''120'' is a 2008 Turkish
war film
War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...
directed by
Murat Saraçoğlu Murat may refer to:
Places Australia
* Murat Bay, a bay in South Australia
* Murat Marine Park, a marine protected area
France
* Murat, Allier, a commune in the department of Allier
* Murat, Cantal, a commune in the department of Cantal
Elsewhe ...
and
Özhan Eren based on the true story of 120 children who died in 1915 carrying ammunition for the
Battle of Sarikamish
The Battle of Sarikamish (''Sarighamishi chakatamart''), russian: Сражение при Сарыкамыше; tr, Sarıkamış Harekatı, lit=''Operation Sarıkamış'' was an engagement between the Russian and Ottoman empires during World ...
against the Russians during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
. The film went on general release across Turkey on and is one of the highest grossing
Turkish films of 2008
A list of films produced by the Turkish film industry in Turkey in 2008.
Highest-grossing films
Released films
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turkish Films Of 2008
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brot ...
.
Production
Writer, producer and co-director Özhan Eren, an expert on the
Caucasus Campaign
The Caucasus campaign comprised armed conflicts between the Russian Empire and the Ottoman Empire, later including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, the Mountainous Republic of the Northern Caucasus, the German Empire, the Central Caspian Dict ...
in World War I, who came across the story of the 120 boys while doing the research for his bestselling ''
The Road to Sarıkamış'' ( tr, Sarıkamış'a Giden Yol), spent three years preparation for the film.
The film, which received a record amount of support from the
Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism ( tr, Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı) is a government ministry of the Republic of Turkey, responsible for culture and tourism affairs in Turkey. Revolving fund management of the ministry is carried by DÖSİM ...
, was shot over two years in harsh conditions on location in
Safranbolu
Safranbolu () is a town and district of Karabük Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey. It is about 9 km north of the city of Karabük, north of Ankara and about 100 km south of the Black Sea coast. The town's historic names in G ...
,
Van
A van is a type of road vehicle used for transporting goods or people. Depending on the type of van, it can be bigger or smaller than a pickup truck and SUV, and bigger than a common car. There is some varying in the scope of the word across th ...
and
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
,
Turkey
Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula ...
. When heavy snow, expected in Van for the winter settings of the film, failed to arrive, 20 trucks, two loaders and 30 staff members had to be laid on to bring 300 tons of snow from
Çaldıran to Van for several scenes.
Plot
During the
Battle of Sarikamish
The Battle of Sarikamish (''Sarighamishi chakatamart''), russian: Сражение при Сарыкамыше; tr, Sarıkamış Harekatı, lit=''Operation Sarıkamış'' was an engagement between the Russian and Ottoman empires during World ...
, the Ottoman army runs out of ammunition and appeals for help to the people of Van, who happen to have supplies. However, the First World War is on and all the men are fighting at the four corners of the empire and therefore can not respond to the appeal. The young children of Van want to do something and when the principal of a school, who has lost a son in the war, suggests that they transport ammunition, 120 young boys aged 12 to 17 volunteer and take to the road. The movie tells the true story of the 120 boys and their sisters and mothers left behind, who wait for their return.
Cast
*
Ozge Ozberk
* Burak Sergen
*
Cansel Elcin Cansel is a Turkish word, and it may refer to:
Given name
* Cansel Deniz (born 1991), Kazakhstani taekwondo athlete
* Cansel Elçin (born 1973), Turkish actor
* Cansel Özkan (born 2003), Turkish weightlifter
Surname
* Feri Cansel (1944–1983), T ...
Release
The film went on general release, with what Emrah Güler described as, ''an aggressive (and unnecessarily nationalistic) marketing campaign'', in 179 screens across Turkey on at number one in the Turkish box office with an opening weekend gross of
US$376,812.
The film had a gala screening in
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the Sw ...
on before going on general release in 32 screens across Germany on at number 17 in the German box office with an opening weekend gross of
US$53,763.
The film was re-released, to coincide with August 30 Victory Day ( tr, Zafer Bayramı) celebrations, in 32 screens across Turkey on at number thirteen in the Turkish box office with an opening weekend gross of
US$23,071.
Reception
Box office
The film was in the Turkish box office charts for 41 weeks and is the 9th highest-grossing
Turkish film of 2008 with a total nationwide gross of
US$3,289,480.
Reviews
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:120 (Film)
2008 films
World War I films set in the Middle East
Films set in Turkey
Turkish war films
2000s war films
2000s Turkish-language films