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]

WHEN THE FOG IS DRIVEN AWAY
Eastern Black Sea Region 41min. In the mountainous eastern Black Sea region, the nail-less dovecoting construction of old log cabin houses gave flexibility to withstand earthquakes. Sites in villages like Savsat were chosen both for their protection from snow and avalanches and on the poorest soil to leave the meager arable areas for cultivation. In Ikizdere there remain stone and half-timbered structures. All these spacious homes are notable for their interior paneled walls and ceiling, elaborately carved and embellished. Various other techniques in Sumene and Rize are illustrated. Dir- Suha Arin.

BALLAD OF THE WOOD
Western Black Sea Region 35min. Wandering from Demirkoy and Gonuk to Yuruk, Boyabit, Sinop and Gerze, and finally to Tokat and Amasya, the film pauses to document various building types- dovetailed logs, timber frames filled in with mud-brick, the decorative carvings, slate roofs and the unique red ochre paint of Sinop. A grandiose restored mansion was opened in Tokat in 1987. All too often the old houses are being pulled down, the exquisitely carved timbers used as firewood. Dir- Suha Arin.

POETS AND HOUSES
Central Analolia 31min. With brief glimpse of the 8000-year-old Hittite mud-brick strata at Catal Huyuk and the later Seljuk towers in Konya, the film links various poet's homes with quotations from their writings referring to earth and mud-bricks. Kaysari, Banaz, Sivas and Karaman are among the sites featured. There is particular emphasis on decorative motifs in homes- murals, ornate moldings, stencilings. Dir.- Suha Arin.

BLESSING OF MT. ERICYES
Central Anatolia 31min. Here stone masonry is featured. In a landscape of surreal stone formations there are not only multistory underground cities carved from rock, but sturdy stone houses built above ground with intricate fluting, grooving and sculpting. Interiors blend use of stone and wood in complex patterns. A poignant digression describes a son now working in Germany. Dir- Suha Arin.

NEW GUESTS IN OLD HOUSES
Western Mediterranean and Torus Mountains 32min. The traditional village of Antalya has now become a bustling modern city. Too late there is governmental recognition of the desirability of restoration. Some restored mansions are being used as hotels now, showing off their extravagant decoration. Characteristic of the area are the florid ceilings and the patterned pebbled court-yards. Tourists are now restoring houses in such coastal villages as Kas, Kalkan and Fethiye. Inland homes are falling down, uncared for. A city such as Alanya is in danger of losing its architectural heritage. Dir- Bilgin Adali.