Karpuz Kabugundan Gemiler Yapmak

Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds (Karpuz Kabugundan Gemiler Yapmak) is so naive a film that it resembles to no other film. People who call it another Cinema Paradiso just for the reason that its two principal adolescent characters love cinema, don't make justice towards Watermelon Rinds. Cinema Paradiso is a professionally produced and acted Italian film in which one of the two principal parts is acted by a French star (Philippe Noiret) whereas Watermelon Rinds in which all parts are acted by real townspeople takes all its mesmerizing power from its sheer amateur (natural and warm) quality in everything, especially, in acting.

The way people talk (the agreeable local accent they use) is one of the most valuable assets of Watermelon Rinds. The touching quality of warmth and sincerity of this film makes one think if a really good movie can be done only without professionals (especially without professional actors). You may experience the same feeling when you watch a certain Italian film which is named not Cinema Paradiso but Ladri Di Biciclette. In this respect (and only in "this" respect) you may better try to find similarity between Ahmet Uluçay's "Karpuz Kabugundan Gemiler Yapmak" and Vittorio De Sica's "Ladri Di Biciclette".

Because of the rumors about Watermelon Rinds being just a sort of Cinema Paradiso, I had resented the film and not watched it till now. And now I have realized that the rumors had made justice n'either to the film nor to me.

Boats Out of Watermelon Rinds is in no way a sort of Cinema Paradiso. In fact it resembles nothing but itself. Congratulations, Mr Uluçay!

COSKUN BUKTEL

A moving and brilliant film from Turkey with an amazing title that assumes a meaning by the end of it, this one opens with a melodious and melancholic tune that tugs at your heart. The camera slowly reveals to us a watermelon shop, its owner and the helper who is a young painter. And thus starts the poetic tale of our protagonist who is an aspiring filmmaker and a hopeless romantic. We follow Recep, the young lad, as he finds his first crush and battles against insurmountable odds to build a camera that can move images. Recep's passion for Cinema drives him on his quest to find out everything about the camera and his love for the ravishing beauty, Boncuk Yilmaz, keeps him busy in his daydreams. Life moves on, things happen, and the climax is tragic and heartbreaking - but the last few moments are reassuring and full of promises about the journey ahead. But what carries the film into the realms of greatness is the way it is made. Visually gorgeous, the film is soothing on the eyes, with the village, the town, the plains in between, everything shot in a vibrant tone. The architecture of the town becomes a part of the narrative, as does other inanimate things because Ulucay's careful usage of props is charming and quirky, and extremely smart. Any cinephile is bound to fall in love with this film, as it is a true tribute to the process of film-making - the camera building sequences are extremely well-done and made me fall in love with Cinema all over again. In a place and age where films were still considered taboo, the director captures the first effects of moving images on the village children, an old man and a local madman to great effect, yes, a tad melodramatic, but affecting nonetheless. Daily life is given a touch of magic with the beautiful characters and this is, I repeat, a heartfelt love letter to the great medium called Cinema.

A very simple story with amateur casting can not impress me like this ever. It is about a passion of a two young people toward cinema, making their own projector with very primitive equipments. Their efforts are worth watching. Photography is perfect, every scene is a story itself, colored by the beautiful country side. Village and the villagers are so real that you get the impression as if you are watching a documentary about Turkish villages at the same time, showing the lifestyle, language, costumes, architecture, traditions, taboos and everything in a very lean way. A heartbreaking love story throws in a towel, very innocent but impossible because of the boundaries people set for their selves especially in Turkey. It makes you think how bright minds go in vein because of the lack of support or lack of facility. Fortunately imagination is all free. I am sure the filmmakers did not expect a box office, they put forth their hearts to display everything very sincerely and unreserved. Wish they can reach out the crowds.

The director of that movie is a villager living in Kütahya(Turkey)and I'm living in the same city with him.this is his first movie and he recorded that movie with 10.000 USA dollars.

All the actors in that movie are the villagers.none of them r actors.But they create a perfect movie... Can u believe it?And that movie was awarded in various festivals in Europe...What a pure and perfect movie...It presents the pure but emotional lives of villagers and two kids...Watch that movie,it is nice.

First of the director Ahmet Uluçay creates good sense of vision.We can see the pure but colorful lives of people.

The actual nice things in the movie are small details like the secret eating of the walnut by the elder sister,like the scene of epilepsy attack of Deli Omer...- In the beginning of the movie,there was a scene o a cat moving around a man crying which is shot totally incidentally,is making you feel good ,happy but not...and immediately after the dead man comes alive and you feel peculiar... During all the time,during all that childish love stories you actually expect the explanation of that coming back to life scene and it is explained actually in the end when Recep promises Deli Omer to bring alive his dead wife.