VOICE OF AMERICA: Turks treat Ataturk, the founder of their republic, with great reverence. So when the release of a documentary divulging details of his personal life was released, a furor errupted. As Dorian Jones reports from Istanbul the documentary on his life, called Mustafa paints Ataturk as a hard-living, hard-drinking, melancholy man who felt increasingly detached from the country he created.
The documentary Mustafa's catchy soundtrack by Goran Bregovic is reverberating across Turkey, as is the subject of the film.
Mustafa is the first Turkish film that takes a close look at the private side of the man who was the architect of modern Turkish society. For many, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk has an almost iconic status. But the film's director, Can Dundar, says he is seeking to portray the man behind the legend.
"While we are accustomed to an image of Ataturk with his loud voice and strong statements, one gets surprised to see a Mustafa who noted down his own adolescence worries," Dundar said. "We also revealed very intimate information from unseen letters, about himself. This film reveals the man that disappeared under all big and cliché words about him."
The film explores Ataturk's tough childhood and his difficult early life. But among the films most striking portrayals is Ataturk as a heavy-drinking, chain-smoking womanizer, who loved to party and dance. >>> By Dorian Jones, Istanbul | December 1, 2008
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