I have long suspected that there were many worthwhile films and series being made in Turkey, but until Netflix introduced a few of them just recently, it hasn't been easy to find a way to view any of them in English. So, it was an unexpected delight to finally have the chance to view one from start to finish.
One of the prime pleasures of viewing international films/series is the opportunity to experience another culture, another time and place. Sadly, so many American productions are set in the same old same old, and even our historic settings often don't seem to avoid sounding and looking contemporary.
Kurt Seyit ve Sura takes place in parts of Russia, the Crimea, Istanbul, and some other parts of today's Turkey, during WWI, the Russian Revolution, and its aftermath of British occupation of Istanbul. I learned quite a bit of history previously unknown to me, and spent some time reading related articles on Wikipedia, etc. The scenery, costumes, etc. were fascinating to me.
Also especially enjoyable in this series was some wonderful acting by Kivanç Tatlitug, Fahriye Evcen, and others who have yet to be notated in the cast list here. Among these are the husband of Güzide, the mother of Murvet, Uncle Ali, and many others.
On the downside, the pacing of this series is very slow, with emotional moments slowed down even further. I'm sure at least 2-3 entire episode- lengths could have easily been pruned from the story. The musical themes which introduce characters and situations are very obvious and annoyingly repetitive. I found myself fast-forwarding at times just to speed up musical interludes.
What I enjoyed least in the series is the character of Sura herself, whom I wanted to strangle frequently.
Possible Spoiler Alert: She begins as a charming and innocent young lady, but never seems to acquire any genuine understanding or wisdom. Why on earth does she continue to blame Seyit for disappearing on their wedding day after she learns that he was kidnapped? What on earth does she expect? Her failure to trust him or extend any forgiveness at all renders her an unlovable character to me, and so I was rooting for Murvet all along, and would have appreciated seeing a lot more of Murvet and a lot less of Sura. It was hard for me to believe in this big romance between Seyit & Sura when Sura seemed such a self-centered and immature character, who constantly rejects Seyit and then blames him for moving on with his life. What does she expect him to do? This part of the drama seemed to drag on endlessly and lend a feeling of anticlimax to the series as a whole.
Overall, I'm not sorry for having stuck out the series, and will continue to watch for more Turkish dramas. I also look forward to seeing more of Kivanç Tatlitug and Fahriye Evcen, and others.
One of the prime pleasures of viewing international films/series is the opportunity to experience another culture, another time and place. Sadly, so many American productions are set in the same old same old, and even our historic settings often don't seem to avoid sounding and looking contemporary.
Kurt Seyit ve Sura takes place in parts of Russia, the Crimea, Istanbul, and some other parts of today's Turkey, during WWI, the Russian Revolution, and its aftermath of British occupation of Istanbul. I learned quite a bit of history previously unknown to me, and spent some time reading related articles on Wikipedia, etc. The scenery, costumes, etc. were fascinating to me.
Also especially enjoyable in this series was some wonderful acting by Kivanç Tatlitug, Fahriye Evcen, and others who have yet to be notated in the cast list here. Among these are the husband of Güzide, the mother of Murvet, Uncle Ali, and many others.
On the downside, the pacing of this series is very slow, with emotional moments slowed down even further. I'm sure at least 2-3 entire episode- lengths could have easily been pruned from the story. The musical themes which introduce characters and situations are very obvious and annoyingly repetitive. I found myself fast-forwarding at times just to speed up musical interludes.
What I enjoyed least in the series is the character of Sura herself, whom I wanted to strangle frequently.
Possible Spoiler Alert: She begins as a charming and innocent young lady, but never seems to acquire any genuine understanding or wisdom. Why on earth does she continue to blame Seyit for disappearing on their wedding day after she learns that he was kidnapped? What on earth does she expect? Her failure to trust him or extend any forgiveness at all renders her an unlovable character to me, and so I was rooting for Murvet all along, and would have appreciated seeing a lot more of Murvet and a lot less of Sura. It was hard for me to believe in this big romance between Seyit & Sura when Sura seemed such a self-centered and immature character, who constantly rejects Seyit and then blames him for moving on with his life. What does she expect him to do? This part of the drama seemed to drag on endlessly and lend a feeling of anticlimax to the series as a whole.
Overall, I'm not sorry for having stuck out the series, and will continue to watch for more Turkish dramas. I also look forward to seeing more of Kivanç Tatlitug and Fahriye Evcen, and others.