The Silences of the Palace (1994)
"Samt el qusur" (original title)

As she grows up, Alia (the daughter of housemaid Khedija) learns the secrets of the peaceful palace where she and her mother live.

Director:

Moufida Tlatli

Writers:

Nouri Bouzid, Moufida Tlatli

Stars:

Amel Hedhili, Najia Ouerghi, Hend Sabri

6 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Amel Hedhili	...	Khedija
Najia Ouerghi	...	Khalti Hadda
Hend Sabri	...	Young Alia
Fatima Ben Saïdane	...	Mroubia
Zahira Ben Ammar	...	Habiba
Sabah Bouzouita	...	Schema
Sonia Meddeb	...	La Jneina
Hélène Catzaras	...	Fella
Ghalia Lacroix	...	Adult Alia
Michket Krifa	...	Memia
Hichem Rostom	...	Si Bechir
Kamel Touati	...	Houssine
Kamel Fazaa	...	Sid' Ali
Sami Bouajila	...	Lofti
Hatem Berrabeh	...	Salim

Storyline

As Alia, the daughter of a beautiful servant Khedija, grows up in the Kings Palace at the end of the French colonial rule in Tunisia, she realizes the sexual favours required of her mother and other servants.

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Plot Keywords:

servant | tunisia | eavesdropping | abortion | oppression | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

France Tunisia

Language:

Arabic French

Release Date:

7 September 1994 (France)

Also Known As:

The Silences of the Palace

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal Horizons, Cinétéléfilms, Mat Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min 120 min (Buenos Aires Festival Internacional de Cine Independiente)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

User Reviews

Silence strucks

This film is a gateway to Tunisian culture as it was when the country became independent. The principal character is a young girl who lives in a palace, but she is not a princess. In fact, her mother is some kind of a slave who works there without beeing paid for it and having any chance to get out of the palace. She doesn't want to tell her daughter, who her father is. Outside, the country is aiming to get loose of the French power. This is a story about strong women who live and work together and take care of each other. They are not beautiful like the American or European film stars, but still somehow sexy and very feminine. They are afraid of their sexuality, because they cannot control the desire it awakes in the powerful men around them. Their only hope to get out of the palace is marriage, but very few men see them inside the walls of the palace. One could think that the movie is very pessimistic. In the contary, the love of the women and of music create an atmosphere of hope and the new generation has a possibility to choose...