Recent Documentaries on Atatürk
Resat Kasaba
University of Washington

Reprinted from the Middle East Studies Association Bulletin, Summer  2001 (with changes in orthography to HTML standards).
Copyright 2001 by the Middle East Studies Association of North America
Atatürk (Turkey) 1998 80 min Dir: Tolga Örnek. Prod: Tolga Örnek, Kemal Gökakin. Distributed by Landmark Media, 3450 Slade Run Drive, Falls Church, VA 22042. Tel 800/342-4336. Fax: 703/536-9640. Email: landmarkmed@aol.com. Web: www.landmarkmedia.com. English narration, English subtitles for occasional Turkish.

Atatürk, Founder of Modern Turkey (Turkey) 1999 52 min. Prod: Zelfa and Tarquin Olivier. Distributed by Filmakers Library, 124 E 40th St. Suite 901, New York, NY 10016. Tel 212/808-4980. Fax: 212/808-4983. Email: info@filmakers.-com Web: www.filmakers.com English narration, English subtitles for Turkish.

There is no doubt that had it not been for Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Turkey’s break with its Ottoman past would have been incomplete. As a result, Turkey, or some variant of it, would have had to shoulder the burdens of the Empire’s late history, which would make it a significantly smaller and weaker state, beholden to the conflicting demands and interests of its erstwhile allies and adversaries. Hence, it is not surprising that when the subject is Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, no expression of gratitude and praise seems excessive to most Turks. It is indeed extraordinary that Atatürk was able to face the challenges and the adversities of his time and lead a social movement that succeeded in creating a new state that has proven to be surprisingly vibrant and resilient.

The first generations of the Turkish Republic were taught a history that placed Atatürk at the center of the turbulent era that involved long wars, the break-up of the Ottoman Empire, and the founding of the new state. In order not to distract from the extraordinary part Atatürk played in this drama, these histories paid no attention to some of the troubling aspects of those years. They also left unacknowledged the contributions of some of Atatürk’s best friends since many of them had subsequently become critical of his methods. Despite their shortcomings, these histories played a crucial part in reinforcing a sense of purpose, unity, and pride in the newly crafted Turkish nation in the trying times of the twenties and the thirties. As such, they were indispensable in guaranteeing the success of the new state in its early years.

It is surprising, however, that even though they are produced more than three-quarters of a century after the Turkish Republic was founded and more than sixty years after Atatürk died, both Atatürk and Atatürk, Founder of Modern Turkey faithfully follow the script of this familiar story. They contain excellent footage from the last years of the empire, World War I, the Turco-Greek War, and the early years of the republic, combined with commentary by Atatürk’s friends. While both films spend some time in recounting the events of the late nineteenth century, they do this not to put Atatürk and the Turkish revolution in their proper context, but to highlight, once again, the extraordinary foresight, determination, and skill that enabled Atatürk to single-handedly steer the country towards modernization. As is typical of the history Turks read in their schools, these films contain practically no reference to the lines of ethnic division and conflict that were so central to the later Ottoman and early republican periods. They include no mention of the Greeks, except for the Turco-Greek War, Armenians figure only within the context of “the stabilization of the eastern borders,” and Arabs and Kurds are completely absent from both films. In Örnek’s film we hear a passing reference to “the dark parts such as the Tribunals,” meaning, of course, the Independence Tribunals that summarily tried and sentenced to death hundreds of people and succeeded in eliminating and silencing all opposition to Atatürk and to his reforms after 1926. It is also in Örnek’s film that there are two glaring errors. One is the picture of a port city, most probably Beirut, that accompanies the part of the film where Atatürk’s years in Damascus are recounted. The other error, towards the end of the film, has the voice-over listing ‘Nazi Italy’ as one of the factors that undermined international relations in the 1930s. Despite these errors Örnek’s film is much more comprehensive and succeeds better in presenting the dramatic events of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries on Turkey.

The Oliviers’ film is shorter and more of an unabashed hagiography of the great man and his deeds. In addition to the interviews and historical footage, it includes a section where the British actor Nigel Hawthorne plays the part of Sir Percy Lorraine, the former British Ambassador to Turkey, and recounts “his impressions” of Atatürk. Those who are familiar with the popular TV series “Yes, Minister!” or who have seen Hawthorne in one of his many successful film roles will quickly realize that this part of the film is highly fictionalized. But this technique ends up being somewhat confusing since no such method is employed anywhere else in the film.

This brings me to the question of where these films can be shown and for what purpose. The historians of modern Turkey who came of age in the last twenty years have learned to examine the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Turkish Republic from a critical and less impassioned point of view. For them, these films can serve as a useful foil to point out the exaggerated claims of the older versions of this history. The valuable footage and some of the interviews can also be incorporated in broader discussions of the period. However, in watching, and showing films such as these, it should be incumbent upon us not just to celebrate Atatürk’s extraordinary willpower and determination, but also to note and point out the parts of the story that are left out or passed over. It is only by adopting such an approach that we can reach a more complete recounting of the deeds of this very important man and the history he has come to symbolize.