Product Description

Studio: Strand Releasing Release Date: 04/06/2006

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36834 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-03-18
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: French, Italian, Turkish
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 110 minutes

Customer Reviews

Fascinating storytelling
Most of the story is set in the Sultan's multi-ethnic harem in the last days of the Ottoman Empire. It is fascinating, "lush" historical drama and story-telling, beautifully acted. The film also raises interesting questions about memory and the telling of stories. Because of the way the story is told, with flashbacks within flashbacks, I had to watch it more than once to figure out what was going on, but I enjoyed each viewing immensely. Also, if you watch Ozpetek's "Steam Bath" ("Hamam"), which is set in modern-day Istanbul, you will see an understated link to this story. (...)

Good setting and intrigue. Too bad the DVD was faulty.
This 1999 film in Turkish, Italian and French seemed interesting. It's set in 1908 during the fall of the Ottoman Empire and depicts one of the last harems. It's also a story of intrigue and romance. Some of it was quite interesting, especially the depictions of the daily life of the women. The acting was good and the mood was set just right, the cinematography showing the opulence of the palace as well as its restrictions.

Something was wrong with the screenplay however. My guess is that too much was left on the cutting room floor. As per the cover of the DVD, it was supposed to last 1 hour and 45 minutes. However, the disc I viewed was only about 1 hour and 15 minutes. It was hard to figure out exactly what was happening and the story didn't fit together at all. There were flashbacks and flash forwards held together by a tale told by a servant which seemed to foretell the future. And the ending left a lot of questions unanswered.

Therefore, although there were some parts of this film that were good, and it might have been better when it was playing in the theaters, I just cannot recommend this DVD.

Storyteller's Delight!
I own the VHS of this movie, and can tell you it is based on fact. What a tragic tale told so wonderfully. It has been said there is a lot of nudity, but truly not as much as one could expect. This film really does give the viewer a trip into the royal Turkish harem at the end of the Empire! You won't be disappointed.