Vizontele

This movie broke (by far) all time box office records in Turkey and it was highly regarded by critics. It appears all critiques at IMDb so far are also quite positive. But, I have several reservations about this movie. One of the first is also expressed by another reviewer. The script is more like a theater play than a movie; it is really a series of sketches, similar to those you would find in some TV series (MASH in the US comes to mind). Second, and maybe this was an unrealistic expectation on my part, is the absence of a commentary. Somehow I expected a deeper social expose or a commentary about TV entering into social life in rural areas, especially in Eastern or Southeastern Turkey. It turned out the Gevas, Van locale played no specific role. The movie could have taken place in any town in Turkey. TV changes lives in profound ways everywhere, especially in places such as Gevas which I felt was missing in a big way. Third is what I would consider a number of historical errors or omissions. The year is obviously 1974, specifically July 1974. I don't think this was a time when the Turkish (TRT) TV network extended into small towns via transponders yet, especially in Eastern Turkey. At the time even daytime Medium Wave radio reception could not have been as flawless in that area as depicted in the movie. The story about a two-member non-technician TRT crew delivering a transponder without installing it and the equipment being essentially ready to be plug-and-play is not realistic. This is an entertaining movie and maybe that is good enough for many people but based on what I have read I was somehow expecting another Camdan Kalp.

History, tradition, fun, comedy, a little bit drama, this film was very rich about subjects. Yilmaz Erdogan's first great film. Everyone must watch this film because it is teaching many things. This film shaped Yilmaz Erdogan's films in the future. You must watch this first.

Seventies... A small town in the Eastern parts of Turkey... A change in the lives...A sudden change... A new invention called "vizontele"(television) in the town...And a new quest for the people of the town...To operate this new invention... Yilmaz Erdogan, together with the well chosen casting gives a very good performance in reconstructing the tragic-funny events that took place in many of those small towns... The location, the shooting, the directing, the casting, the screenplay all made this the best Turkish movie ever, which in a sense was reflected in the records it broke in terms of box office... Congratulations Erdogan....

I believe still didn't shot better costume drama in Turkey. Vizontele one of the first big production in Turkey and change many thing for Turkish cinema. Emin is unforgettable character for Turkish cinema history even may be one of best. Cem yilmaz did an outstanding job even better than some of his own movies.

I entered this movie, expecting an over-rated, far-from funny, horribly acted, unrealistic load of hyped-up trash. Imagine my suprise, when it turned out to be a magnifecent piece of art, worth praising for hours without end. This is cinema art in it's best moments. Alright, I'm exaggerating, but Yilmaz Erdogan has done a terrific job with the story, the characters, and most of all the editing and cinematography. Erdogan has created magic with the camera, and has created a believable, realistic movie. Like a Coen Brothers movie, Vizontele is done so neatly, that one mutters curses during the final 15 minutes, cursing at the irony of the entire plot and ending. I've been living in Ankara for the past 4 years, and my knowledge of Turkish is now almost as good as my English. I sent out mail to all my friends back in the States, recommending this movie. Catch it- and catch it subtitled. For some odd reason, the greatest movie-producing country of all time, conjures up some of the worst dubbings in history. Watch it, and keep in mind that this not the usual turkish stuff. Watch it as soon as possible, and I mean it.