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Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
Sept 1 2014
Fatih Akın's movie on the Armenian question
AHMET HAKAN
I watched Fatih Akın's film `The Cut,' and there is no reason why
this film should not be released in Turkey.
Yes, there are disturbing scenes: there is rape, there is slaughter.
Yes, the atrocities committed by the Turks are present.
But this film is not one that attempts to stamp or abuse all of these
issues. It is not trying to say: `Look, what kind of genocidal people
these Turks are.'
There are good Turks also in the film, there are signs in the film
that the massacres were not systematic. There are references in the
film that most of the rapes and massacres stemmed from deserters. The
film also shows how Turks were subject to attacks while leaving
Arabian lands. There are outcries in the film that cruelty and
brutality does not have a race.
There are of course deficiencies in the film. The biggest one is that
the film does not say one word concerning why the Ottoman
administration of the time launched those unacceptable practices
against the Armenians.
In the film, everything starts in 1915.
Director Fatih Akın, on this shortcoming, said, `I did not make a
genocide movie. I am telling the story of an Armenian ironsmith from
Mardin who has no knowledge of any political development. I viewed the
events from his window. For him, everything started in 1915. That's
the reason I started there.'
Only the first 40 minutes of the film depict `the atrocities the Turks
committed against the Armenians.' The rest focuses on the man
searching for his family, a journey that starts in the Middle East and
takes him all the way to Cuba and the United States.
We can say this film is more of a `search film.'
The English name of the film is `The Cut.' It will be released in
Turkey as `Kesik' (The Cut).
Tahar Rahim, the French actor of Algerian descent, does a good job in
portraying the Armenian ironsmith from Mardin. Also featuring in the
film is the actor of Armenian descent, Kevork Malikyan, who was born
in Diyarbakır.
The soundtrack of the film is also very good. Armenian requiems and
lullabies are abundant throughout the movie.
This film is very much out of the box compared to Akın's other movies.
It has an epic style that tries to move you, make you think and be
poignant. He attempts to produce a movie similar to Roman Polonski's
`Pianist,' but fails in my opinion.
The film is 2 hours 28 minutes in length. It is an expensive film as
well, costing around $15 million, which is three times more expensive
than his last movie. Still, the setting, cinematography and costumes
are perfect.
All the Armenians in the film speak English. Turks, on the hand, speak
Turkish. Well, the Arabs are also speaking Arabic, but the fact that
Armenians speak English seems to generate a prejudice from the start.
Fatih Akın said the Armenians in the film were speaking English
because of technical reasons.
The festival audience liked the film. There was a long applause after
it ended. An Armenian woman sitting next to me could not stop crying
throughout the movie.
However, film critics did not like the movie that much.
Among the viewers was Hrank Dink's widow, Rakel Dink. I asked her how
she liked it. She said, `It was moving. I cried during the whole
movie. It was depicted beautifully, the actors were perfect. I hope
this film causes empathy.'
Fatih Akın said, `The German press is writing and concluding that this
film will not be shown in Turkey, that Turks would not allow it. We
should not confirm these comments. This film has to be released in
Turkey.'
The director also said this about the film's release in Turkey: `This
is a movie... Let people watch it and then they can react after
watching the film. Those who do not like it or who oppose it should
come out and do so. But, prejudice should not be the only motivation,
without watching it. That is my only wish.'
September/02/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/fatih-akins-movie-on-the-armenian-question.aspx?pageID=449&nID=71184&NewsCatID=502
Sept 1 2014
Fatih Akın's movie on the Armenian question
AHMET HAKAN
I watched Fatih Akın's film `The Cut,' and there is no reason why
this film should not be released in Turkey.
Yes, there are disturbing scenes: there is rape, there is slaughter.
Yes, the atrocities committed by the Turks are present.
But this film is not one that attempts to stamp or abuse all of these
issues. It is not trying to say: `Look, what kind of genocidal people
these Turks are.'
There are good Turks also in the film, there are signs in the film
that the massacres were not systematic. There are references in the
film that most of the rapes and massacres stemmed from deserters. The
film also shows how Turks were subject to attacks while leaving
Arabian lands. There are outcries in the film that cruelty and
brutality does not have a race.
There are of course deficiencies in the film. The biggest one is that
the film does not say one word concerning why the Ottoman
administration of the time launched those unacceptable practices
against the Armenians.
In the film, everything starts in 1915.
Director Fatih Akın, on this shortcoming, said, `I did not make a
genocide movie. I am telling the story of an Armenian ironsmith from
Mardin who has no knowledge of any political development. I viewed the
events from his window. For him, everything started in 1915. That's
the reason I started there.'
Only the first 40 minutes of the film depict `the atrocities the Turks
committed against the Armenians.' The rest focuses on the man
searching for his family, a journey that starts in the Middle East and
takes him all the way to Cuba and the United States.
We can say this film is more of a `search film.'
The English name of the film is `The Cut.' It will be released in
Turkey as `Kesik' (The Cut).
Tahar Rahim, the French actor of Algerian descent, does a good job in
portraying the Armenian ironsmith from Mardin. Also featuring in the
film is the actor of Armenian descent, Kevork Malikyan, who was born
in Diyarbakır.
The soundtrack of the film is also very good. Armenian requiems and
lullabies are abundant throughout the movie.
This film is very much out of the box compared to Akın's other movies.
It has an epic style that tries to move you, make you think and be
poignant. He attempts to produce a movie similar to Roman Polonski's
`Pianist,' but fails in my opinion.
The film is 2 hours 28 minutes in length. It is an expensive film as
well, costing around $15 million, which is three times more expensive
than his last movie. Still, the setting, cinematography and costumes
are perfect.
All the Armenians in the film speak English. Turks, on the hand, speak
Turkish. Well, the Arabs are also speaking Arabic, but the fact that
Armenians speak English seems to generate a prejudice from the start.
Fatih Akın said the Armenians in the film were speaking English
because of technical reasons.
The festival audience liked the film. There was a long applause after
it ended. An Armenian woman sitting next to me could not stop crying
throughout the movie.
However, film critics did not like the movie that much.
Among the viewers was Hrank Dink's widow, Rakel Dink. I asked her how
she liked it. She said, `It was moving. I cried during the whole
movie. It was depicted beautifully, the actors were perfect. I hope
this film causes empathy.'
Fatih Akın said, `The German press is writing and concluding that this
film will not be shown in Turkey, that Turks would not allow it. We
should not confirm these comments. This film has to be released in
Turkey.'
The director also said this about the film's release in Turkey: `This
is a movie... Let people watch it and then they can react after
watching the film. Those who do not like it or who oppose it should
come out and do so. But, prejudice should not be the only motivation,
without watching it. That is my only wish.'
September/02/2014
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/fatih-akins-movie-on-the-armenian-question.aspx?pageID=449&nID=71184&NewsCatID=502