Kalatozov's debut film places him alongside the great Soviet directors, in particular Dovzhenko for the poetic treatment of man in nature. But Kalatozov is harsh where Dovzhenko is lyrical, and Salt for Svanetia has more frequently been compared with Buñuel's Land without Bread of 1932. As in Buñuel, the subject matter itself is surreal: people, faced with medieval conditions in modern times, themselves remain ‘medieval.’ The film is a haunting portrait of the difficult life in a village in the Caucasus cut off by snows from the outside world for most of the year. Defensive architecture left over from the Crusades, and patriarchal rituals that favor men and death over women and birth, seem to be an extension of a barrenness (in particular, the lack of salt) that weakens the life drive. Kalatozov uses the poetry of repetition and juxtaposition, distance and extreme close-up, and mad rhythms.
Trailer
Berggren acquires the techniques of photography in Berlin and holds different jobs in various European cities before arriving in İstanbul. Initially en route to Marseille, he disembarks from his ship in 1866 and settles in İstanbul, where he is to spend the rest of his life.
“The portrait tells us that there is an inner and an outer dimension of the human condition; it provides—or should provide—information about both the physical and psychological character of an individual.”
With the Topkapı Palace, the center of political authority until the 19th century, and many other examples of classical Ottoman and Byzantine architecture included in its premise the Historical Peninsula is the heart of the Empire.
The museum is closed until May, 18th
On Wednesdays, the students can
visit the museum free of admission.
Full ticket: 25 TL
Discounted: 10 TL
Groups: 20 TL (10 people or more)
