Director: Suha Arin Script by: Celik Gulersoy Director of Photography: Savas Guvezne Camera: Hasan Ozgen Muzik : Nevit Kodalli Narrator: Sureyya Arin Format: 35 mm Renkli Film Duration: 44 min. Production Year: 1981 |
On July 1, 1927 Gazi Mustafa Kemal (Ataturk), addressing the guests filling the Main Hall of Dolmabahce Palace said "This palace is no longer the palace of the sultans called the shadows of God, but of the nation, a living real entity", emphasizing the beginning of a new era not only for the Palace but also for the whole Turkish nation.
Dolmabahce Palace, completed in 1855 with the first foreign debt, was a flamboyant symbol of the Ottoman efforts to westernize. The palace hosted six sultans and witnessed the fall of the Empire. After the proclamation of the Republic, Ataturk spent almost four years in Istanbul mostly at Dolmabahce Palace. The Palace then played the role of a center for educational and cultural reforms which were a part of the Turkish revolution. In 1938 Ataturk passed away in Dolmabahce Palace, which is a museum today in service of all.
The research for this documentary, planned for the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ataturk, took one year and filming was completed in three months. The film compares the role of the Palace in the Ottoman period with its transformation in the Republic, enhanced by the incomparable presence of Ataturk, in a detailed portrait of space and structure.
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