The Conquest of Constantinople (İstanbul'un Fethi)

Written and directed by Aydın Arakon, this 1951 black-and-white production was the first Turkish feature to portray the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and it launched a long-running wave of Ottoman-versus-Byzantine adventure films in Turkey.

The story opens in Edirne, where Sultan Mehmed II oversees feverish preparations, casting huge cannons designed to breach the city's walls. Ignoring dissenting pashas at court, and backed by his mentor Molla Gürani, he orders the campaign to begin. Three of his most trusted warriors, Ulubatlı Hasan, Hızır Bey and Mustafa, are sent ahead into Byzantine territory to spy and lay the groundwork, while their enemies scheme to sabotage the expedition.

Made on a budget far above the era's average and supported by the Turkish Armed Forces and the state as the 500th anniversary of the conquest approached, the film was restored, colorized and re-dubbed for a new release in 1971.