Ban lifted on Atatürk film, but where is Atatürk?

A four-decade ban on a Hollywood film about the Turkish Independence War is about to be lifted. There might have been a little misunderstanding though, as Atatürk is only seen for a couple of minutes in the 1970 movie ‘You Can’t Win ‘Em All.’ It is not a historical drama but an action adventure set in the 1920s in Turkey, with Charles Bronson and Tony Curtis in the lead roles

According to renowned Turkish filmmaker Metin Erksan, Hollywood has been interested in making a biopic about Atatürk or a film about Turkey’s Independence War since the 1940s.

When Douglas Fairbanks Jr. visited Turkey in 1951 he is said to have been attracted to playing Atatürk in a film project that never took off. Later, when Sir Laurence Olivier showed interest in the same script he found that no government or civil or private institution would cooperate in the production of the film and the idea was shelved.

Soon after, legendary American director and producer Cecil B. DeMille wanted to adapt Atatürk’s life and the Independence War to the screen. They had no luck, however, even after production partner Adil Özkaptan and actor Yul Brynner met Turkey’s then President Cemal Gürsel.

Click here for full article (Hürriyet Daily News)