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Istanbul Beneath My Wings (İstanbul Kanatlarımın Altında)

Istanbul Beneath My Wings (İstanbul Kanatlarımın Altında)

Movie · 1996 · 14 people

Mustafa Altıoklar wrote and directed İstanbul Kanatlarımın Altında (Istanbul Beneath My Wings), a 1996 Turkish historical drama produced by Umut Sanat. Made with contributions from Eurimages and the Ministry of Culture, it opened on March 15, 1996. It dramatizes Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi's reported flight across the Bosphorus from Galata.

The story is set in 17th-century Istanbul under Murad IV. Hezârfen Ahmed Çelebi (Ege Aydan), Lâgarî Hasan Çelebi (Okan Bayülgen), Evliyâ Çelebi (Haluk Bilginer) and Bekri Mustafa (Savaş Ay) discuss research into whether humans can fly like birds. Franceska (Beatriz Rico), the mute daughter of an Italian captain, first Hezârfen's slave and then his beloved, helps them with drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. Hezârfen makes his historic flight from the Galata Tower on artificial wings, while Lâgarî rises by rocket and lands in the waters of the Bosphorus. At the urging of the conservative Şeyhülislam both are exiled: Hezârfen to Algiers, Lâgarî to Crimea. The cast also includes Zuhal Olcay (Kösem Sultan), Burak Sergen (Murad IV), Tuncel Kurtiz (Topal Recep Paşa), and Giovanni Scognamillo (Antonio Ağa).

Nida Karabol Akdeniz and Üstün Karabol produced, and Uğur İçbak was director of photography. Tuluyhan Uğurlu's score was also released on cassette and CD.

DirectorMustafa Altıoklar
Production companyUmut Sanat
Istanbul Beneath My Wings (İstanbul Kanatlarımın Altında)

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Cast

Akasya Asıltürkmen Akasya Asıltürkmen Actor · 49 years old Leyla Ali Düşenkalkar Ali Düşenkalkar Actor · 65 years old Imam Ege Aydan Ege Aydan Actor · 68 years old Hezarfen Ahmed Çelebi Giovanni Scognamillo Giovanni Scognamillo Author · died at 87 Antonio Ağa Haluk Bilginer Haluk Bilginer Actor · 72 years old Evliya Çelebi Okan Bayülgen Okan Bayülgen Actor · 62 years old Lagari Hasan Çelebi Savaş Ay Savaş Ay Actor · died at 59 Bekri Mustafa Tuncel Kurtiz Tuncel Kurtiz Actor · died at 77 Topal Recep Paşa Zuhal Olcay Zuhal Olcay Actor · 69 years old Kösem Sultan Mustafa Avkıran Mustafa Avkıran Actor · 63 years old Beatriz Rico Beatriz Rico Actor · 56 years old Francesca Burak Sergen Burak Sergen Actor · 65 years old IV. Murad Mustafa Altıoklar Mustafa Altıoklar Film director · 68 years old Derviş Nazan Kesal Nazan Kesal Actor · 57 years old Prostitute

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Through different eyes

History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The film reads the Istanbul of Murad IV through the tension between science and dogma: curious minds dreaming of flight on one side, the pressure of a conservative Sheikh al-Islam on the other. The contrast is strong but very schematic. Hezarfen's flight has come down to us as something he is reported to have done, and the film fills that gap with romantic touches such as a mute Italian girl and drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. How much of this belongs to history and how much to imagination is worth asking. Seating colorful figures of the era, from Evliya Çelebi to Bekri Mustafa, at one table is a pleasure, as long as viewers take it as historical fantasy rather than a history lesson.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humor and heart.

An interesting pick for families who want a historical adventure. The idea of flying from the Galata Tower on wings grabs children's imagination right away, and Lagari's rocket ride into the sky is fun. But the film runs close to two hours and talky scenes dominate, so little ones may get bored. There are also themes like slavery and exile. It works better with children of middle-school age and up, with a parent around to answer their questions.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Altıoklar's ambition is clear from the start: mounting a large-scale period film in the mid-1990s, with Eurimages support, was no small move for Turkish cinema. Uğur İçbak's cinematography presents Galata and the Bosphorus in a fairy-tale light, and Tuluyhan Uğurlu's score is one of the main things carrying the film's dreamy tone. The weakness is structural: the debate scenes stretch out like a theater of ideas, while the dramatic tension never rises enough before the flight. Strong performers like Haluk Bilginer and Okan Bayülgen often end up as carriers of ideas rather than characters. Flawed but brave, an attempt with few equals in its time.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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