Nuri Bilge Ceylan

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DarkImbecile
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Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2013 6:24 pm
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Nuri Bilge Ceylan

#1 Post by DarkImbecile » Tue Dec 18, 2018 1:27 am

Nuri Bilge Ceylan (1959 - )

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"A filmmaker must be like a missionary. He should concentrate on what he believes in and hunt for the truth. "

Filmography (*=screenwriter)

Features
Small Town / Kasaba (1998)
Clouds of May / Mayıs Sıkıntısı (2000)
Distant / Uzak (2002)
Climates / İklimler (2006)
Three Monkeys / Üç Maymun (2008)
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia / Bir Zamanlar Anadolu'da (2011)
Winter Sleep / Kış Uykusu (2014)
The Wild Pear Tree / Ahlat Ağacı (2018)

Shorts
"Cocoon" / "Koza" (1995)

Books
Nuri Bilge Ceylan: Essays and Interviews by Robert Cardullo, ed. (2015)
Six Turkish Filmmakers by Laurence Raw (2017)
The Cinema of Nuri Bilge Ceylan: The Global Vision of a Turkish Filmmaker by Bulent Diken, Graeme Gilloch, and Craig Hammond (2018)

Web Resources
2009 interview with Emanuel Levy
2009 interview with Geoff Andrew, The Guardian
"An Investigation in Anatolia" by Maria Garcia, Film Journal International (2011)
2011 video interview with Scott Foundas at the New York Film Festival
"A Director Holds Up a Mirror to Turkey" by Rachel Donadio, The New York Times (2014)
2014 interview with David Barker, Filmmaker Magazine
2014 interview with Eric Kohn, Indiewire
2018 review of The Wild Pear Tree by Bilge Ebiri, The Village Voice
"On Making The Wild Pear Tree" by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Film Comment (2018)

Forum Resources
Iklimler / Climates (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2006)
Three Monkeys (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2008)
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2011)
Winter Sleep (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2014)
The Wild Pear Tree (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2018)

McCrutchy
Joined: Mon Feb 25, 2008 4:57 am
Location: East Coast, USA

Re: The Wild Pear Tree (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2018)

#2 Post by McCrutchy » Tue Dec 18, 2018 2:31 am

Oedipax wrote:
Tue Dec 18, 2018 1:27 am
Because there isn't (at least as far as I can find using the search function) a dedicated Nuri Bilge Ceylan thread in the Filmmakers section, I thought I would add my quick impressions here from the new French blu-ray set that includes everything from Kasaba up through The Wild Pear Tree, out now from Memento Films (region B, optional French subs on everything). The disc with Kasaba also includes his short, Koza (Cocoon), also in a restored HD presentation that looks quite good.

Everything in the set looks spectacular to my eye, with Uzak in particular looking marvelous and heaps better compared to the DVD releases I've seen it on. Excellent grain, color, contrast, detail - a very filmic presentation to be sure, maybe not as 'noise managed' as some distributors would aim for, and there are occasional source flaws (like scratches) that remain, but to me at least are not a distraction.

The only genuine weaknesses I detected were with Climates - either owing to its Sony F900 shooting origins, or more likely I think, the use of a somewhat outdated HD master. There is some unfortunate pixelation and digital harshness on fine detail that is completely absent from all the other titles (whether film or digital in acquisition).

The only other technical flaws to speak of are in The Wild Pear Tree, and are a matter of the shooting format. For some of the lengthy walking/following sequences, Ceylan used a DJI Osmo camera rather than the 6K Red Weapon on which the rest was shot, and the differences are painfully apparent both in the image quality itself (blown out highlights, edge enhancement, excessive motion strobing) as well as the camera movement (alarmingly bumpy and amateurish at times for a feature film, a very poor substitute for a steadicam or even a gimbal system like the Ronin). When the film looks good, however, it looks great - better than I remember it looking theatrically just a few months ago (color in particular seems more rich and vivid on this release without being overdone at all). I don't know if that's a question of a different master for video vs. DCP or just differences in projection vs. my home system (LG OLED) or an imperfect memory.

So in summary, this is a terrific set with only one potentially subpar HD master used. Hopefully there'll soon be an English-friendly equivalent for the non-Francophone world!
For those who are desperate, there is always the Turkish Blu-ray, which apparently has English subtitles:
SpoilerShow
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But, I remember buying Winter Sleep from Turkey and it having a 1080/50i encode and only Dolby Digital audio, so perhaps waiting for at least the UK release at the end of February is warranted.

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DarkImbecile
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Re: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

#3 Post by DarkImbecile » Wed Dec 19, 2018 2:33 pm

Oedipax wrote:
Tue Dec 18, 2018 1:27 am
Because there isn't (at least as far as I can find using the search function) a dedicated Nuri Bilge Ceylan thread in the Filmmakers section...
Now there is! And conveniently, I have a related question: Does anyone know if the HD master for Climates on the French Blu-Ray set is the same as the one currently on Amazon Prime?

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Oedipax
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 8:48 am
Location: Atlanta

Re: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

#4 Post by Oedipax » Fri Dec 21, 2018 2:19 am

DarkImbecile wrote:
Wed Dec 19, 2018 2:33 pm
Oedipax wrote:
Tue Dec 18, 2018 1:27 am
Because there isn't (at least as far as I can find using the search function) a dedicated Nuri Bilge Ceylan thread in the Filmmakers section...
Now there is! And conveniently, I have a related question: Does anyone know if the HD master for Climates on the French Blu-Ray set is the same as the one currently on Amazon Prime?
I really doubt it, unless the Amazon version is just a horribly subpar encode of the same master. The French blu-ray, while far from perfect, still looks leagues better than that.

After I made my first post, it occurred to me that if the French disc is 1080i50, then some of the issues I'm seeing around jagged edges and pixels and such could just be from my Seiki region-free player's conversion. I've noticed this issue before on other 1080i50 titles like the French releases of Dumont's P'tit Quinquin and Coincoin et les z'inhumains.

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FrauBlucher
Joined: Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:28 pm
Location: Greenwich Village

Re: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

#5 Post by FrauBlucher » Fri Feb 23, 2024 6:45 pm


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kemalettin
Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2009 2:49 pm
Location: Turkey

Re: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

#6 Post by kemalettin » Mon Feb 26, 2024 8:27 pm


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