The Magician (Turkish: Hokkabaz) is a 2006 Turkish comedy-drama film, directed by Cem Yılmaz and Ali Taner Baltacı, about a magician who tours around Turkey with his father and best friend so that he can make enough money for laser eye surgery. The film, which was released on October 20, 2006, was short-listed for Turkey's official entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 80th Academy Awards but lost out to Takva.[1]
| The Magician | |
|---|---|
 DVD Cover | |
| Turkish | Hokkabaz |
| Directed by | Cem Yılmaz Ali Taner Baltacı |
| Written by | Cem Yılmaz |
| Produced by | Necati Akpinar |
| Starring | Cem Yılmaz Mazhar Alanson Özlem Tekin Tuna Orhan |
| Cinematography | Uğur İçbak |
| Edited by | Engin Öztürk |
| Music by | Ozan Çolakoğlu |
Production company | Beşiktaş Kültür Merkezi |
| Distributed by | KenDa Film |
Release date |
|
Running time | 119 mins |
| Country | Turkey |
| Language | Turkish |
| Box office | $9,146,764 |
Production edit
The film was shot on location in Istanbul, Gallipoli and Eceabat, Turkey.[2]
Plot edit
Iskender is a juggler, but to everyone besides himself and his childhood friend, Maradona, he is actually a magician. The two friends undertake a great deal of risk by including Sait in their tour program while being forced to escape Istanbul. Moreover, Father Sait had stopped appreciating Iskender years ago. While the tour brings them much closer, it also results in a magnificent falling-out. Iskender, Maradona, and Sait keep coming back together and falling out with their fellow traveler, Fatma.
Cast edit
- Cem Yılmaz as İskender Tünaydın
- Mazhar Alanson as Sait Tünaydın
- Özlem Tekin as Fatma Nur Gaye Türksönmez
- Tuna Orhan as Maradona - Orhan Direk
Release edit
The film opened in 378 screens across Turkey on 20 October 2006 at number one in the Turkish box office chart with an opening weekend gross of $1,462,608 and was later released across a number of European territories.[3]
| Date | Territory | Screens | Rank | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 October 2006 | Turkey | 378 | 1 | $1,462,608 |
| 25 October 2006 | Belgium | 6 | 19 | $38,916 |
| 26 October 2006 | Germany | 52 | 12 | $198,149 |
| 26 October 2006 | Austria | 4 | 13 | $41,780 |
| 26 October 2006 | Netherlands | 17 | 14 | $53,749 |
| 27 October 2006 | United Kingdom | 4 | 24 | $34,704 |
Reception edit
Box Office edit
The film was number one at the Turkish box office for two weeks running and has made a total worldwide gross of $9,146,764.[3]
Reviews edit
Todd Brown, writing for Twitch Film, notes that this film, looks to be a beautifully shot piece of work, and that, while it was impossible not to see an awful lot of Mel Brooks influence on [the writer-director's previous film] G.O.R.A. this one sees Yilmaz in a much more restrained mode that I think plays a fair bit better.[4]
Awards edit
- 2007 Ankara International Film Festival Most Promising Actor: Tuna Orhan (Won)
- 2007 Brussels International Independent Film Festival Best Actor (International Competition): Cem Yilmaz (Won)
- 2007 Istanbul International Film Festival Golden Tulip: Cem Yilmaz & Ali Taner Baltaci (Nominated)
- 2007 Sadri Alışık Cinema and Theater Award for Best Actor: Cem Yilmaz (Nominated)[5]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "'Takva' Named Turkish Entry for 80th Oscars". Today's Zaman. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
- ^ "Filming locations for Hokkabaz". IMDB. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
- ^ a b "Hokkabaz". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-02-24.
- ^ Brown, Todd. "Hokkabaz (The Conjurer): The Latest From Cem Yilmaz of GORA". twitch. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
- ^ "Sadri Alışık Award Nominees Announced". Today's Zaman. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
External links edit
- Hokkabaz at AllMovie
- Hokkabaz at IMDb
- Hokkabaz at the TCM Movie Database
- The Magician at Rotten Tomatoes
