''The Ottoman Republic'' ( tr, Osmanlı Cumhuriyeti) is a 2008 Turkish

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Gani Müjde Gani is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: Given name *Gani Bobi (1943–1995), Albanian philosopher and sociologist *Gani Fawehinmi (1938–2009), Nigerian writer *Gani Lawal (born 1988), Nigerian-American baske ...

. The film, which stars

Ata Demirer Ata Demirer (born 6 July 1972) is a Turkish filmmaker, stand-up comedian, actor, and musician. He is known for his live comedy sketches as well as for writing and starring in a string of Turkish box-office hits including '' Eyyvah Eyvah'' (2010) ...

, is a political comedy built upon the question, "What would have happened if

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 Surname Law (Turkey), until 1934 ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish Mareşal (Turkey), field marshal, Turkish National Movement, re ...

never existed?" It went on general release across Turkey on and is the fourth-highest-grossing Turkish film of 2008.

Synopsis

The year is 1888. A 7-year-old child was first seen running on a vast field to scare the crows off of the meadows of

Thessalonica Thessaloniki (; el, Θεσσαλονίκη, , also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece, with over one million inhabitants in its metropolitan area, and the capital of the geographic region of ...

, and then he falls from a tree while reaching out to a nightingale. Everything goes black. The child who falls from the tree is

Mustafa Mustafa ( ar, مصطفى , Muṣṭafā) is one of the names of Prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world. Given name Mou ...

, who would have grown to become the founder of the Republic of Turkey and be given the surname Atatürk, that is, if he did not fall to his coma that day. The film fast-forwards to over a century later into the year 2007. Without Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in Turkey's history, no

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List of o ...

has been fought,

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

has not become the country's capital, and the country continues its existence as the Ottoman Republic, ruled by the

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Osman VII (

), who has become little more than a

figurehead In politics, a figurehead is a person who ''de jure'' (in name or by law) appears to hold an important and often supremely powerful title or office, yet ''de facto'' (in reality) exercises little to no actual power. This usually means that they ...

and a source of ridicule by foreign dignitaries, especially by the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. At first, he emerges from his palace as

Janissaries A Janissary ( ota, یڭیچری, yeŋiçeri, , ) was a member of the elite infantry units that formed the Ottoman Sultan's household troops and the first modern standing army in Europe. The corps was most likely established under sultan Orhan ( ...

play a march for him. Outside the palace, several protesters who objected to foreign interference in Ottoman affairs were suppressed by the police. He then prays at a mosque, before the next scenes focus on his wife's shopping. For all of his bumbling antics, the Sultan was forced to abdicate for his failed administration, and was exiled. The scene shifts from the

Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

harbour back to the wheat fields of Thessalonica, as the boy Mustafa recovers from his coma. He gets up and runs off beating a can with a stick, as a voice-over of one of his future speeches plays in the background.

Release

The film opened on general release in 205 screens across Turkey on at number one in the Turkish box office chart with a worldwide opening weekend gross of $1,988,968.

Reception

Box Office

The movie was number one at the Turkish box office for two weeks running and was the fourth-highest-grossing Turkish film of 2009 with a total gross of $7,746,467. It remained in the Turkish box-office charts for nineteen weeks and made a total worldwide gross of $8,689,739.

Reviews

In his latest historical comedy, popular satirist and TV writer, Gani Müjde, travels on similar turf, to his debut feature "

Kahpe Bizans ''Kahpe Bizans'' (English: Perfidious Byzantine) is a 2000 Turkish comedy film directed by Gani Müjde. It is a parody of 1970s, kitsch Turkish historical drama movies. Cast *Mehmet Ali Erbil as İmparator İlletyus * Demet Şener as Emman ...

" (The Perfidious Byzantium), which poked fun at the earlier nationalist films of Turkish cinema, introduces ''

Hürriyet Daily News The ''Hürriyet Daily News'', formerly ''Hürriyet Daily News and Economic Review'' and ''Turkish Daily News'', is the oldest current English-language daily in Turkey, founded in 1961. The paper was bought by the Doğan Media Group in 2001 and ...

'' reviewer Emrah Güler, who concludes, both Gani Müjde and Ata Demirer are favorite household names who never fail to put a smile on followers of Turkish pop culture.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ottoman Republic 2008 comedy films 2008 films Turkish alternate history films 2000s Turkish-language films Films set in 2007 Films set in Turkey Films set in Istanbul Films set in the Ottoman Empire