Cinema
Dry Summer
Susuz Yaz
Metin Erksan · 1963
Synopsis
Osman, on whose land a spring wells up, decides to dam it in anticipation of a dry summer that will not suffice for all the peasants who depend on it; the village's crops, downstream, dry up. His younger brother, Hasan, disapproves but yields to his elder, the head of the family, according to the Humanities Institute. The villagers take the matter to court. Hasan marries Bahar, whom he loves, and the rivalry between the two brothers begins to take shape, over the water as over the young woman.
Context
The film is drawn from a story published in 1962, by Necati Cumalı, who co-wrote the screenplay according to the Cannes Film Festival. Co-produced by Ulvi Doğan, who plays the younger brother, it brings together Erol Taş and Hülya Koçyiğit. The censorship board objected to certain scenes, and the film was then banned for fear that it would give a negative image of Turkish society. Its preservation was supported by Martin Scorsese's foundation; it was shown in a restored print at Cannes Classics and released in 2013 in an American box set.
Who it is for
In Turkish, black and white, available on video in the United States with English subtitles; shown at a festival in France.
Prizes and reception
Golden Bear in Berlin in 1964, the first international prize for a Turkish film according to the Humanities Institute, and a special prize in Venice.
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