The Arab world has always been a culture that greatly values the telling of tales; witness the timeless narratives of Sheherezade in the Arabian Nights. Noted director Ferzan Ozpetek takes this very Eastern concept to provide a look at the fall of the Ottoman Empire as seen through the eyes of the women of the harem of the Sultan, with a highly complex and fragmented narrative style that suggests that the telling of such tales is no straightforward task.

The central focus is Safiye (Marie Gillain), an Italian girl who had been sold into slavery by her parents at age eight. Purchased in Cairo by the Sultan (Haluk Bilginer), she is one of a large crowd of women kept in relative comfort to serve his whims. Among others, to suit the Sultan's tastes, Saphiye translates Verdi operas for him, while giving them happy endings. Unsatisfied with this status, however, Saphiye conspires with the eunuch Nadir (Alex Descas) to bring herself to the fore and make herself the favorite of the Sultan and to bear him a child. Things become complicated first when she falls in love with Nadir, and then when the Sultan is first forced to accept a constitution and then to flee for Europe, leaving the harem behind.

The tale is not presented in such straightforward fashion, however, but cryptically through stories within stories within stories. The tale is ostensibly narrated by the aged Saphiye (Lucia Bosé) years later to young Anita (Valeria Golino, perhaps best known to American audiences as the romantic lead in Hot Shots!). Yet like a Mobius strip, the tale of old Safiye is being told by Gulfidan (Serra Yilmaz) to the harem, in a temporal impossibility. Furthermore, at times the various narrators are inherently unreliable, as they tell a story in voice-over that is quite different from the story that is actually shown on the screen, making the film a bit of an Oriental puzzle.

Although the pacing is quite slow, the languid character feels appropriate to the situation. The sets and costumes are all sumptuously recreated, and the photography is often dazzlingly beautiful. The performances are quite good throughout, most notably Gillain and Descas, who communicate much with a look or a slight gesture. Frequently the most important communications on the screen here are completely wordless, which is somewhat at odds with the theme of tale-telling. However, the sense of parting and loss that fills the second half of the picture is palpable, and really does not require words to convey the bonds that are being torn asunder.

Although there is copious nudity, it is only on occasion erotic, most notably in a brief scene between Safiye and Nadir the eunuch. The print provided here is substantially cut; at 105 minutes it is shorter than the 107-minute Italian cut, the 110-minute version seen in France and the 125-minute cut from Turkey. Those who are fans of Ozpetek's work may recall references to Anita as the great-aunt of one of the characters in his first film, Steam, an apparent attempt to make his films a giant seamless tapestry of a tale.

Информация о фильме:
Название: Вечер в гареме / Последний гарем
Оригинальное название: Harem suare
Год выхода: 1999
Жанр: драма, эротика, история
Режиссер / Director: Ферзан Озпетек / Ferzan Ozpetek
Сценарий / Writers: Ferzan Ozpetek (writer), Gianni Romoli (writer)
Оператор / Cinematography by: Pasquale Mari
Original Music by: Aldo De Scalzi, Pivio
В ролях / Cast: Marie Gillain, Alex Descas. Lucia Bosé, Valeria Golino, Malick Bowens, Christophe Aquillon, Serra Yilmaz, Haluk Bilginer, Pelin Batu, Nilufer Acikalin, Ayla Algan, Meriç Benlioglu, Cansel Elcin, Basak Köklükaya, Gaia Narcisi, Selda Özer...

Профиль фильма на IMDB