Patriotic Historical Drama Chronicling a Major Event in Turkish History

Rating: 7/10 (20 June 2013)

Looking through other reviews of this film, I see that FETIH 1453 has been regularly criticized for its so-called 'inaccurate' representation of medieval history. In truth, questions of 'inaccuracy' or 'accuracy' are difficult to measure; our knowledge of the life and times of the late fifteenth century is sketchy, to say the least. FETIH 1453 works as a contemporary piece, using history to promote the idea of Turkish patriotism at a time when the integrity of nation-states is perpetually threatened by globalization, as well as huge behemoths like the European Union. On these terms, the film is actually pretty good: its moral scheme is easy to identify. All Christians are inevitably bad, while the Ottomans, on the other hand, need a strong, committed yet fair leader to ensure their success both on the battlefield and off. The fight scenes are well handled, combining CGI effects with plenty of vivid color and incident. Sometimes the structure is a little predictable, with too many sequences showing representatives of both sides (Christians and Ottomans) deciding how to plan their next campaigns; but this is offset by a sensitive handling of the domestic scenes, in which the two major central characters (Devrim Evin, Ibrahim Celikkol) are shown having to make unenviable choices between their families and their countries. FETIH 1453 is the Republic of Turkey's most expensive film in terms of budget, and its most successful at the box-office. It's not hard to see why.