Atatürk film: From orphan Mustafa to the father of the nation

I was excited when I received an invitation to watch the Atatürk film, which should have been on the agenda because it was set to be released on the 100th anniversary of our Republic, but which became a major topic of discussion after Disney Plus decided not to show it.

Immediately, the Kurtuluş series, where Rutkay Aziz played Atatürk, written by Turgut Özakman and directed by Ziya Öztan; Zülfü Livaneli’s film Veda; and the documentary Mustafa by Can Dündar came to mind.

Would the Atatürk film also be the subject of such sharp debates and harsh polemics in our unfortunately overly polarized society? While the reasons for Disney Plus’s decision and the influence of the Armenian lobby on this decision were widely discussed in the public eye, especially on social media, would this film be handled as it should be in terms of its screenplay, the performance of its actors, its director, producer, scenes, decor, costumes, sound, lighting, music, and technical quality?

I had many such questions in my mind as I went to this premiere, to which very few people were invited. Moreover, as someone who loves watching films in the cinema, does not make decisions based on film reviews in newspaper culture and arts pages, prefers to “do his own thing” as the trendy phrase goes, has no social media account, uses a 20-year-old mobile phone, and is happy and content with keeping a distance from technology, I was also terribly curious about the technical and digital features of the film.

When I entered the cinema, I had taken my precautions in advance. As someone who is emotional and whose eyes tear up easily, I had prepared my paper tissues in my pocket. I also had a notebook and pen in my hand. From the very first minute, the film began to wrap around me, draw me in, and touch my soul. For an ordinary cinema enthusiast like me, the sound, light, stage, shadows, and costumes were almost perfect. The images from the Gallipoli Campaign, Mustafa Kemal’s childhood, his relationships with his mother, father, sister Makbule, and childhood friends Nuri and Salih, his injuries to his chest and eye while fighting on the front lines, the contradictions he experienced with Enver Pasha, his days as a military attaché in Sofia, his romances, and his days in Thessaloniki were told with great success.

ATATÜRK’S DETERMINATION AND WILL

In the film, our great leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk shows all of us, once again, what human will, courage, determination, fighting spirit, perseverance, and effort can achieve. When his mother, who was angry at Mustafa for constantly asking questions, questioning, and being curious as a child, turns to his brother and says, “What will become of an orphan?”, seeing the expression on Mustafa’s face, you understand once again the steel will of Mustafa Kemal. Because that orphan grows up to become Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, who saves his homeland, founds the Republic of Turkey, and achieves the world’s greatest revolution.

In the film, you see the selfless and limitless love for the homeland of Mustafa Kemal and that generation, the Young Turk cadres. You see Mustafa Kemal, who fought against the Italians in Libya alongside the Arabs, arguing with Enver Pasha about the future of the homeland after leaving the field hospital set up in the desert with his eye bandaged after being wounded in his left eye.

In the film, you see Atatürk’s interest in opera, his asking the woman he liked to dance, his attendance at a costume ball in a Janissary uniform from the Ottoman Army, his stance of never bowing down even in the cell where he was held alone when he received a prison sentence due to his libertarian thoughts, the strong bond between him and his soldiers, and his command and control of the heroic Mehmetçik on the front.

SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THE FILM

Let’s come to the technical information about the film. I learned the following from the conversation we had with the film’s producers, Saner Ayar and Hakan Karamahmutoğlu, before watching the film, and with director Mehmet Ada Öztekin and lead actor Aras Bulut İynemli after watching it.

The film was shot as a 6-part series; we watched the first three parts. The first special TV broadcast was shown on Fox TV screens on October 29. A few days later, the film was released in cinemas on November 3. Along with Turkey, it was released in 30 countries from Europe to Azerbaijan, from Pakistan to Vietnam. It will be shown on digital platforms (Amazon and/or Netflix) after September 1, 2024. The second film, that is, parts 4, 5, and 6, will be released in cinemas in 30 countries along with Turkey on January 5, 2024. In the summer of 2024, both films will be on Fox TV screens.

The film cost 16.5 million dollars. Saner Ayar and his friends set out in 2019. The shooting took place in 10 different cities in Turkey and in Macedonia. 3,000 people took part in the war scenes in Gallipoli, and 1,500 firing weapons were custom-made. Aras Bulut İynemli, who plays Atatürk in the film, the music of which belongs to Batu Şener, states that he started by reading the Atatürk biographies by Şevket Süreyya Aydemir and Lord Kinross, and adds: “I had the most difficulty playing Atatürk during his emotional moments.”

In short, making an Atatürk film is a big, ambitious undertaking. I think those who set out to do this have come out with their heads held high. I liked the film very much. I am sure there will be those who do not agree with me and criticize it from a political and artistic perspective. That is natural. I hope that on the 100th anniversary of our Republic, the Atatürk film receives the attention and appreciation it deserves.