Not Without My Daughter
| Not Without My Daughter | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Brian Gilbert |
| Produced by | Harry J. Ufland |
| Screenplay by | David W. Rintels |
| Based on |
Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody and William Hoffer |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Jerry Goldsmith |
| Cinematography | Peter Hannan |
| Edited by |
Terry Rawlings Ofer Bedarshi (video) |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
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Release date
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January 11, 1991 |
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Running time
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116 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English Persian |
| Budget | $22 million |
| Box office | $14,789,113 |
Not Without My Daughter is a 1991 American drama film depicting the escape of American citizen Betty Mahmoody and her daughter from her abusive husband in Iran. The film was shot in the United States, Turkey and Israel, and the main characters Betty Mahmoody and Sayed Bozorg "Moody" Mahmoody are played by Sally Field and Alfred Molina, respectively. Sheila Rosenthal and Roshan Seth star as Mahtob Mahmoody and Houssein the smuggler, respectively. The film has been criticized for its alleged misrepresentation of Iranians and of Iranian culture.
In 1984, an Iranian physician, Sayed Bozorg "Moody" Mahmoody wants to visit Iran with his American family. He claims that his Iranian family wants to meet his wife Betty and daughter Mahtob, and asks them to come with him for a two-week visit.
Despite her deep fears about visiting Iran, particularly due to the Iranian Hostage Crisis of several years earlier, Betty reluctantly agrees. Upon their arrival, they are all greeted warmly by Moody's family, but shortly before their flight back to the United States, Moody announces to his wife that he wishes for them to stay in Iran. Betty realizes that she has been deceived by her husband, even though Moody took an oath that they would return to the United States, "swearing" on the sacred Quran. When she protests, Moody strikes her, and nobody in Moody's family sympathises with her.
Moody becomes more hostile and abusive, preventing her from leaving the house or using the telephone. Betty briefly manages to visit the American Interests Section of the Swiss Embassy, but is told that she is now an Iranian citizen since she is married to an Iranian, and as long as she lives in Iran, she cannot leave the country without her husband's written consent and has no parental rights over her daughter. Moody learns of Betty's meeting and threatens to kill her if she tries anything again.
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Wikipedia