1453: The Movie

[MerryPrankster]

Shush, you. We'd rather lament the death grip that Muslims have on Hollywood (and American society in general), which far exceeds the influence one would expect from a miniscule and largely apolitical minority. Everyone knows that CAIR has a veto on everything coming out of Hollywood these days.

Straw man.

I never said Muslims controlled American society in a "Protocols of the Elders of Zion" sense.

I said there is the possibility CAIR would complain like they did with "The Sum of All Fears" and that would make producing the film difficult, as would counter-complaints from more conservative quarters if the Ottomans are depicted as too good.

(Funny, you did not acknowledge those, nor did you acknowledge the possibility the film might be banned in Greece or Turkey if it was made in the "wrong" fashion.)

 

[MerryPrankster]

You know, we made Kingdom of Heaven. Just saying.

A fair point. "Kingdom of Heaven" took place in medieval times, as would "1453."

CAIR was complaining about the depiction of Muslim terrorists in "Sum of All Fears," which is a much bigger deal. Nobody is afraid of "The Grand Turk" anymore, but people do stereotype Muslims as terrorists.

 

[Leo Caesius]

Isn´t Kingdom of Heaven not about corrupt priests, fanatic christian crusaders and noble muslim leader Saladin.

Uh, yea, and Saladin's attempt to enslave the population of Jerusalem.

That CAIR is pretty effective. Saladin already had a reputation as a noble and chivalrous leader in the Middle Ages. But we aren't about to fall for the liberal media elite's lies, are we?

Straw man.

Ad hominem! Tu quoque? Sic semper tyrannis!

 

[Faeelin]

I never got around to seeing "Kingdom of Heaven."

Does the film depict him actually enslaving them?

No, the hero holds him off for three days so that he comes to terms.

 

[Tobit]

Where would 1453 be shot? On sight in Istanbul or maybe in green room with a huge amount of CGI. Or are there any locations that resemble Istanbul?

 

[Basileus Giorgios]

Here's a bit of a semi sarcastic plot I came up with. Historical accuracy be damned, this is Hollywood!

INTRODUCTION
George Sphrantzes sits in a small monastery in Venetian Corfu in 1460. He begins telling his infant grandchildren the story of the Great Siege.

SCENE ONE
Sultan Murad II dies, and his son Mehmet becomes Sultan. Immediately afterward, Mehmet is put under pressure by the corrupt old paedophile Halil Pasha, who despises valiant young Mehmet, and secretly wants to sieze the throne for himself, since he is the secret love child of Timur the Lame and a Turkish princess. Mehmet silences his critics at Edirne by invading the Morea.

Meanwhile, in Mistra, Constantine XI becomes Emperor just as the Turkish armies penetrate into the Morea. He is forced to flee, in the process selling his unfortunate daughter into slavery in exchange for passage on a Catalan ship. The Ottomans make it to the beach (yeah, in this film Mistra is somehow a coastal city) and shake their fists theatrically at Constantine, before treating the inhabitants of Mistra with exemplary politeness.

SCENE TWO
Constantine arrives at his capital, and is horrified to find the Land Walls being taken down by his treacherous chief minister, Loukas Notaras. Constantine immediately orders Notaras to stop, but Notaras is a secret ally of the Venetians, who aim to sieze Constantinople for themselves, and ignores the Emperor. Just as Constantine's powerlessness is about to be proved, the heroic Giovanni Giustiniani arrives, and strikes down Notaras. Giustiniani then suggests to the Emperor that he should ask for the support of the Pope in dealing with the Turks.

Mehmet finds himself a lover, the daughter of a Hungarian merchant by the name of Orban. Orban and his daughter then convince the Sultan to attack Constantinople so they can settle a score with the dashing Byzantine, George Sphrantzes, who once rejected Orban's sister as a lover. When Mehmet enquires as to how this can be done, Orban shows the Sultan sketches of his cannons. Mehmet is duly impressed, and Orban leaves, eager for his revenge.




Someone else take this mangled plot from here

 

[wilcoxchar]

Could have a movie about some Venetian guy, first third is at the fall of Constantinople, guy is forced to flee, has the whole Doomed Hometown thing. Second third is at Malta, helps fend off the Ottomans. Final third is at Lepanto, finally gets his personal victory.

This would possibly involve a romance subplot with a Muslim woman and questioning the extreme religious views of the Catholicism of the day.

EDIT: This movie would kind of be the Forrest Gump of the 15th century.

