MovieChat Forums > La masseria delle allodole (2007) Discussion > Too big story for so little budget

Too big story for so little budget

posted 14 years ago by mecamelme
5 replies | jump to latest

In my opinion Taviani brothers fail to tell the story of Armenian Genocide.
the directing,The acting, the photography, the cinematography, the editing and specially make-up failed miserably. Another example of ruining a great story.

I can hear Taviani bros.saying "it is not an easy job to tell a story with a little budget".
Very well, you did not have a big budget for "Padre Padrone" or "La notte di San Lorenzo".
They were magical. What happened to your ingenuity now? Did you get too old for this? or did you lose it in the dream of a hefty profit?

If Andrei Tarkovsky, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini or Akira Kurosawa were alive today for sure they would tell this story better with less budget.

It was possible to tell the Holocaust stories in two hours. Like Alan J.Pakula's "Sophie's Choice" or Rainer Werner Fassbinder's "Lily Marleen" or Roman Polanski's "The pianist" and many more. Why there are very few attempts with lots of failures to tell the Armenian genocide? the answer is, story does not sell, does not make enough money.. money.. money. Atom Agoyan also tried and failed in my eyes.

My mother use to tell me the stories of Armenian woman and children -whatever left of them- marching to Syria and Iraq. The Hamidiye Army would promise them to help if they carry very little belongings since they would travel with the rafts on Tigris or Euphrates. There would be no room for large items like suitcases.Little belongings meant,they could only carry their money-valuables.
Then the Hamidiye Army soldiers slaughter them, steal their money and jeweleries, cut their bellies and stuff it with pebble stone and drop their bodies the into the Mesopotamian rivers.

They say the rivers flow red those days.

[–] cesetevi 14 years ago

"If Andrei Tarkovsky, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini or Akira Kurosawa were alive today for sure they would tell this story better with less budget. "

What an imagination? oh my god :) what on earth do you think these big directors would shoot such a movie claiming this genocide thing :)?

If you d known anything about cinema,publicity and societies you d have said this.Ok you are free whatever you want to believe or claim.There is a socalled freedom of speech.

However any director like these names do not risk their careers on a very controversial issues.you must have know this.and that's why they had not touched such controversial plots.Probably in the past they would have been offered who knows :)?

Tarkovsky,Fellini,Kurosawa are great names and have audiences in all countries even in Turkey and Armenia :) Who wants to take side on a very controversial issue and lose their audiences and risk their careers :)?

IF they d shot such movies on controversial issues they d not have been great names in cinema history.

[–] cinesimonj 14 years ago

Classic!
So you think the fear of losing the purchasing power of right wing nationalists in Turkey is enough to stop film makers from making a film?

You know little about integrity - something much cherished by the world's greatest film makers.

If you were right, films like Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Ghandi, the Rwanda films, South African films, many filmed across Europe over the last decade dealing with their countries' Nazis and contribution to the holocaust, would not have happened for fear of offended a tiny, minuscule audience of people wishing to deny the reality of what happened - be it WW2, the Armenian genocide, Iraq, Rwanda, Uganda, India and on and on. We have always been blessed with courageous film makers, and we always will.
Pretending that the objections of a tiny audience in Turkey will have any impact on a decision to make a film about the issue is laughable at best..

[–] cesetevi 14 years ago

Did Andrei Tarkovsky, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini or Akira Kurosawa direct any movie for this genocide claim? NO :)

You see my point and I see yours.Yours is cheap with humiliating words.You are free with what you believe or think.

armenians and armenian diaspora will have to face with this genocide claim and their history.And do not worry they will.There is a huge bill on the table for them.They were invited several times to the table.Now both countries signed protocols and that table is part of those protocols.If Armenia does not escape the table there will be a committe of historians working on this "genocide" claim.

Do spend your time with "azerbaijan genocide".You do not need to go that far it happenned in 1990s.

Movies books statues or raised fingers do not prove anything or change the historical facts but build hatred on which new generations will sit.

Turkiye has population of 70 millions and all others spread in Europe Asia and Northern Africa.This genocide claim is for "this big audience" a "Canakkale".You must be knowing this.You can check news and read the same lines from Turkish Foreign Minister.

If Armenia and Armenians trust their history and archives then they have to come to table with their claims and archives,that is also mentioned in signed protocols.Turkiye and Turkish people trust their history.

genocide is a serious claim you cannot get away with this,cannot sell this with twisted movies books statues etc.This is a work of historians.Let armenian and turkish historians settle this genocide claim.

I am done with this thread.It is really desperate to expect a genocide claim movie from these big names of directors :) These directors hadexceeded their countries' borders and reached the audience of whole world.They do not risk losing any audience for very controversial discussions rumouring around in the world.Because of this they are respected all around the world.:)

[–] cinesimonj 14 years ago

"Did Andrei Tarkovsky, Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini or Akira Kurosawa direct any movie for this genocide claim? NO :) "

That's actually an argument?

As for cheap and humiliating words: denying a genocide is pretty up there. I have just as much disrespect for nazi holocaust deniers.

[–] cesetevi 14 years ago

I m putting the owners of "armenian genocide claim" with nazi holocaust deniers in the same basket. :)

Why ? So simple.The same nation, Ottomans helped Jewish people,Ottomans brought them from Spain,check on Simon Peres's speech in Turkish parliament and the same nation,Turks in WW2 opened its doors to Jewish people escaping Nazi Germany.Einstein was one of them by the way :) He lived in Turkiye for a while.Turks or say it Ottomans always had good relations with Jewish people and still have.

Armenia has to deal with first HOCALI massacre,AZERBAIJAN GENOCIDE.

I wrote these line NOT FOR YOU :) for others entering this forum.History is a serious science and claiming a genocide a very serious.

I said I am done with this thread.Sorry I could not hold my word :) but I cannot stand when someone dares to relate nazi holocaust with this claim and tries to show Jewish people against Turks/Ottomans.

By the way Armenians migrated from Armenia and Turkish-Armenians are the part of that your "little tiny audience".There are modern and rational armenians who believe democracy human rights and freedom of speech and chase peace not this genocide claim that is full of hatred.

Have you ever crossed your mind that I could be an turkish-armenian? Turkiye and Armenia wants to have good relations and solve their problems.Do not want "armenian diaspora" involved and ruin everything.We want peace and we want to build our future on this not on this hostile claims books movies statues.

I do not want to be part of your discussion anymore.Sorry.Stage is yours :)