The Favorite (also titled Intimate Power) is a 1989 Swiss-American historical drama film based on the unsubstantiated story of Aimée du Buc de Rivéry that takes place at the dawn of the 19th century. It was the final film of director Jack Smight.
Contents
Premise
A young French woman named Aimée is kidnapped and taken to the Ottoman Empire, where she is forced into a sultan's harem. Fiercely independent, she resists at first, but ultimately realises that she must make choices in order to survive. She begins to influence the Sultan to adopt fairer methods of resolving conflicts, but finds herself at odds with another of his wives who wants her son, Mustafa, to become the new Sultan. Over the years, she must deal with the advances of the new Sultan while protecting her adopted son, Mahmud, and helping the Ottoman Empire against Russian Empire in the Russo-Turkish War of 1787–1792.
The source for the story is a novel by Prince Michael of Greece and Denmark titled Sultana - La Nuit du Serail.
Cast
F. Murray Abraham as Abdul Hamid
Maud Adams as Sineperver
Amber O'Shea as Aimée Dubucq de Rivéry
Ron Dortch as Tulip
James Michael Gregary as Selim
Laurent Le Doyen as Sebastiani
Francesco Quinn as adult Mahmud
Andréa Parisy as Mihrişah
Tom McGreevey as Uncle (as Thomas McGreevey)
Celeste Simpson-Boyd as Zinah
Robere Kazadi as Orchid
Garth Wilton as British Consul
Reuven Bar-Yotam as Algerian Captain
Faruk Peker as Baktar
John Kennedy Hayden as Chief Janissary
Mike Johnson as First Mate
Thomas Rosales Jr. as Third Mate
Michael Saad as Jeweler
Dale Dye as French Officer
Joseph Darrell as Manservant
Ayse Gungor as Harem Girl
Starr Andreeff as Harem Girl
Erica Zeitlin as Harem Girl
Victoria Dakil as Old Woman
Roz Witt as Nun
George Marshall Ruge as Kamir
Joe El Rady as Boy at the bazar
Jonathan Vuille as Young Mahmud
Glenn Scarpelli as Mustafa
Production
Director: Jack Smight
Production Company: Ascona Films, Inc.
The film was shot in Turkey. Halfway through the production, original producer Georges-Alain Vuille ran out of money and Steve Friedman's company completed production. Smight finished the film, stating "it turned out better than expected, but once again 'into oblivion'."