Old Houses, Old Masters
Five programs meander at a leisurely pace viewing the construction and architectural details of old homes in
Turkey. Interviews with octogenarian and nonagenarian craftsmen offer
personalization. Several themes run through all the programs- the disdain for concrete structures as
"damp and unhealthy, cold in winter, hot in summer," emphasis on the superiority of
wood, acceptance of earthquakes as part of life. These programs are unfocused, but have value as camera record of architectural history and also for the bits and pieces of daily life interwoven - in
homes, in streets. The Turkish musical score is supportive but rarely
outstanding. Subtitles in the first program are difficult to decipher. The other four sections have rather lyrical English
narration. Although the five sections are based on rough geographical areas, there are no
maps. The serious viewer will have miserable hours with an atlas identifying many of the
villages. Produced for Emlak Bankasi [Real Estate Bank of Turkey]
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