''Harem'' is a 1985 French

romantic drama Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

directed by

Arthur Joffé Arthur Joffé (born 20 September 1953) is a French film director, the son of the director and screenwriter Alex Joffé.Philippe Rège, ''Encyclopedia of French Film Directors'', volume 1, p538 He was awarded the Palme d'Or du court métrage at the ...

. It was filmed in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

, particularly

El Jadida El Jadida (, ; originally known in Berber as Maziɣen or Mazighen; known in Portuguese as Mazagão) is a major port city on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, located 96 km south of the city of Casablanca, in the province of El Jadida and the re ...

Plot

Diane Andrews is a haughty

Wall Street Wall Street is an eight-block-long street in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It runs between Broadway in the west to South Street and the East River in the east. The term "Wall Street" has become a metonym for t ...

floor trader A floor trader is a member of a stock or commodities exchange who trades on the floor of that exchange for his or her own account. The floor trader must abide by trading rules similar to those of the exchange specialists who trade on behalf of ot ...

without any romantic interests. One day, Sheikh Selim, the ruler of an oil-rich

Gulf country The Gulf Country is the region of woodland and savanna grassland surrounding the Gulf of Carpentaria in north western Queensland and eastern Northern Territory on the north coast of Australia. The region is also called the Gulf Savannah. It ...

, who has been tracking Diane has her drugged, kidnapped, and brought to his

harem Harem (Persian: حرمسرا ''haramsarā'', ar, حَرِيمٌ ''ḥarīm'', "a sacred inviolable place; harem; female members of the family") refers to domestic spaces that are reserved for the women of the house in a Muslim family. A hare ...

overseen by

eunuch A eunuch ( ) is a male who has been castrated. Throughout history, castration often served a specific social function. The earliest records for intentional castration to produce eunuchs are from the Sumerian city of Lagash in the 2nd millennium ...

Massoud. Despite Diane's initial protests, as the two come to appreciate each other, they fall in love. Meanwhile, a series of events makes Selim realise that he can no longer rule his country and harem the way he and his ancestors used to do. Eventually, he takes the radical decision to evacuate his isolated

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

Reception

''Harem'' was nominated for five

César Award Cesar, César or Cèsar may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''César'' (film), a 1936 film directed by Marcel Pagnol * ''César'' (play), a play by Marcel Pagnolt * César Award, a French film award Places * Cesar, Portugal * C ...

s in 1986 and won two;

César Award for Best Costume Design This is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Costume Design ( French: ''César des meilleurs costumes''). Winners and nominees 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s See also *Academy Award for Best Costume Design *BAFTA ...

and

César Award for Best Poster The César Award for Best Poster is a former category of the César Awards, France's national film award. The nominations were selected by members of the ''Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinema''. The award was first made in 1986, but was disc ...

.César Awards, France - 1986
/ref>

References

External links

* * 1985 films 1985 romantic drama films French romantic drama films Films about kidnapping Films shot in Morocco Films shot in New York City Films set in castles Films set in the Middle East Films set in New York City Films scored by Philippe Sarde English-language French films 1980s English-language films Films directed by Arthur Joffé 1980s French films {{1980s-France-film-stub