120 (2008 film)
Encyclopedia
120 is a 2008 Turkish war film
directed by Murat Saraçoğlu and Özhan Eren based on the true story of 120 children who died in 1915 carrying ammunition for the Battle of Sarıkamış
against the Russians during World War I
. The film went on general release across Turkey on and is one of the highest grossing Turkish films of 2008
.
in World War I, who came across the story of the 120 boys while doing the research for his bestselling The Road to Sarıkamış , spent three years preparation for the film.
Co-director Mustafa Saraçlıoğlu, who has said, I adore period movies, and, this is what stimulates me about the movie, stated that, "The authentic historical scenario of the movie is one of the features that make the film exceptional. We show what our ancestors sacrificed -- and under which conditions -- for the country. There may not be many battle scenes, but there certainly is emotion around every corner. It is about the heroism of 120 children. I expect the audience to respond positively, looking from this perspective.
Actor Emin Olcay stated, It is a theme I have stressed for years. We went through unique battles and pretty hard days as a nation. However, we are somehow unsuccessful in making movies out of them. We are unable to tell our history to the coming generations. ... We experienced calamities. In each home we have a martyr. These [stories] have to be told, and '120' is a crucial project in this respect. It will be tiring for me, but it is worth it.
The film, which received a record amount of support from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, was shot over two years in harsh conditions on location in Safranbolu
, Van
and Istanbul
, Turkey
. When heavy snow, expected in Van for the winter settings of the film, failed to arrive, 20 trucks, two loaders and 30 staff members had to be laid on to bring 300 tons of snow from Çaldıran to Van for several scenes.
, the Ottoman army runs out of ammunition and appeals for help to the people of Van, who happen to have supplies. However, the First World War is on and all the men are fighting at the four corners of the empire and therefore can not respond to the appeal. The young children of Van want to do something and when the Principal of a school, who has lost a son in the war, suggests that they transport ammunition, 120 young boys aged 12 to 17 volunteer and take to the road. The movie tells the true story of the 120 boys and their sisters and mothers left behind, who wait for their return.
The film had a gala screening in Stuttgart
on before going on general release in 32 screens across Germany on at number 17 in the German box office with an opening weekend gross of US$53,763.
The film was re-released, to coincide with August 30 Victory Day celebrations, in 32 screens across Turkey on at number thirteen in the Turkish box office with an opening weekend gross of US$23,071.
with a total nationwide gross of US$3,289,480.
Today's Zaman
reviewer Emine Yıldırım states that, On the whole, it, is a powerful film despite its many setbacks, including the usual didactic dialogue, overdose of melodrama and over-length running time. It reminds us that the milestones forming the Turkish Republic were achieved with great personal and social sacrifice under the harshest of conditions, where disease and poverty had already overcome Anatolia. Throughout our childhood and youth, we are always taught how painstakingly difficult and laborious it was to declare independence to create modern Turkey, and yes, sometimes we hear it to too many times for own good. However, the makers of '120' -- I want to believe with good intentions -- succinctly remind us that indeed it was never easy as a nation to get to where we are now. In our current socio-politically volatile times, let's just hope that history doesn't repeat itself.
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
directed by Murat Saraçoğlu and Özhan Eren based on the true story of 120 children who died in 1915 carrying ammunition for the Battle of Sarıkamış
Battle of Sarikamis
The Battle of Sarikamish was an engagement between the Russian and Ottoman empires during World War I. It took place from December 22, 1914 to January 17, 1915 as part of the Caucasus Campaign. The outcome was a Russian victory. The Ottomans employed a strategy which demanded that their troops be...
against the Russians during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The film went on general release across Turkey on and is one of the highest grossing Turkish films of 2008
Turkish films of 2008
A list of films produced by the Turkish film industry in Turkey in 2008.- Highest-grossing films :- References :...
.
Production
Writer, producer and co-director Özhan Eren, an expert on the Caucasus CampaignCaucasus Campaign
The Caucasus Campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire, later including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Central Caspian Dictatorship and the UK as part of the Middle Eastern theatre or alternatively named as part of the Caucasus Campaign during World War I...
in World War I, who came across the story of the 120 boys while doing the research for his bestselling The Road to Sarıkamış , spent three years preparation for the film.
Co-director Mustafa Saraçlıoğlu, who has said, I adore period movies, and, this is what stimulates me about the movie, stated that, "The authentic historical scenario of the movie is one of the features that make the film exceptional. We show what our ancestors sacrificed -- and under which conditions -- for the country. There may not be many battle scenes, but there certainly is emotion around every corner. It is about the heroism of 120 children. I expect the audience to respond positively, looking from this perspective.
