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22/23/24/26
Article: Berna Gençalp
Photos: sadibey.com
If I were a Film in ‹stanbul…
The Industrial
Revolution coincided
with the population shift
to urban areas, the birth
of the cinema and its
spread-out as an
urbanentertainment
form in theaters,
large or small.
Therefore, it is only natural that films
frequently dwell on the city, cit
dwellers
and those trying to survive in cities.
Yet, there is a more special bond
between certain film directors and
cities. In any Wim Wenders or Woody
Allen or Martin Scorsese film, one of
the lead roles always belongs to the
city regardless of the storyline or the
protagonist. Some cities appear
before the audience owing to their
certain features. Paris is always the
city of love, for instance. What about
‹stanbul then?
Cover: ‹stanbul; Cinema: Wonderful!
‹stanbul makes an appearance in
numerous films... Some just slightly
touch the city, whereas some others
practically absorb the town. I am not
talking about a film packed with
tourist-attracting scenes. Sometimes,
a single moment suffices to convey the
sense of a city. That moment can even
come in a highly commercial film, or in
a low-budget one. Let’s take Nuri Bilge
Ceylan’s Distant (original title: Uzak)
which is set in a snow-clad ‹stanbul
that we do not get to see often in films.
The silence and scenes of the snow are
exquisite. During the rise of Arabesque
music in Turkey, ‹stanbul is like a
monster rural men seek to overcome, a
castle they want to overtake. In Takva:
A Man’s Fear of God (Takva), ‹stanbul
is a Muslim city. In Pandora’s Box
(Pandora’n›n Kutusu), ‹stanbul is a
place that is desired to be left behind.
In ‹stanbul Beneath My Wings (‹stanbul
Kanatlar›m›n Alt›nda), ‹stanbul is a long
gone fairy tale city that feels like it
never existed. The city in the Magic
Carpet Ride (Organize ‹şler) is a highly
photogenic, huge city with the
sweetest culprits in the world. The film
is invaded by magnificent shots of
‹stanbul that contrasts with the
naivety of the story told. ‹stanbul, the
Bosphorus and the Rumelian Castle
are organic parts of the film in
Somersault in a Coffin (Tabutta
Rövaşata). In The Turkish Bath
(Hamam), Ferzan Özpetek depicts a
steamy love city in ‹stanbul. According
to me, The Men On the Bridge
(Köprüdekiler) is another film that
captures the spirit of the city.
The director of ‹stanbul Tales (Anlat
‹stanbul) and My Aunt (Teyzem) among
others, Ümit Ünal rates the 1963-film
L’immortelle as one of the best that
represents the spirit of the city.
Written and directed by Alain
Robbe-Grillet, a leading name in the
movement known as the New Novel in
France, the film’s cast included Sezer
Sezin, Ulvi Uraz and Belk›s Mutlu. Lütfi
Akad was the assistant director on this
film.
The Case of Bonds and non-Bonds
It arouses different feelings to see
‹stanbul appear in foreign films.
Perhaps it makes us feel more
“beautiful” and less “lonely” about our
city, our country... We are so sensitive
that we can instantly exclaim “how
dare he make us look like that!” or we
can feel proud of our city that we
neglect to enjoy the beauty of due to
the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
It remains unknown to me: are tourists
attracted to ‹stanbul because of its
appearance in major Hollywood
productions or are film producers
dragged to our city because ‹stanbul
becomes a more and more popular
tourist destination of its own accord?
Yet, these two situations feed one
another. The 1964-film Topkapi
(Topkap›) is recalled as one that drew
the attention of tourists to ‹stanbul.
When it comes to Bond films, yes,
‹stanbul does appear in From Russia
With Love, The World is not Enough
and Skyfall... But no Bond film should
be expected to try and capture the
spirit
of any city. Bond films do not and
will not hesitate to use and reuse the
clichés of cities.
Almost the same approach to ‹stanbul
can be seen in the Taken 2, The
International and Tinker, Tailor,
Soldier, Spy. The venues on the
Historic Peninsula, Karaköy, the Grand
Bazaar, the Spice (Egyptian) Bazaar
that are used again and again as
shooting locations in Bond films
appear in these films as well.
‹stanbul exists in the Murder on the
Orient Express, a 1974 film based on
Agatha Christie’s novel by the same
title, due to the plot. The city is, as it is
in many other foreign films, a gateway
into the East, in other words, into the
unknown and chaos. But thank God,
there is Poirot.
Having quite a big fan base in Turkey,
Jackie Chan shot the Accidental Spy in
‹stanbul in 2001. He, too, could not resist
the temptation to beat up the bad guys in
the Grand Bazaar.
In the Iranian director Bahman
Ghobadi’s Rhino Season starring
Monica Belluci and Y›lmaz Erdoğan,
‹stanbul is a city that receives victims
with open arms.
It is filled with answers for those
seeking it. But peace is something the
city never offers.
The part of Fatih Ak›n’s Head-On set in
‹stanbul is based on violence and
compassion. The back streets of
‹stanbul are not safe for a lonely
woman rambler at night.
To warm the cockles of your heart,
I would recommend Fatih Ak›n’s lovely
2005-film, Crossing the Bridge:
The Sound of ‹stanbul, which made
particularly foreign filmmakers turn
their eyes and ears a bit more
closely to ‹stanbul.
Enjoy...
Click to watch
http://www.berlinale-talentcampus.de
/campus/program/telelecture/560
Special thanks to Sadi Çilingir
for his contributions.