Mustafa (film)
Encyclopedia
Mustafa is a 2008 Turkish biographical
documentary
about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey
, which was written and directed by Can Dündar
. The film , which controversially concentrates on Atatürk's personal life
, is the first documentary covering Atatürk's life from his early years to his death. It was released on Republic Day
, 2008, to coincide with the 85th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic.
The film was shot over nine months on locations including Thessalonica, Manastır, Berlin
, Damascus
, Sofia
, Carlsbad
and Istanbul
, the places where Atatürk lived, and some scenes were shot in the room where he was born and the one where he died. His personal belongings, memoirs, headquarters where he worked, houses where he lived, documents that he left, songs he liked and remarks he uttered were all used in the documentary.
Internationally known Balkan-origin musician Goran Bregovic composed the soundtrack for the film. Some media referred to Bregovic as “a Bosnian musician”, while others modified his name to “Zoran”, but his music was praised.
reviewer Emine Yıldırım, a highly respected journalist and one of the most well-respected specialists on republican history, who, investigates, making use of an extensive pool of archives and carefully crafted reconstructed scenes, not just the political but the personal trials and tribulations of the founder of modern Turkey, supported by an insightfully articulate narrative and the moving music of Goran Bregovic, but aside from a few anecdotes, his film does not present anything we don’t already know about Atatürk. The reconstructions use different actors in the different periods of Mustafa Kemal’s life, but we never clearly see any of the actors’ faces, which are hidden in soft shadows in the film’s cinematography, perpetuating the notion of Atatürk as a “superhuman figure” who is beyond flesh and bone, Yıldırım continues, But what am I saying? God knows, what would have happened if Dündar had tried to take bolder steps and shared everything he discovered during his investigations with us? Probably a film that would have been canned.
” (Farewell) and “Dersimiz: Atatürk
” (Today’s Lesson, Atatürk), each movie being watched by around 1 million people.
The film brought on so much controversy and debate because of its alternative view of its protagonist that Dündar must have aged at least 10 years because of all the insults he had to put up with from an army of journalists, columnists, historians, politicians, etc. Today's Zaman
reviewer Emine Yıldırım said of the controversy. If you ask me, he continued, I thought the film ultimately borders on mediocrity and doesn’t really tell us anything we don’t already know about Atatürk—he was a great leader, he was a visionary, he founded a nation from almost zilch, and, yes, he did have a fondness for the ladies and enjoyed his beverages. No one told anyone to take his or her children to see the film if that’s going to be a problem. But the catch is, just like the old saying goes, there’s no bad publicity except your own obituary, and as such, Dündar must at least be relieved to see that his film has attracted 1.1 million viewers.
Atatürk's personal story is not well known in the West. The criticism is based on the level of his portrayal in the film. It is a largely sympathetic portrayal. The film included scenes showing him susceptible to depression and fond of women and alcohol. It is claimed that these scenes degraded the historical significance and served the interests of Islamists. Dundar's film provoked a heated national debate.
Dundar said that the film reveals the face of a genuine and sensitive leader. The Turkish Minister of Culture has also spoken in defence: “He was a human being just like the rest of us, with his hopes, disappointments, his demons and moments of happiness.”
Prof. Ahmet Ercan and Prof. Orhan Kural, the heads of anti-smoking groups, filed a complaint arguing that the chain-smoking and heavy drinking portrayed in the film is the advertisement of cigarette companies.
Dündar testified before the Ankara Prosecutor’s Office in December 2008 with regard to allegations of promoting smoking and insulting Atatürk's legacy.
Turkcell
, Turkey's main mobile phone provider, pulled out of a sponsorship deal, claiming they had no knowledge concerning the fact that the film would concentrate on Atatürk's personal life.
Biographical film
A biographical film, or biopic , is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or people. They differ from films “based on a true story” or “historical films” in that they attempt to comprehensively tell a person’s life story or at least the most historically important years of their...
documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
, the founder and first president of the Republic of 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...
, which was written and directed by Can Dündar
Can Dündar
Can Dündar is a Turkish journalist, columnist and documentarian. He is one of the best known figures in Turkish media, described as possessing "impeccable republican credentials".-Biography:...
. The film , which controversially concentrates on Atatürk's personal life
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk's personal life
The achievements, personality, and personal life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk born to Ali Rıza Efendi and Zübeyde Hanım have been the subject of numerous studies. According to the Turkish historian Kemal H. Karpat, Atatürk's recent bibliography included 7,010 different sources. Atatürk's personal life...
, is the first documentary covering Atatürk's life from his early years to his death. It was released on Republic Day
Republic Day (Turkey)
The Republic Day of Turkey is one of the public holidays in Turkey, commemorating the proclamation of the republic in 1923. It lasts 35 hours, starting at 1:00 pm on October 28....
, 2008, to coincide with the 85th anniversary of the foundation of the Turkish Republic.
Production
A detailed literature review was made of books written about Atatürk, national and international newspapers and diplomatic letters in preparation for the production. For which Dundar and his team were given special access to many national and international archives, including those at the President's Office and the General Staff, uncovering several previously unseen photos, memoirs, special letters and manuscripts of Atatürk which were used in the production.The film was shot over nine months on locations including Thessalonica, Manastır, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Sofia
Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city in the European Union with a population of 1.27 million people. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha and approximately at the centre of the Balkan Peninsula.Prehistoric settlements were excavated...
, Carlsbad
Karlovy Vary
Karlovy Vary is a spa city situated in western Bohemia, Czech Republic, on the confluence of the rivers Ohře and Teplá, approximately west of Prague . It is named after King of Bohemia and Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV, who founded the city in 1370...
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...
, the places where Atatürk lived, and some scenes were shot in the room where he was born and the one where he died. His personal belongings, memoirs, headquarters where he worked, houses where he lived, documents that he left, songs he liked and remarks he uttered were all used in the documentary.
