ThiefHott Too much of everything

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Inadvands Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

dla100 What I saw was a throwback to cliché-cluster flicks of decades ago, but the soundtrack puts it firmly in the eighties.It is thumpingly and enormously awful, as wretched and phony a film as could be conceived. Tittering harem ladies a'bathing, stern Turks delivering script bits from the 100 Most Popular Stock Lines for the genre. They might as well have gone beyond the scattered skin peeks to a fuller soft-core intention -- all pillow-plush and pleasures in the sultan's palace, because that's already the quality/ambiance/performance level of much of this thin 'n cheesy production.The producers may have scored the perfectly suited shooting location, but much else in the movie seems to be reaching for the furthest reaches of inauthenticity.Admissions: There is amusement, even delight, in encountering something so consummately lame, in wondering who could work on it and think for a moment this embarrassment should be taken seriously. I really did laugh out loud a few times at this painfully acted, double-dreadfully written, obliviously directed caricature. Maybe I WOULD view a portion of it again, preferably with someone else. "Look!...watch this! Watch!"And..I only made it through the early half. Turned away easily without even the tiniest rhinestone of regret. (A bug buzzing by in the living room could be diversion enough from this bungle.) Could be...could be that when it moved deeper into violence and intrigue, into dramatic seizures(!) of fate and steering of history, it took a turn toward something more engaging and more plausibly presented. Could happen...right?

shellie I have to disagree with the former review. While it has been a long time since I have seen this particular movie. I can think of far worse ways to spend an hour and 45 minutes!It is however, a movie that has a hard time fitting into a category. As an historical movie, it is highly fictionalized (although it is based on a real person who did in fact bring Christianity to the royal family of, I believe, Turkey.) It has too much gore to really be a romance. As for the acting, I really liked F. Murray Abraham's performance. Amber O'Shea could be seen as rather Lackluster, but I generally prefer an understated performance. Ron Dortch, as Tulip, was really good.One final word of warning. While I saw nothing in this movie that was not included to further the storyline, I did recommend this to a friend who was highly offended by the sexual nature of a few scenes. But hey, the movie was about a young European girl who finds herself married to a Turkish Aga, and conceives his heir. What can you expect!

Valen-10 A captivating, straight-from-the-heart historical drama,based on a true story. Features a beautiful film score (byWilliam Goldstein II) and authentic scenery (the movie was shoton location in Istanbul). The characters are well crafted andsensitively portrayed. Foremost among the acting performances, which are alloutstanding and convincing, is that of F. Murray Abraham(perhaps best known for his role as Salieri in Amadeus). Heportrays the old sultan Abdu'l-Hamid, who buys a Frenchschoolgirl for his harem and renames her 'Nakhshadil', unawareof the profound effect she will later have on his country. The French schoolgirl, Aimee Dubucq de Rivery, is played byactress Amber O'Shea in a down-to-earth manner that some viewersmay not appreciate; nevertheless, her portrayal of Aimee isendearing and plausible. The character of Aimee was not meant tobe portrayed as a larger-than-life heroine, but rather as aculturally-displaced spoiled brat who was forced to grow up andtake charge of her life in order to survive in the moreprimitive, oppressive Ottoman society. Maud Adams skillfully portrays Abdu'l-Hamid's jealous wife,Sineperver. James Michael Gregary stars as the handsome butnaive successor to the throne, Selim, who becomes romanticallyinvolved with Aimee yet fails to heed her warnings about theneed for political reforms and the elimination of the troublesome elite guard known as the Janissaries. Ron Dortchbrings to life the complex character of Tulip, a eunuch who isthe second most powerful official in the Ottoman Empire (afterthe Sultan). The interactions of these individuals take placeamidst Ottoman royal court intrigues as Western Europeaninfluences begin to have a major impact.

hlambert I have never seen such pathetic acting. I have never seen such a pathetic script.I cannot figure out how someone could ever pay to have this movie made.It was horiffyingly bad in every aspect.