World War II Film Review
Summary of film
İlyas Bazna worked at the British Embassy in Ankara during World War II. Bazna goes through a series of unexpected events after he starts working as a German spy. Cicero was born in 1904 to İlyas Bazna in 1939 in Turkey. He photographed confidential documents from the embassy safe and delivered the films to the former German chancellor Franz von Papen, the then-German Ambassador to Ankara. The Hitler government paid Cicero large sums of British money for this service. However, these coins were fake. Despite the obvious authenticity of the films, the Nazi authorities in Berlin did not trust Cicero and are said to have ignored his information. At thim. Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, especially given this task, and even if Atatürk dies, thanks to his farsightedness, he prevents Turkey from entering the 2nd World War. Who was Cicero? Was he a German spy or a spy working for the Turkish Intelligence (MIT)? Was he after money or was he just a man seeking vengeance for the end of the movie, it is learned that Cicero is a patriotic agent working for the Turks, and there is a big team behind h death of his parents.
Cinematography
The cinematography in this movie, I think, was effective and very striking. The gun scene in the opening scene of the movie, the effect of the bombs while Hitler was bombarding, I think is extremely striking and effective. The film, which has a generally gloomy atmosphere, can vary according to the scenes. For example, while the square in the movie is cheerful, the Nazi headquarters puts people in a chilling mood with the sounds and characters in the background. Events like these show that the sound and location phenomenon is effective in the film. Also in this movie, Peter Steuger, who is experienced in his past, provided a great contribution. As a result, the cinematography of this film has been reflected to the audience in a good way. The production company Cicero, which has experience with films such as Ayla, and Turkish ice cream, is effective in features such as lighting and sound in the film. https://youtu.be/oayjRq-_gr8
Content
I think the content of the movie was long and in a way that would connect the audience to the movie. Starting with İlyas Bazna's childhood in Albania, the movie reminds us how terrible the war was from the very first scenes. He survived in the basement where they were hiding, but his mind is on his brother Ali, who has Down syndrome. He goes in search of her and finds her alive, but cannot save her. Let's give a link to the story of the disabled child, which we will encounter later in the movie. In the frenzy of creating an Aryan race, the Germans round up German children with disabilities and Down syndrome and kill them in the gas chambers. This is the biggest weakness of the beautiful German woman, who works as the secretary of the Ambassador in the German Embassy, her child with Down syndrome. World War II is outside
our borders, but the Germans and the British are plotting to bring Turkey into the war on their side. The İnönü government, on the other hand, responds to these conspiracies with a conspiracy and saves the country from turning into a bloodbath. Turkey may have suffered a lot economically at that time but during the Second World War. Might as well stay away from World War II hell! Unfortunately, today's politicians do not understand İsmet İnönü's military genius, and they will not understand his political genius and will do their best to accuse and humiliate him. The excitement and tension in the espionage scenes in the movie are pretty good, most of it I had to tell myself, relax, you're watching a movie! Even the chase scenes with 50 model classic cars were successful and cute. There is not only the excitement of espionage in the film, there is also love. While the love of the German ambassador is nauseating, the love of İlyas brings tears to the eyes. And this love, the moment comes when it makes him forget even his duty.
Historical Relevance
The movie is primarily based on a true story as mentioned at the beginning. The Greek scholar and writer becomes a German intelligence agent. Although this incident is true, in the scene at the end of the movie, İlyaz Bazna immediately realizes that the money given by the Germans is fake. İlyas Bazna only learned that the money was fake after the war and was sentenced to prison for using fake money. Although some such events are exaggerated in the movie, the story is generally true.
Personal Thoughts
This movie is one of the most beautiful 2nd World War movies made in Turkey. The spread of the Turkish film industry abroad as historical films may increase the likelihood of their popularity. Cicero is a good movie as a movie, its attractiveness, movie scenes, nice cast, and interesting scenario attracted me to the movie. That's why I wrote this Assignment using this movie anyway. If I were to criticize, more exciting and crowded scenes like 1917 could have been shot in this movie by using more budget. I recommend the people who will watch it watch it in their spare time without prejudice :)
Works Cited
“I Was Cicero.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/topic/I-Was-Cicero.
“Operation Cicero.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 18 Jan. 2019, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8385420/.
“Peter Steuger.” IMDb, IMDb.com, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0826584/.