 

[Leo Caesius]

Plus, there's potential for a sequel:

It's 1462. The Ottoman army is advancing under the orders of Sultan Mehmet II through the Romanian countryside toward Târgovişte, medieval capital of Walachia. They expect a hard fight but instead find the city deserted-a foul stench in the air. Along the main road beyond the
city they find the calling card of the most notorious warrior in European history.

Corpses of Turks and Bulgarian Muslims spitted on wooden stakes line the road for miles: some men impaled through the abdomen; others killed with a pole forced up through anus and out the mouth. Hamza Pasha, a Turkish general and the most senior of all the dead, rots on the highest stake. Sultan Mehmet II, not a naturally squeamish man--during the siege of Constantinople he often impaled men guilty of treachery or cowardice--turns over command to his generals with orders to retreat. He's had enough of facing Vlad Dracula in battle.

In this case, the romantic interest would be Vlad's brother Radu, who converted to Islam and who, according to some, was the lover of the Fatih Sultan.

 

[wilcoxchar]

Plus, there's potential for a sequel:



In this case, the romantic interest would be Vlad's brother Radu, who converted to Islam and who, according to some, was the lover of the Fatih Sultan.

Only if it portrays Vlad as Dracula. Ottomans vs. Vampires ftw!

 

[Leo Caesius]

Only if it portrays Vlad as Dracula. Ottomans vs. Vampires ftw!

"Coming soon to theaters near you: Ottomans vs. Vampires! Whoever wins, we lose!"

 

[jacobus]

I would love to see a historically accurate (as best as can be agreed upon) depiction of those last sad days of Constantinople on film. Just seeing the Greeks and others on the tops of the enormous city walls, shouting defiance at the Turkish army, the huge Turkish cannon, the harbor full of galleys, would be spectacular. The magic of computer generated images gives us the ability to show the great city as it would have looked at that time. Unfortunately, too many people would be offended, I guarantee it, no matter what you did, critics would claim you defamed someone.

 

[Hendryk]

Only if it portrays Vlad as Dracula. Ottomans vs. Vampires ftw!

The Ottoman conquest of Constantinople was in fact mentioned (though not actually depicted) at the beginning of "Bram Stoker's Dracula".

 

[Leo Caesius]

I would love to see a historically accurate (as best as can be agreed upon) depiction of those last sad days of Constantinople on film. Just seeing the Greeks and others on the tops of the enormous city walls, shouting defiance at the Turkish army, the huge Turkish cannon, the harbor full of galleys, would be spectacular. The magic of computer generated images gives us the ability to show the great city as it would have looked at that time. Unfortunately, too many people would be offended, I guarantee it, no matter what you did, critics would claim you defamed someone.

Has that ever really stopped Hollywood in the past?

 

[Anaxagoras]

You know, the best main character for such a film would by John Grant, the mysterious Scottish engineer who turned by the Turkish subterranean mines. Since we know next to nothing about him, we can give him any personality we want and have any actor play him. Since he's in the thick of the action but not one of the most important leaders, he would an ideal lens through which the audience would see the siege.

 

[Claudius]

Oh, don't forget also a movie which oughta be made on the Spanish conquest of Mexico in 1519-21- including the epic siege of Technotitlan...

QUOTE]

There was a movie Captain from Castile back in the '50s A bit of potboiler with the inquisition, revenge, romantic triangle etc. etc.

 

[wormyguy]

I've always thought that Justinian would make a great epic film. Not sure about the Fall of Constantinople - it's just not epic in scale enough. A film about Mehmet would work, though.

 

[Faeelin]

Has that ever really stopped Hollywood in the past?

What serious body of people would be offended?

Ooh, let's do the 4th Crusade. Now that would be offensive.

 

[Joseph K.]

Ask and ye shall recieve...

There already is one

It's made in Turkey, that is where a good one would be made, not some "independent" one made in the USA. Though by the looks of the special effects in the trailer which are reminiscint of "Medieval 2: Total War", they would have been able to make good use of money from the USA.

 

[Leo Caesius]

What serious body of people would be offended?

I don't know, but my impression is that a bunch of AH.commers are allowing themselves the luxury of becoming preemptively offended by the potential response.

 

[Joseph K.]

I've always thought that Justinian would make a great epic film. Not sure about the Fall of Constantinople - it's just not epic in scale enough. A film about Mehmet would work, though.

That's one of the movies I would most like to see, focusing on the tyranny of him and Theodora, as well as the convoluted court politics. Though IMO Hollywood'd screw it up by leaving out all the juicy bits and general insanity of his rule. It would be best made as a low budget "artsploitation" movie, but those rarely get made.