Çalıkuşu (Osman F. Seden 1966) [Turquía]

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Título: Çalıkuşu Título V.O: Çalıkuşu Director: Osman F. Seden Año/País: 1966 / Turquía Duración: 132 minutos Género: Drama Reparto: Türkan Şoray, Kartal Tibet, Parla Şenol, Kadir Savun, Zeynep Değirmencioğlu Enlaces: Ficha de: sedar002

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Sinopsis:
 
The novel is in the form of Feride's diary, so there are several scenes with Feride writing in her diary (in the Ottoman script, writing from right to left) and her voice-over, commenting.

The first part takes place around 1900, Feride's father is a cavalry major (binbaşı). After her mother dies, Feride grows up in her aunt Besime´s household in Erenköy/Istanbul. She is sent to the French girls college Notre Dame de Sion. Since Feride can never sit still and is full of pranks, they give her the nickname "kinglet".  Especially Besime´s son Kamuran is exasperated by her jokes of which he is often the victim. But after a while (Feride is now a young woman, Türkan Şoray takes over the part) he falls in love with her, visits her often in college, bringing her sweets. Feride is jealous because Kamuran sees another woman, but they finally become engaged. Then Kamuran has to leave on a business trip to Europe for a year, they correspond. In between Feride visits relatives in Tekirdağ. Then Kamuran returns. Three days before the marriage Feride is visited by a veiled woman who shows her letters proving that Kamuran has married another woman in Switzerland called Münevver, who is ill and who loves him just as much. Feride flees from her aunt´s home to her old nurse, telling nobody the reason.

Then, with her Notre Dame de Sion girls college diploma, she applies for a job as a teacher, shocking everybody. She is sent to the forgotten village Zeyniler köyü near Bursa where no teacher ever wanted to go. She establishes herself in the village, organizes the school, makes friend with the illegitimate girl Munise and adopts her.  She walks around the village veiled but unchaperoned, she is never bothered by the men.

(In one curious scene a worker digging up streets in a gang asks her for water. She brings it to him, they chat, he tells her he´s no villager but comes from the town of Samsun, she comments on his educated air.)

A wounded bandit is brought into the village, Feride acts as nurse to the Gendarmerie doctor Hayrullah bey. He realizes that she is in fact an upper-class woman hiding in the village. He arranges an inspection of the school. An arrogant inspector and his entourage arrive from town, the inspector is appalled by the state of the school which looks like a stable etc... (like all the educated Ottoman officials he mixes lots of French into his conversation). Feride is sent to İzmir, she takes Munise with her. End of part one (and file one).

In İzmir Feride takes the post of private teacher for the grown-up daughters of Reşit bey. The family knows Kamuran, in conversation it turns out that Kamuran had waited several years for Feride and finally got officially married to Münevver. Feride´s beauty causes a lot of gossip, the family´s son falls in love with her, Munise dies. Feride is transferred first to Çanakkale, then to Kuşadası. There she meets again Hayrullah bey who is now an army doctor (WW I has broken out) and who loves her like a daughter. In order to protect Feride they become formally married, but they remain living like father and daughter. Before Hayrullah dies Feride promises him to return to her family in Istanbul and to make up with them. She manages to see her dying father and plays a Bach fugue for him on an orgue. Then Kamuran´s wife Münevver dies. Feride´s sister Müjgan has by now read her diary and understood everything. She clears up all misunderstandings and unites Feride and Kamuran.

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More information:

While browsing through the English language book on Turkish cinema by Rekin Teksoy, I've come across three interesting films: Üçünü Selim´in gözdesi 1950, Bilmeyen yol 1965 (I haven´t been able to locate those two) and this one.

There are lots of great examples in the cinema of India and Japan, but I haven´t seen yet a satisfying Turkish film with a historical (here Ottoman) background. (I was disappointed with Aşk-ı memnu 1974 which I could upload with Turkish srt subs, and I haven´t seen any of the spectacles made in the last 20s years or so.) So Çalıkuşu is for me by far the best Turkish film of the genre, and I have never seen such good sets, props and costumes in a Turkish film before, very good cinematography too, interesting camera angles, foreground compositions, chiaroscuro lighting, a great soundtrack. For outside locations they found several summer villas on the Bosporus still standing at the time (in dilapidated state, you can even see a wire fence in front of one building). But most scenes take place indoors or in a park, on the beach (on the Black Sea coast) or in a village.

From what I gathered from the Turkish sites, the top actors of the time participated in the film, all the women certainly look very beautiful in their period costumes. The post-dubbing is very well done too. I wouldn't call this a masterpiece (in the class of say, Ray's Charulata which this film reminded me of on occasion), in part two there are some longueurs, but I'd say this film is a good example of "Turkish cinema de qualité".