''Ateşten Gömlek'' (The Daughter of Smyrna or The Shirt of Flame) is a 1923

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

Turkish

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

, co-produced by Kemal Seden and Şakir Seden, written and directed by

Muhsin Ertuğrul Muhsin Ertuğrul (28 February 1892 – 29 April 1979), also known as Ertuğrul Muhsin Bey, was a Turkish actor and director. Muhsin Ertuğrul, who had important contributions to both Turkish theatre and Turkish cinema, was born in İstanbul ...

based on a novel of the same title (published in 1922) by Halide Edib Adıvar. The movie marks a milestone in the

cinema of Turkey Cinema of Turkey or Turkish cinema (also old known as ''Yeşilçam'' literally means ''The Green Pine'' in Turkish language), () or Türk sineması is the sobriquet that refers to the Turkish film industry, film art and industry. It is an impo ...

as for the first time ever Turkish Muslim actresses, namely Bedia Muvahhit and Neyyire Neyir, featured in a movie. It is in general about some events during the

Turkish War of Independence The Turkish War of Independence "War of Liberation", also known figuratively as ''İstiklâl Harbi'' "Independence War" or ''Millî Mücadele'' "National Struggle" (19 May 1919 – 24 July 1923) was a series of military campaigns waged by th ...

(1919–1923). Its remake with the same title was released in 1950, directed by Vedat Örfi Bengü. The movie was premiered on 23 April 1923, the third anniversary of

Grand National Assembly of Turkey The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Const ...

's foundation at Palas Sinema in Beyoğlu, Istanbul. It was shown to audience in two separate ticketed screens.

Plot

The husband and the little son of Ayşe, featured by Bediha Muvahhit, are killed by

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

troops during the

occupation of Izmir The city of Smyrna (modern-day İzmir) and surrounding areas were under Greek military occupation from 15 May 1919 until 9 September 1922. The Allied Powers authorized the occupation and creation of the Zone of Smyrna ( el, Ζώνη Σμύρν� ...

(1919–1922) after

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

(1914–1918). With the help of an

Italian Levantine The Latin Church in the Middle East represents members of the Latin Church of the Catholic Church in the Middle East, notably in Turkey and the Levant ( Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine, and Jordan). ''Latin Catholics'' are subject to the Latin ...

family, Ayşe, slightly wounded, goes to

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 ...

, where she lives in the home of her paternal first cousin Peyami. There, she meets Major İhsan, a friend of Peyami. The three takes part at protest rallies against the occupation of Izmir held at Sultanahmet Square. However, following the

occupation of Istanbul The occupation of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul'un İşgali; 12 November 1918 – 4 October 1923), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, by British, French, Italian, and Greek forces, took place in accordance with the Armistice of Mudros, which ended O ...

by the Allied forces briefly after, she is forced to escape to

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The ...

accompanied by Peyami. The two joins the military unit of the Turkish National Resistance led by Major İhsan. Ayşe helps by nursing and Peyami becomes an officer subordinate to İhsan. Both men, İhsan and Peyami, fall in love with Ayşe. This love turns into a "shirt of fire" (Ateşten Gömlek) for both. Ayşe, however, has a heart for İhsan only. İhsan gets wounded in action, and she treats him. Meanwhile, İhsan promises to marry her after he enters Izmir as the first Turkish soldier. In order to draw Ayşe's attention, Peyami intends also to be the first soldier in Izmir. Peyami is killed in action soon after. Ayşe, hearing the bad news, runs to the front, but she is also killed by enemy shrapnel shell.

First Turkish Muslim actresses

The novel ''Ateşten Gömlek'' written by Halide Edib Adıvar (1884–1964), a

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist, who actually participated in the Turkish War of Independence, was first appeared as serial in the newspaper ''İkdam'' between 6 June and 11 August 1922 before it was published in book form. Since it became of great interest, its filming came into question. In the

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

, acting of Muslim women in movies was not allowed for reasons of religion. In all the movies, the woman roles were played by the Christian or Jewish women of

minorities in Turkey Minorities in Turkey form a substantial part of the country's population, representing an estimated 26% to 31% of the population. Historically, in the Ottoman Empire, Islam was the official and dominant religion, with Muslims having different d ...

. Adıvar stipulated that she would only permit her novel be filmed when the lead role is featured by a Turkish Muslim woman. Muhsin Ertuğrul (1892–1979) asked his friend Ahmet Refet Muvahhit whether his newly married wife Bedia Muvahhit (1897–1994) would be eligible for the lead role. She accepted to feature as Ayşe. For the supporting female role of Kezban in the movie, a newspaper advertisement was published. Only one woman, Münire Eyüp (1902–1943), applied. She played in the movie under the pseudonym Neyyire Neyir. She later married to Muhsin Ertuğrul.

Cast

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Atesten Gomlek 1923 films 1920s war drama films Turkish black-and-white films Turkish war drama films Turkish-language films Films set in Turkey Films directed by Muhsin Ertuğrul 1923 drama films Turkish War of Independence films