66. Yilmaz Güney - the Legend of the Ugly King; movie review

YILMAZ GUNEY - THE LEGEND OF THE UGLY KING
Cert 12A
122 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence, sex references, brief sexual threat, strong language

Here's a movie which has come into the 2019 list out left field.
Hüseyin Tabak's excellent documentary had not initially been listed by my usual sources - the BFI, filmdates.co.uk or the Film Distributors' Association.
But I have now learned it played somewhere because it is officially made the equivalent of $457 at the box office.
Thankfully, I managed to catch up with it because it was available on Amazon Prime.
I learned that Yilmaz Güney is still seen as a hero to Kurdish people, 35 years after his death from stomach cancer.
And yet, this fierce political campaigner had such a ferocious temper that he served time in jail for shooting a judge.
Indeed, he wrote the screenplay for the Cannes-acclaimed movie Yol from behind bars.
This wasn't the only time Güney had been in jail - his left-leaning political activism had prompted the ire of the authorities from his early 20s.
Tabak's documentary includes clips from most of Güney's most significant movies from before he was a director and just an actor to those in which he starred and was behind the camera.
He interviews many of those who were important in his life, including both wives and daughters as well as fellow actors and directors.
He also surveys shopkeepers and the like to garner their opinion of his subject and they all espouse their reverence.
But the skill of Tabak's movie isn't just in his obvious well-supported admiration of the screen legend.
Güney's difficult childhood is also laid bare and could be a clue to his temper and near bi-polar reactions to people.
I didn't know anything about Güney before watching this movie but it prompted further reading and watching.
It is not just a biopic - it is a chronicle of how 40 million Kurdish people have been persecuted for decades if not centuries.
And it still goes on. I hope movies such as this help prick consciences towards their plight.

Reasons to watch: In-depth biopic of a Kurdish hero
Reasons to avoid: Presumes a fair bit of knowledge about Kurds

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: Very briefly
Overall rating: 8.5/10

Did you know: Güney was first imprisoned at the age of 22 for writing what was perceived to be a communist novel.

The final word. Yilmaz Güney: "I was 15 years old, at which point I parted from my family. At that time it was said that Kurds did not exist, that the Kurdish language did not exist. But I could hear people speaking and singing in Kurdish. I saw Kurds living in extreme poverty and under repression."

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