Vizontele

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.

Groundbreaking Turkish theatre and television comedy performer Yılmaz Erdoğan ("Bir Demet Tiyatro") teamed up with up-and-coming cinematographer-director Ömer Faruk Sorak ("Asansor") for this self-penned comedy drama drawn from his own childhood memories which was a massive box-office success and was followed by a sequel two years later.

Eccentric electrician "Crazy" Emin (Yılmaz Erdoğan) assists village mayor Nazmi (Altan Erkekli) in setting up a television transmitter, unceremoniously dumped on them by a visiting TRT delegation from Anakara, despite the objections of his own wife (Demet Akbağ) and local cinema impresario Latif (Cezmi Baskın) who decry it as the work of the devil.

Writer-director Yılmaz Erdoğan puts in a strong, but far from domineering, central performance alongside his "Bir Demet Tiyatro" co-stars Demet Akbağ and Altan Erkekli, who both won Golden Orange awards for their performances, as the curious triumvirate at the emotional heart of a story which sends them through the full gamut of emotions.

Comedian Cem Yılmaz ("Everything's Gonna Be Great") heads-up a highly eclectic supporting ensemble also largely drawn from the cast of "Bir Demet Tiyatro", which includes the distinguished Cezmi Baskın, a young Şafak Sezer, and a who's who of guest players including Köksal Engür, Erkan Can, Betül Arım, Zerrin Sümer, Meral Çetinkaya and Yasemin Alkaya.

The debutant directorial duo manage, with the assistance of a truly world class ensemble and a Golden Orange award-winning soundtrack from Kardeş Türküler, a magnificent balancing act between the comedic and tragic elements of the sepia-tinged story of bygone Hakkâri right-up to the seemingly pre-requisite heart-wrenching dénouement.

"lf he's so worried, this vizontele must be a good thing."

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....

When i first heard about that Turkish movie i have a lot of doubts about it. The script did not sound interesting to me. The fact that i have seen Uzak, an other movie from Turkey (one of my favourites also) helped me a lot to take the decision to watch it. From the first time i realized that this movie is a masterpiece. A real comedy, a real drama. No fake reality, no fake emotions. Everything flows in a perfect harmony. The music, the picture, the characters... Every character in this movie is so unique that you have the feeling that you have met him. You don't have to know Turkish to understand the movie, characters speak with their expressions. Music, life style and the beautiful wild nature fits so perfect together.

This movie, is a true gem. A masterpiece that presents a real culture. You don't have the right to miss it.

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.