Kasaba (1997)
A Film by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
DVD9 | ISO+MDS | PAL 4:3 (720x576) | 01:25:57 | 6,76 Gb
Audio: Turkish AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps | Subs: English, German, French
Genre: Drama | 5 wins | Turkey
A Film by Nuri Bilge Ceylan
DVD9 | ISO+MDS | PAL 4:3 (720x576) | 01:25:57 | 6,76 Gb
Audio: Turkish AC3 5.1 @ 448 Kbps | Subs: English, German, French
Genre: Drama | 5 wins | Turkey
Nuri Bilge Ceylan scripted and made his directorial debut with this Turkish family drama, based on an autobiographical story (Cornfield) by his sister, Emine Ceylan. The black-and-white film is structured around vignettes of seasonal changes. Winter: Turkish life is seen from the perspective of a young schoolteacher. Spring: A student from the first segment and her little brother experience the world of nature as they walk home. Summer: The children join their parents and grandparents in a family gathering, talking and eating roast corn around an outdoor fire on a summer night. Fall: In a symbolic sequence, the youngsters find their roles in society. This low-budget film premiered at the 1998 Berlin Film Festival and won the international critics jury prize (a $30,000 cash award) at the 1998 Istanbul Film Festival.
IMDB
Ceylan’s visually ravishing feature debut, set in his provincial hometown, featuring numerous members of his family both in front of and behind the camera, taking a leisurely paced, beautifully observed look at small town family life, is a more poetic and optimistic work than his subsequent films but no less perceptive or masterful.
Told from the perspective of two children, and in four parts which run parallel to seasons, KASABA describes relationships between members of a Turkish family in a small town. The first part is in a primary school where the family's 11 year-old daughter faces feeling of shame and some merciless clues of life as she tries to adapt to the social life and its difficulties… The second part is in spring. We see the girl with her brother, and their journey to the corn field where their family are waiting for them. As they pass through the countryside, they encounter the mysteries of nature and wildlife… In the third part the brother and sister witness the complexities and darkness of the adult world… The fourth part takes place at home. This is a tranquil sequence moving between reality and dream.
Based on an autobiographical story (Cornfield) by the director's sister, Emine Ceylan, the film is “A remarkable first feature. . . a strikingly original, vibrantly sensitive portrait of an extended family living in a remote Aegean village” (Variety). One of the most evocative films about childhood memories ever made, Ceylan’s first feature shows both his remarkable craftsmanship and exquisite ability to create atmosphere. Ceylan acted as cinematographer as well as director, and the film’s nostalgic black-and-white images seem to spring from his own memory, making The Small Town a magnificently intimate debut (Toronto Film Festival).
A remarkable first feature from director Nuri Bilge Ceylan, "The Town" is a strikingly original, vibrantly sensitive look at an extended family living in a remote Turkish village. Following its premier in Berlin's Forum in February, pic won multiple kudos in the National Competition of the recent Istanbul fest, including the Fipresci (international critics jury) prize, which on this occasion carried a $ 30,000 check. Further fest prospects are bright for this very personal, refined work, which in many ways recalls the craftsmanship and sensitivity of the best Iranian films.
Structured around the four seasons –- rather than narrating a story per se –- pic opens in wintertime. In a simple but riveting schoolroom scene, a young teacher, distractedly gazing out the window, has his young pupils read from a patriotic textbook extolling the rules of social life and the family as the nucleus of Turkish society.
Ceylan begins to introduce conflicts in this happy picture with subdued irony. The teacher criticizes Asiye's mother for sending her to school with a lunch that has gone bad and smells. A grinning country boy arrives late covered in ice after his trek to school. There is a strong feeling of compassion for the young, the poor, the humiliated.
Next, it's springtime. Asiye and her little brother walk home through the cornfields, stopping to play in a graveyard. Ceylan's B&W camera beautifully captures the feeling of the natural world –- a mule, a turtle, trees, wind in the leaves –- which is also a world of discovery and childhood cruelty.
This section smoothly segues to a summer night, with the kids sitting around an outdoor fire with their parents, grandparents and cousin eating roast corn. Here the adult world takes over in a lengthy conversation that touches on war, death, hunger, starvation, work and reputation. Dialogue and camerawork stay right on the mark, revealing more and more about the family and its place in the world. Pic closes with a section set at home, showing the symbolic dreams of the young people and their becoming part of society.
Shoestring shooting (director did his own cinematography) in no way detracts from what the film wants to say and lends it great intimacy. Cast is non-pro, chosen from Ceylan's own family, while script is based on his sister Emine's autobiographical story, "Cornfield."
Special Features:
- Behind the Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
- Directors Filmography
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