Steam: The Turkish Bath (1997)
"Hamam" (original title)

Francesco and Marta are husband and wife running a small design company in Rome. When Francesco's long forgotten Aunt Anita dies in Istanbul, he travels there to look after the sale of the ... See full summary »

Director:

Ferzan Ozpetek

Writers:

Ferzan Ozpetek (story), Ferzan Ozpetek,

Stars:

Alessandro Gassman, Francesca d'Aloja, Carlo Cecchi

10 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Alessandro Gassman	...	Francesco
Francesca d'Aloja	...	Marta
Carlo Cecchi	...	Oscar
Halil Ergün	...	Osman
Serif Sezer	...	Perran
Mehmet Günsür	...	Mehmet
Basak Köklükaya	...	Fusun
Alberto Molinari	...	Paolo
Zozo Toledo	...	Zozo
Ludovica Modugno	...	Voice of Aunt Anita (voice)
Zerrin Arbas
Necdet Mahfi Ayral
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Murat Ilker
Alper Kul	...	Italian

Storyline

Francesco and Marta are husband and wife running a small design company in Rome. When Francesco's long forgotten Aunt Anita dies in Istanbul, he travels there to look after the sale of the hamam (one of a few traditional Turkish baths left) he inherited. There he meets the family running the hamam, gets attracted to a member of it and the whole Turkish atmosphere and decides not to sell the hamam..

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Plot Keywords:

turkish bath | bath | one word title | photograph | bathhouse | 

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Taglines:

What he inherited was a sexual awakening...

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Details

Official Sites:

Strand Releasing

Country:

Italy Turkey Spain

Language:

Turkish Italian

Release Date:

25 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Turkish Baths

Filming Locations:

Istanbul, Turkey

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$33,084 (USA) (27 November 1998)

Gross:

$655,078 (USA) (5 May 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sorpasso Film, Promete Film, Asbrell Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Subtle, smart, art

I like a movie that has a distinct climax, yet is easy to overlook or perhaps miss altogether. The climax of Hamam is when Francesco hands his wife the letters from his aunt and asks that she send them back when she's finished reading them. It is a seemingly small, inconsequential gesture -- but an act of conviction that describes a person's inner workings far more than could ever be achieved with an abundance of words. It is truly a beautiful moment -- one of many -- and a reason this is a film worth viewing.