The Bride

Colour, 35 mm
Turkey, 1973, 97 min
Section: Ten Best Turkish Films

Synopsis

The Bride, telling the story of a family from Yozgat who migrate to Istanbul, their efforts to cope with the new living conditions, their struggle for survival, is one of the best examples of migration stories in Turkish cinema. The Bride, the first instalment of Lütfi Akad’s internationally renowned trilogy, is readily accepted as the most successful of the three, the other instalments being The Wedding and Bloody Money. The film reflects the rise of “little Anatolia” in Istanbul, a phenomenon which later gains momentum. Istanbul is known as a city of golden opportunities, but not everyone gets the chance to use them. With extreme realism, the film conveys the determination of people who, selling everything they own, migrate to the metropolis to forge a ‘present’ and ‘future’. The performance of Hülya Koçyiğit as Meryem contributed to the success of the film. ‘The voyage of no return’ of the family and of the young woman who loses her sick son and ends up working at a factory, played a major part in the revolution of Turkish cinema in the 1970s. In describing the experiences of the family from Yozgat, Akad points to the dissolving feudal relationships and the transition to a proletarian working class, suggesting a political awareness one rarely encounters in current Turkish cinema. This approach makes itself particularly apparent in the optimistic ‘happy ending’. The Bride, as a film that discusses and comments on the difficulty of change in Turkey during that time, using methods that derive from sociological realism and social realism, leaves a deep impression on the viewer. Notable for its economical perspective on the problems of the period, its allegorical structure, unadorned narrative and fine editing work, The Bride is further etched into our minds through its realistic and effective use of music.  

About the director

Lütfi Ömer Akad (b. 1916, Istanbul) studied economics and then worked in the banking sector as production head and accountant. He debuted as film director with Kill the Whore (Vurum kahpeye, 1949). He established a unique style in Turkish cinema and became one of the pioneers of the “directors’ generation”. In the seventies he created the famous trilogy The Bride (Gelin, 1973) / The Wedding (Dugun, 1973) / Bloody Money (Diyet, 1974), considered his masterpiece. Forced by the unfavourable conditions, he later withdrew from cinema. He directed several adaptations for TV and taught at the Institute of Film and Television, Mimar Sinan University.