Actor Emin Olcay stated, It is a theme I have stressed for years. We went through unique battles and pretty hard days as a nation. However, we are somehow unsuccessful in making movies out of them. We are unable to tell our history to the coming generations. ... We experienced calamities. In each home we have a martyr. These [stories] have to be told, and '120' is a crucial project in this respect. It will be tiring for me, but it is worth it.
The film, which received a record amount of support from the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism, was shot over two years in harsh conditions on location in Safranbolu
Safranbolu
Safranbolu is a town and district of Karabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is about two hundred kilometers north of Ankara and about a hundred kilometers south of the Black Sea coast, or more precisely about 9 kilometers north of the city of Karabük...
, Van
Van, Turkey
Van is a city in southeastern Turkey and the seat of the Kurdish-majority Van Province, and is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van. The city's official population in 2010 was 367,419, but many estimates put this as much higher with a 1996 estimate stating 500,000 and former Mayor Burhan...
and Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. When heavy snow, expected in Van for the winter settings of the film, failed to arrive, 20 trucks, two loaders and 30 staff members had to be laid on to bring 300 tons of snow from Çaldıran to Van for several scenes.
Plot
During the Battle of SarıkamışBattle of Sarikamis
The Battle of Sarikamish was an engagement between the Russian and Ottoman empires during World War I. It took place from December 22, 1914 to January 17, 1915 as part of the Caucasus Campaign. The outcome was a Russian victory. The Ottomans employed a strategy which demanded that their troops be...
, the Ottoman army runs out of ammunition and appeals for help to the people of Van, who happen to have supplies. However, the First World War is on and all the men are fighting at the four corners of the empire and therefore can not respond to the appeal. The young children of Van want to do something and when the Principal of a school, who has lost a son in the war, suggests that they transport ammunition, 120 young boys aged 12 to 17 volunteer and take to the road. The movie tells the true story of the 120 boys and their sisters and mothers left behind, who wait for their return.
Release
The film went on general release, with what Emrah Güler described as, an aggressive (and unnecessarily nationalistic) marketing campaign, in 179 screens across Turkey on at number one in the Turkish box office with an opening weekend gross of US$376,812.The film had a gala screening in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
on before going on general release in 32 screens across Germany on at number 17 in the German box office with an opening weekend gross of US$53,763.
The film was re-released, to coincide with August 30 Victory Day celebrations, in 32 screens across Turkey on at number thirteen in the Turkish box office with an opening weekend gross of US$23,071.
Box office
The film was in the Turkish box office charts for 41 weeks and is the 9th highest-grossing Turkish film of 2008Turkish films of 2008
A list of films produced by the Turkish film industry in Turkey in 2008.- Highest-grossing films :- References :...
with a total nationwide gross of US$3,289,480.
Reviews
Hürriyet Daily News reviewer Emrah Güler states that, Despite the tone of the press release and the trailer, and attracting impressive crowds thanks to rising nationalism, fueled by, among many things, the debates around the Armenian issue, the film, is very careful not to become another tool for mindless propaganda in the recent nationalist discourses. And neither does it play out as praise of war. It simply tells a sad story, lost to the annals of history. The trick is that the period the movie carefully taps into is a minefield already, whether you are careful not to take sides or overlook certain details. The film, he continues, opens up another discussion on whether you can make an anti-war film through depicting war and the unnecessary deaths of many, when most of the time it is better to find a justification for those deaths if you do not want your young to have died in vain.Today's Zaman
Today's Zaman
Today's Zaman is one of two English-language dailies based in Turkey. Established on January 16, 2007, the newspaper's main competitor is the older Hürriyet Daily News....
reviewer Emine Yıldırım states that, On the whole, it, is a powerful film despite its many setbacks, including the usual didactic dialogue, overdose of melodrama and over-length running time. It reminds us that the milestones forming the Turkish Republic were achieved with great personal and social sacrifice under the harshest of conditions, where disease and poverty had already overcome Anatolia. Throughout our childhood and youth, we are always taught how painstakingly difficult and laborious it was to declare independence to create modern Turkey, and yes, sometimes we hear it to too many times for own good. However, the makers of '120' -- I want to believe with good intentions -- succinctly remind us that indeed it was never easy as a nation to get to where we are now. In our current socio-politically volatile times, let's just hope that history doesn't repeat itself.