With such a rich history as Turkey’s, one would think that there would be a string of period dramas on the numerous civilizations that have left their marks on Anatolia, and especially the flamboyant Ottoman Empire. While Turkish cinema has experienced a renaissance in the last decade, and examples from a variety of genres can be seen, historical movies have hardly been the go-to projects for filmmakers. The exceptions are the half a dozen filmed biographies of the founder of the modern Turkish state, Kemal Atatürk.
At the time when cinema is more commercial than artistic, it is understandable that producers would be apprehensive about spending so much money on a period extravaganza, when they can earn three times more with a modern day comedy or a drama set in a remote Anatolian village. But things took a turn couple of years ago when it was announced that Istanbul would be one of the European Capitals of Culture in 2010. Suddenly, big budgets were given to films on Istanbul, and even bigger budgets were available to those with a historic take.
Documentary directors, filmmakers, aspiring filmmakers and producers went into a frenzy to take a slice out of the pie that was budgeted for films on Istanbul, to be screened in 2010. Many of the documentaries found their way into cultural events and film festivals. The more ambitious feature films waited longer to be released in cinemas. Three films were made about the Ottoman Empire, some taking their history lesson seriously, others not so much. But each film uniquely showed the strengths and weaknesses of Turkish cinema.
Conspiracies and festivities
Director Hakan Şahin’s “Sultan’ın Sırrı” (Secret of the Sultan) takes place in present day Turkey when an American professor, played by American actor Mark Dacascos, travels to Istanbul to find a mysterious chest built by Sultan Abdülhamid II about a century ago. During his journey, he discovers hidden underground cloisters in the Topkapı Palace, now the Topkapı Museum, dating back to more than a millennium ago to Byzantine times.
Similar to Dan Brown’s bestselling novels The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, secret societies, deep state conspiracies and historic mysteries are revealed through the enigmatic museum director. In a twist of imagination, Ottoman history here is somehow connected to the Gulf War, the Iran-Iraq War, the First World War, and the present day international power games over oil. The film, using historic locations like the Yıldız Palace, Hagia Sophia and the Archaeology Musuem as its backdrop, was written by journalist and historian Ömer Erbil.
Another film financed under the projects for the Istanbul Capital Culture, was “Şenlikname: Bir Osmanlı Masalı” (Festivities: An Ottoman Tale). The film, directed by İsmail Eren, was promoted as a love story set in the Ottoman period. While one of the leading characters is the Sultan’s daughter, it was never made clear which sultan it is or what period of the Ottoman Empire the film portrays. The film proved to be little more than a haphazard collection of beautiful shots of Istanbul with some historic imagery, like the Ottoman ‘mehter’ military band and the palace guardsmen.