Internationally known Balkan-origin musician Goran Bregovic composed the soundtrack for the film. Some media referred to Bregovic as “a Bosnian musician”, while others modified his name to “Zoran”, but his music was praised.
Synopsis
The documentary tells Atatürk's life from an objective point of view and tries to give a sympathetic account of a real-life story. The film detaches him from known stereotypes and presents him as a human that has fears, weaknesses, desires and ideals. It is the first film that depicts the private side of the deified leader, who, according to the filmmakers, remained lonely despite being among crowds.Cast
- Yetkin Dikiciler
- Bahadır Yazıcı
- Cemalettin Canlı
- Ulaş Canlı
- Nazan Gezer
- Saadet Özen
- Saadet Türker
- Nejat Semerci
- Selin Soylu
- Mustafa Sütçü
Festival Screenings
- 45th Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival (October 10–19, 2008)
- 2008 Frankfurt Book Fair (October 16, 2008)
Box Office
During the first week of its release in Turkey the film was shown in more than 200 theaters. It was seen by 772,694 people in the first 12 days. Some of its critics used the media to discourage people from seeing it.Reviews
Dündar is, according to Today's ZamanToday'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, a highly respected journalist and one of the most well-respected specialists on republican history, who, investigates, making use of an extensive pool of archives and carefully crafted reconstructed scenes, not just the political but the personal trials and tribulations of the founder of modern Turkey, supported by an insightfully articulate narrative and the moving music of Goran Bregovic, but aside from a few anecdotes, his film does not present anything we don’t already know about Atatürk. The reconstructions use different actors in the different periods of Mustafa Kemal’s life, but we never clearly see any of the actors’ faces, which are hidden in soft shadows in the film’s cinematography, perpetuating the notion of Atatürk as a “superhuman figure” who is beyond flesh and bone, Yıldırım continues, But what am I saying? God knows, what would have happened if Dündar had tried to take bolder steps and shared everything he discovered during his investigations with us? Probably a film that would have been canned.
Controversy
When Can Dündar’s biopic of Atatürk, “Mustafa,” was released, according to Hürriyet Daily News reviewer Emrah Güler, it divided the nation into two, with one group praising the movie for its unprecedented portrayal of Atatürk as a human being, while the other criticized Dündar’s attempts at bringing the leader down from his pedestal. The controversy, of course, worked for the film. More than half a million people watched “Mustafa” in its first week, a fact which helped other Atatürk projects get the go ahead. Later he states, two films on Atatürk were released, “VedaVeda (film)
Veda is a 2010 Turkish biographical film, written and directed by Zülfü Livaneli based on the memoirs of Salih Bozok, which traces the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk...
” (Farewell) and “Dersimiz: Atatürk
Dersimiz: Atatürk
Dersimiz: Atatürk is a 2010 Turkish biographical film directed by Hamdi Alkan based on the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.-Production:The film was shot on location in Ankara, Canakkale and Istanbul, Turkey.- Plot :...
” (Today’s Lesson, Atatürk), each movie being watched by around 1 million people.
The film brought on so much controversy and debate because of its alternative view of its protagonist that Dündar must have aged at least 10 years because of all the insults he had to put up with from an army of journalists, columnists, historians, politicians, etc. 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 said of the controversy. If you ask me, he continued, I thought the film ultimately borders on mediocrity and doesn’t really tell us anything we don’t already know about Atatürk—he was a great leader, he was a visionary, he founded a nation from almost zilch, and, yes, he did have a fondness for the ladies and enjoyed his beverages. No one told anyone to take his or her children to see the film if that’s going to be a problem. But the catch is, just like the old saying goes, there’s no bad publicity except your own obituary, and as such, Dündar must at least be relieved to see that his film has attracted 1.1 million viewers.
Atatürk's personal story is not well known in the West. The criticism is based on the level of his portrayal in the film. It is a largely sympathetic portrayal. The film included scenes showing him susceptible to depression and fond of women and alcohol. It is claimed that these scenes degraded the historical significance and served the interests of Islamists. Dundar's film provoked a heated national debate.
Dundar said that the film reveals the face of a genuine and sensitive leader. The Turkish Minister of Culture has also spoken in defence: “He was a human being just like the rest of us, with his hopes, disappointments, his demons and moments of happiness.”
Prof. Ahmet Ercan and Prof. Orhan Kural, the heads of anti-smoking groups, filed a complaint arguing that the chain-smoking and heavy drinking portrayed in the film is the advertisement of cigarette companies.
Dündar testified before the Ankara Prosecutor’s Office in December 2008 with regard to allegations of promoting smoking and insulting Atatürk's legacy.
Turkcell
Turkcell
Turkcell is the leading mobile phone operator of Turkey, based in Istanbul. The company has 34.1 million subscribers as of June 30th, 2011.- Company background :...
, Turkey's main mobile phone provider, pulled out of a sponsorship deal, claiming they had no knowledge concerning the fact that the film would concentrate on Atatürk's personal life.
See also
- VedaVeda (film)Veda is a 2010 Turkish biographical film, written and directed by Zülfü Livaneli based on the memoirs of Salih Bozok, which traces the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk...
a 2010 biographical film directed by Zülfü LivaneliZülfü LivaneliÖmer Zülfü Livanelioğlu is a popular Turkish folk musician , a novelist, newspaper columnist and a film director who has been highly popular for decades... - Dersimiz: AtatürkDersimiz: AtatürkDersimiz: Atatürk is a 2010 Turkish biographical film directed by Hamdi Alkan based on the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.-Production:The film was shot on location in Ankara, Canakkale and Istanbul, Turkey.- Plot :...
a 2010 biographical film directed by Hamdi Alkan