The Ottoman Republic
| The Ottoman Republic | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Gani Müjde |
| Produced by | Şükrü Avşar |
| Written by |
Gani Müjde Fatih Solmaz Emre Bülbül |
| Starring |
Ata Demirer Vildan Atasever Sezen Aksu Sümer Tilmaç Ali Düşenkalkar Atilla Olgaç Ruhsar Öcal Ceyhun Yılmaz |
| Music by | Sezen Aksu |
| Cinematography | Uğur İçbak |
| Edited by | Mustafa Preşeva |
Production company |
Avşar Film |
| Distributed by | UIP Filmcilik |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 100 mins |
| Country | Turkey |
| Language | Turkish |
| Box office | US$8,689,739 |
The Ottoman Republic (Turkish: Osmanlı Cumhuriyeti) is a 2008 Turkish comedy film directed by Gani Müjde. The film, which stars Ata Demirer, is a political comedy built upon the question, What would have happened if Mustafa Kemal Atatürk never existed? It went on general release across Turkey on November 21, 2008 and is the fourth highest-grossing Turkish film of 2008.[1][2][3][4]
Synopsis
The year is 1888. A 7-year-old child was first seen running on a vast field to scare the crows off of the meadows of Thessalonica, and then he falls from a tree while reaching out to a nightingale. Everything goes black. The child who falls from the tree is Mustafa, who would have grown to become the founder of the Turkish Republic and be given the surname Atatürk, that is, if he did not fall to his "death" that day. The film fast-forwards to over a century later, to the year 2007. There is no savior named Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Turkey’s history, no War of Independence has been fought, Ankara has not become the country’s capital and the country continues its existence as the Ottoman Republic, ruled by the Sultan Osman VII (Ata Demirer), who has become little more than a figurehead and a source of ridicule by foreign dignitaries, especially by the United States of America.
Release
The film opened on general release in 205 screens across Turkey on November 21, 2008 at number one in the Turkish box office chart with a worldwide opening weekend gross of $1,988,968.[5]
| Date | Territory | Screens | Rank | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 21, 2008 | Turkey | 205 | 1 | $1,988,968 |
| November 20, 2008 | Germany | 35 | 7 | $319,505 |
| November 21, 2008 | Belgium | 6 | 12 | $36,770 |
| November 20, 2008 | Netherlands | - | 11 | $34,948 |
| November 21, 2008 | Austria | 5 | 15 | $20,472 |
| November 28, 2008 | United Kingdom | 1 | 39 | $7,787 |
Reception
Box Office
The movie was number one at the Turkish box office for two weeks running and was the fourth highest grossing Turkish film of 2009 with a total gross of $7,746,467. It remained in the Turkish box-office charts for nineteen weeks and made a total worldwide gross of $8,689,739.[5]
Reviews
In his latest historical comedy, popular satirist and TV writer, Gani Müjde, travels on similar turf, to his debut feature "Kahpe Bizans" (The Perfidious Byzantium), which poked fun at the earlier nationalist films of Turkish cinema, introduces Hürriyet Daily News reviewer Emrah Güler, who concludes, both Gani Müjde and Ata Demirer are favorite household names who never fail to put a smile on followers of Turkish pop culture.[6]
References
- ↑ Özyurt, Olkan (2008-07-22). "A rainbow of Turkish films awaits moviegoers". Today's Zaman. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ↑ "This week in theaters". Today's Zaman. 2008-11-22. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ↑ Çelen, Nergihan (2008-11-25). "‘Ottoman Republic’ a glimpse of what might have been". Today's Zaman. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ↑ Yıldırım, Eöine (2008-12-06). "'Osmanlı Cumhuriyeti' Here comes the sultan". Today's Zaman. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Osmanli cumhuriyeti". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ↑ Güler, Emrah (2008-08-16). "Turkish films, coming soon". Hürriyet Daily News. Retrieved 2010-02-24.