''The Princess and the Marine'' is a 2001 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

romantic

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

based on the true story of American Marine Jason Johnson and

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

Princess Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin '' princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subs ...

Meriam Al-Khalifa, with stars

Mark-Paul Gosselaar Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar (; born March 1, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles, most notably as Zack Morris in ''Saved by the Bell''. In 1991, he won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor Starring in an Off-Pri ...

and

Marisol Nichols Marisol Nichols (born November 2, 1973) is an American actress, known for her roles as Nadia Yassir on the Fox series '' 24'' and Hermione Lodge on the CW drama series '' Riverdale''. Early life Nichols was born in the Rogers Park neighbor ...

in the roles of Jason and Meriam.

Plot

Meriam Al Khalifa Meriam bint Abdullah Al-Khalifa (born 1980) is a member of the Bahraini Royal House of Al-Khalifa. She is best known for fleeing her family and native Bahrain to the United States to elope with US Marine Lance Corporal Jason Johnson, who was, at t ...

(

) is a Bahraini royal who is not content to be in an arranged marriage, even though her strict Muslim parents would never allow a union with a non-Muslim. In the movie, Meriam is allowed to go to the local mall and watch and listen to American pop culture. One day, she desperately makes some random calls to strangers, including a Marine stationed at the U.S. embassy named Jason Johnson (

). After meeting, the two become friends and later fall in love, but Meriam doesn't tell anyone because of her parents. After being caught kissing at the

Tree of Life The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythological, religious, and philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The Assyrian Sacred Tree: A Hist ...

, her mother forbids any more contact between the two. Meriam and Jason exchange letters with the help of a jeweler in the mall, and plan to run away to America with a fake passport for Meriam and pass her off as a fellow Marine. Once in America, Meriam is taken in by the local authorities for being an illegal immigrant and is separated from Jason. Meriam is released after asking for

asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...

, saying she'd be disowned or even killed if she returned to Bahrain. Meriam and Jason marry in Las Vegas, and he is stripped of his insignia and rank to Private in the Marines. The film concludes with Meriam and Jason stationed at a base, looking outside at an American flag, while a Marine holding a copy of the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

salutes. It is then that Meriam tells Jason that this is what she believes in (America - freedom).

Cast

as Jason Johnson *

as Meriam Al-Khalifa *Luck Hari as Meriam's mother *Alexis Lopes as Latifa * Keith Robinson as Trucker *

Sheetal Sheth Sheetal Sheth (born June 24, 1976 ) is an American actress, author, producer, and activist. She starred opposite Albert Brooks in his film ''Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World''. She debuted to rave reviews in the films ''ABCD'' and '' Ame ...

as Layla

Awards/Nominations

Marisol Nichols was nominated for

ALMA Awards The American Latino Media Arts Award or ALMA Award, formerly known as Latin Oscars Award, is an award highlighting the best American Latino contributions to music, television, and film. The awards promote fair and accurate portrayals of Latinos ...

-Outstanding Actress for her role in this movie.

References

External links

*
Interview with Meriam Al KhalifaMeriam Al Khalifa on Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Princess and the Marine 2000s American films 2000s English-language films 2001 films 2001 romantic drama films 2001 television films American interfaith romance films American romantic drama films American television films Couples Films about princesses Films about the United States Marine Corps Films directed by Mike Robe Films set in Bahrain Films set in the Las Vegas Valley Films shot in California Romance films based on actual events Romance television films

Plot

Cast

Awards/Nominations

See also

References

External links