A Summer In La Goulette

This is an interesting movie. It is a bit hard to keep up with because of the subtitles, but it is worth watching. It takes place in Tunisia, North Africa just before the 2nd Arab-Israeli War that began on 6/5/1967. La Goulette Beach is just south of Carthage, on the east coast of Tunisia.

I loved Summer in Goulette. A simple character-based film a simple time in the simple town of Goulette before Tunisia had been sucked the wars plaguing it's neighbors in the early 1960s.. It lovingly compares and contrasts friends and families of differing religions - one Jewish, one Christian, one Muslim - living in harmony in the same building in the small beach town. At that time of this movie, the middle east and maghreb were nationalists living united with one common tongue under the flag of their country - not by religion. The movie consistently hints at the political strife as religious allegiance begins to replace nationalistic allegiance. Outside the character's purview are the small broadcasts of one man repeating the news he hears from the radio on his shoulder, However everyone ignores him and laughs, so we only listen to the snippets heard by those characters, "there is tension in the middle east!" and "the tension in the middle east is over!" Throughout the movie almost all the towns people are oblivious to the events taking place in their neighboring countries.- perhaps because, living side by side, they're unable to see religion as a basis for conflict.Religion is a predominant theme in the film. Summer in Goulette depicts these three families who, despite a difference in religion, all abide by the same cultural standards and tongue. Because of this shared culture, the characters treat religion lightly.. Throughout we see the men jest about it, poke fun at which point everyone shares a hearty laugh. When the central conflict occurs - the daughters of each family are making out with boys! - the three fathers force their daughters to stay inside. Each rant to their wives about what a negative influence the religions of their friends are to have provoked such behavior in their daughters. As is stated before, although they are blaming religion, they all react culturally to it in the same way. As the end the three fathers realize their stupidity, put aside their religions, and reunite as friends at to the end of the movie - the day before the Muslims,Jews, and Christians are pushed into conflict against one another.Summer in Goulette also touches upon many other subjects, as well, that all three of the religions had in common culturally: friendship, marriage, pedophilia, the low status of women (such as the expectation to remain virgins until marriage, to allow their husbands to have mistresses, to have their fathers choose his daughter's husband), and the higher status of men (such as the acceptance of boys to have sex before marriage, the expectation of married men to be philanderers, the responsibility to deal out physical punishment upon their children), and the changing cultural status by the younger generation (such as the three daughters eager to loose their virginity, their desire to marry for love, and their outspoken condemnation of cheating).

The scenery is entertaining to look at in this country, but the movie is boring.

Boring

Cool movies, great addition to my movies collection.

I ordered this movie for my husband, and the first time it arrived, the disk was missing from the box. Instead was only a clear plastic "dummy" disk. I complained and was immediately sent another copy -- so far, so good. But when we got around to watching it, a critical scene was digitally scrambled and the entire movie would freeze there. We were busy and I couldn't return it at the time, and now it's past 30 days. We love the movie, but are unhappy that we still have a flawed copy, essentially unviewable!

Some would consider it a throw back to old times and film genre, but the film is a delightful vignette of a place and a society that probably hasn't changed significantly over the course of several decades up to the period the movie captures, although at the end, it's made clear that the regional politics have caused the Tunesian Jews to migrate, we can only assume out of fear of religious intolerance. Regardless,the characters are well developed and some are even complex, although the plot revolves around the age old issue of "family honor" related to the virginity of its women, and touches on the perennial Middle Eastern theme of female modesty.Regardless, the film is well sprinkled with humor and illustrates the simple joys of the daily lives of an attractive, simple people living in balance with their religiously diverse neighbors, prior to the far-reaching upheavals of radical Islam that are to follow. Up to this point in time, although the film shows there is some degree of wealth and power imbalance, as well as suspicion and possibly mild religious intolerance, we are lead to believe that it is kept in check by the mores of an integrated, stable society, and moderate religious believes that inform the mores of that society.This film is a rarity: it's entertaining , insightful, and informative; and makes one look back nostalgically at a less toxic period than now, and wonder why?

The reviewer under Copenhagener must be young...Mature thinking people should enjoy this movie for what it is.People who are virtually forced to be enemies trying to be friendsdespite everything against them. The Landlord is their common enemyand the potential sexual attraction between their children causesreligious concern. Not a great movie but a good one.If you get the sour humour you'll get the message.

Warm and interesting movie about friendship, love, life and war. NOT boring, I simply cannot understand why anybody would think that. It actually inspired us to visit Tunisia for our summer holiday!

excellent movie.

J'ai adoré revoir ce film en DVD, voici une histoire a la fois légère , riche en émotions et pleine d'humour . Nous voici replongés dans les années 1965 en Tunisie , a quelques encablures de Tunis dans la petite ville de " La Goulette" , a proximité de Sidi Bou Said et de La Marsa.On ressent particulièrement l'ambiance sereine de ces années ou toutes les communautés religieuses se côtoient avec une certaine harmonie.La jeunesse s'amuse, les adultes vivent au rythme d'un été paisible et joyeux en même temps .De quoi faire naître une certaine nostalgie de ces années bonheur sous le soleil Tunisien .Si le temps a passé et que bien des choses ont changé depuis , n'oublions pas que la Tunisie reste notre amie et que le peuple Tunisien nous porte toujours dans son cœur .Un joli film , une belle distribution , a voir et revoir !

Beaucoup aimé cette histoire qui nous montre ce qui se passe dans ces pays.