“Fetih 1453″ Conquers Turkish Cinema

By on February 22, 2012 in news, Turkey

(Original story in Greek by Inga Athanasiadou)

Advertised as the most expensive production in the history of the Turkish film industry, with a total cost of $17,000,000 and three years of shootings, “Fetih 1453” premiered last Friday in Turkish cinemas.

The film has been criticized by many, not only Greeks, for its nationalistic point of view and the pompous way in which the Fall of Constantinople is being depicted.

One of the critical voices of the Hollywood-like production is Ankara-based freelance reporter Burak Bekdil, one of the most prominent associates of Hurriyet daily newspaper.

According to Bekdil’s article published some hours before the official premiere of the film, the Turkish people of the 21st century should not boast of the fact that modern Istanbul used to belong to another nation and was taken by force.

The Turkish reporter also pointed out that he sees it as a rather difficult task for the British producers to create a film on the conquest of London or a German production on the conquest of Berlin.

The film that was screened throughout on Thursday, February 16, was a big success story in the country, since tickets had been sold out some three weeks ago.

A few days before the premiere screening, Christian associations from Germany had expressed their opposition to the national-centered film. ”Instead of celebrating the conquest of Constantinople, the Turks should be ashamed of what they did to the Christian populations on their grounds” read an announcement of a Christian association from Cologne, which called people to boycott the propagandistic film.

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  • spl12345

     Thank you turkey for reminding the world that you stole Constantinople in cold blood through mass murder and genocide.

  • Hbutuner

    We did not steal, we took it idiot. Has there been a victory in the history achieved by flowers and postcards?

  • Georges Asslickiniadious

    Thank you greekreporter for telling the world how propagandistic this film is and also how unbiased you are as a newspaper. Please start by sorting out your economy and maybe then you could also produce movies that cost $17 000 000.

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  • JakeinLA

    How funny that some Greek folks here are still ‘mad’ about something which happened almost 600 years ago…get a life people..it’s just a movie…move on…

  • greekKisser

    dear Greeks, consider this a little respond for the 300 :)

  • Clrltd

    if onlt u knew the meaning of the word genocide rather that write this comment u would sit and start apologizing for what u did in ww1 in Izmir and yprus 1973 we do not FORGET  Idiot………

  • Drogue

    I’m not Greek nor Turkish, but having studied history I have to admit it’s a pretty sad display to boast about this. I think most peoples will just laugh about it and this movie will probably fall into the abyss (wasted money).

    Those muslim based populations have their roots forged in barbarism and thievery, so it’s not surprising at all. I dislike every single religion (including christianism) except buddhists, who never caused a single problem.

    But I also have to admit that muslims are matchless in terms of barbarism and blind faith, still to this date. It almost seems as this religion has not evolved at all with social behavior and human beings to adapt itself to modern days. They behave like peoples from 2000 years ago.

    Christians have committed terrible things in the past, but to this date, I don’t see any christian talking about “infidels” and blowing up themselves in trains/planes.

    Those things belong to the past, now, christians have become more civilized.

    If, for some of them, their faith is strong and cannot be shaken, they will certainly not turn into Templars and start decapitating peoples for not believing in Jesus.

    I believe religions, especially islam, will be banned from most places because of it’s incompatibility with modern behavior and manners.