The Princess and the Marine | |
---|---|
Written by | Ronni Kern |
Directed by | Mike Robe |
Starring | Mark-Paul Gosselaar Marisol Nichols |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Producer | Preston Fischer |
Running time | 82 minutes |
Production companies | Aloe Entertainment Columbia TriStar Television Proud Mary Entertainment Stephanie Germain Productions |
Original release | |
Network | NBC |
Release | February 18, 2001 |
The Princess and the Marine is a 2001 American made-for-television romantic drama film based on the true story of American Marine Jason Johnson and Bahraini Princess Meriam Al-Khalifa, with stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Marisol Nichols in the roles of Jason and Meriam.
Meriam Al Khalifa (Marisol Nichols) 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 (Mark-Paul Gosselaar). 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, 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, 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 salutes. It is then that Meriam tells Jason that this is what she believes in (America - freedom).
Marisol Nichols was nominated for ALMA Awards-Outstanding Actress for her role in this movie. [1]
Hamad bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa is King of Bahrain since 14 February 2002, after ruling as Emir of Bahrain from 6 March 1999. He is the son of Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa, the previous and first emir. The country has been ruled by the Al Khalifa dynasty since 1783.
Mark-Paul Harry Gosselaar is an American actor. He is best known for playing Zack Morris in the NBC series Saved by the Bell. In 1991, he won a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor Starring in an Off-Primetime Series.
Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa is Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Bahrain. He is also the deputy supreme commander of the Bahrain Defence Force.
Marisol Nichols is an American actress, known for her roles as Principal Ramirez on the Nickelodeon animated series The Loud House as well as Nadia Yassir on the Fox series 24 and Hermione Lodge on the CW drama series Riverdale.
Sheikha Meriam bint Abdullah Al Khalifa 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 the time, stationed in Bahrain as part of a counter-terrorism unit providing security for expatriate Americans. After she was smuggled into the United States with help from Lance Corporal Johnson and being threatened with deportation by United States Customs, she was permitted to stay and apply for asylum, claiming that she feared honor violence by her family in retaliation for fleeing her country and entertaining a romantic relationship with a non-Muslim. Her story was featured heavily in the American press, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, and was turned into a television movie.
Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa is a lawyer and diplomat from Bahrain. As ambassador to France 1999-2004 she became Bahrain's first ever female ambassador. She is one of the first women to practice law in Bahrain, and the third ever woman to preside at the UN General Assembly.
Ebrahim Al-Arrayedh was a Bahraini writer and poet, generally considered to be one of Bahrain's greatest poets and one of the leaders of the Bahraini literary movement in the 20th century.
Sabika bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa is the first wife and consort of the king of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. She is the mother of Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa.
Houda Ezra Ebrahim Nonoo served as the Bahraini Ambassador to the United States from 2008 to 2013. She was appointed to the position by decree of Foreign Affairs Minister Khaled Ben Ahmad Al-Khalifa. Nonoo is the first Jew, and third woman, to be appointed ambassador of Bahrain. She is also the first Jewish ambassador of any Middle Eastern Arab country, and the first female Bahraini ambassador to the United States.
Bahrain's record on human rights has been described by Human Rights Watch as "dismal", and having "deteriorated sharply in the latter half of 2010". Their subsequent report in 2020 noted that the human rights situation in the country had not improved.
The cinema of Bahrain is small as its lacks support from the government and the private sector. There are many short films produced by individual filmmakers, and about five feature films in Bahrain's history.
Sultana bint Abdulaziz Al Saud was a member of the House of Saud.
Bahrain, officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, is an island country in West Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an additional 33 artificial islands, centered on Bahrain Island which makes up around 83 percent of the country's landmass. Bahrain is situated between Qatar and the northeastern coast of Saudi Arabia, to which it is connected by the King Fahd Causeway. The population of Bahrain is 1,501,635 as of May 14, 2023, based on elaborations of the United Nations data, of whom 712,362 are Bahraini nationals. Bahrain spans some 760 square kilometres (290 sq mi), and is the third-smallest nation in Asia after the Maldives and Singapore. The capital and largest city is Manama.
Seef Mall is the second largest mall in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Managed by Seef Properties, the mall is located in the Seef district of the capital city, Manama. It attracts an average of 25,000 visitors a day.
Hessa bint Salman Al Khalifa was a member of the Bahraini royal family, the mother of the current monarch of Bahrain Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
Ayat Hassan Mohammed Al-Qurmezi is a poet and student at the University of Bahrain Teaching Institute in Bahrain.
Sheikha Dana Al Khalifa is a Bahraini fashion blogger, businesswoman, and lawyer. She is a member of Bahrain's royal family, the House of Khalifa.
Fawzia Abdulla Yusuf Zainal is a Bahraini media and social activist and politician who has been Speaker of the Council of Representatives from 12 December 2018 to 12 December 2022. Zainal is the first woman to lead Bahrain's parliament, and the second woman to lead a Gulf-Arab parliament after UAE's Amal Al Qubaisi.
Jameela Al Salman is a Bahraini physician, infectious disease specialist, and associate professor at the Arabian Gulf University. She has won several awards and honors for her contributions to the field of medicine. Al Salman holds three American Board certifications: the American Board of Internal Medicine, the American Board of Geriatric Medicine, and the American Board of Infectious Diseases.
Hala bint Mohammed Al Khalifa is a Bahraini politician and artist who became Bahrain's Director General of the Culture and Arts. She was educated in Fine Art in Boston and in London and she lectured at the University of Bahrain.