The Girl with the Red Scarf

I love this movie. it is one of my favorite movies. I watch it at least once a year, I love the story, the actors, the film music, everything. And even it hurts myself, I love the moral of the story. In my eyes, this film should be internationally known an recognized.

"Elveda selvi boylum, elveda Asyam. Bitmemis türküm benim...." ( a quoute from the film)

Shot on a shoestring in the countryside, SELVI BOYLUM AL YAZMALIM is an acknowledged classic of Turkish cinema. The plot is straightforward enough: village girl Asya (Turkan Sorak) falls in love with itinerant truck-driver Ilyas (Kadir Inanir). They get (unofficially) married and have a child, but Ilyas cannot adjust to life as a husband and seeks solace elsewhere. Asya leaves home for good, and is left alone on the road until Good Samaritan Cemsit (Ahmet Mekin) takes her in. After a whole, during which time Cemsit proves a good father to Asya's son Samet, the two get married. However Ilyas returns quite unexpectedly to the scene, forcing Asya to make a choice between past and present lives. Yilmaz's direction is straightforward; while allowing the plot to unfold at a cracking pace, he uses the shot/reverse strategy to powerful effect, especially at the end. The three central performances are just brilliant: Soray and Inanir were never better during their entire careers as the ill-fated couple, while Mekin has a wonderful talent for showing repressed emotion in a single expression. SELVI BOYLUM AL YAZMALIM has proved highly influential: the 2012 films ARAF and GOZETLEME KULESI both have sequences borrowed from the film.

The composer of the film music proved to be the best one in Turkish film industry and created a unique style which can be even defined as a new genre of his own. The rhythm changes according to the pace of the film, but melody fits to the dramatic or cheerful scenes without changing and loss of continuity.

I suggest a quick search of Cahit Berkay and Husnu Senlendirici (the clarinet) for Selvi Boylum Al Yazmalım.

Without doubt, one of the most beautiful Turkish movies ever. I have seen this movie on television a while ago and I dont remember the whole details clearly. But I definitely remember bursting into tears many times during the movie. A legendary movie indeed!

What more can be said... When I watched it when I was a child, I thought that the ideology of this movie was the theme of separation, but when I grew up, I watched it then I did not understand how naively today's realities were processed. Is this what we call modern times now? ''What was love? It was effort..'' The background music is simply amazing. It still ringing in my ear.. Kadir Inanir's acting was one of the best of the period, but there is a truth about Türkan Soray. She is not called Sultan for nothing. Every time I watch her movies, I fall in love with those eyes once again. Acting is flowing from her stance. It really makes you fall in love. There is not much to say, everything is clear. Those who watch it know that, those who haven't watched thet should watch it too.

I'll go and wipe the tears from my eyes anyway..