	...	Affaf
Juliette Simpson	...	Zelide
Rosanne Katon	...	Judy
Norman Chancer	...	L'ingénieur américain
Maurice Lamy	...	Mehmet
Henri Sarde	...	Le réceptionniste
Ibrahim Moussa	...	Le frère
Teco Celio	...	L'ouvrier italien
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Karen Bowen	...	Mrs. Green
Kamel Cherif	...	Rachid
Jack Davidson	...	Boat man

Storyline

A young American woman is kidnapped by an Arabian sheik and held captive in his harem. At first she frantically tries to escape, but as they slowly get to know and appreciate each other the difference between captor and captive dissolves.

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Plot Keywords:

sheik | harem | ferrari | love | obsession | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 November 1985 (France)

Also Known As:

Haaremi

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sara Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

Rather stretched avant-garde movie

I wasn't expecting anything when I rented this, except maybe good performances of both the lead actors - Ben Kingsley and Nastassja Kinski, both of whom I think are very good at what they do. I expected it to be avant-garde (which as far as I know usually implies a rather complicated or stretchy movie that might be strenuous to watch at parts), and it turned out to be just that - little dialog to make the images work, and some scenes the movie could have done very well without. What separates this from a GOOD avant garde is the notorious lack of any meaningful plot, or idea that the director wishes to convey. And if there's something I can't stand it's an old-as-the-hills story cosily cloaked in a directors' slightly demented vision. "susceptive foreigner falls in love with a man from foreign culture, and learns to love and understand this foreign culture after initial struggles". That's it. Not more and not less. This movie may be slightly less kitchy than other movies with the same theme, but the price for this is high - many endless and dragging scenes portraying things previously shown enough times. That just makes you want to grab your remote and fast-forward a little bit. However, this movie does have some rather original "twists" to the plot, and it's good enough to keep you watching throughout. It's also straight-forward enough to appeal to people who usually avoid avant garde and "the artsy". No prior knowledge of the theme is needed before watching this movie, which is a bliss.