The Pleasures of Turkish Popular Cinema 3: THE PAST IS A WOUND IN MY HEART (1970)

First a film, then a hit pop song, then the subject of a remake for Turkish television, MAZI KALBIMDE YARADIR (THE PAST IS A WOUND IN MY HEART) is a prime subject for filming.

Turkan (Turkan Soray) is a young woman on her wedding-day looking back on a turbulent past of rivalries, lust, and heartache with a family she is never sure about, with lovers who turn out to be false while pretending to be true, of so-called female confidantes out to exploit her, and of perpetually seeking for security despite everything that happens to her.

Her struggles are chronicles in a series of highly dramatic sequences - of love, hate, beating, family conflict, private observations behind curtains (recalling Polonius in HAMLET), public sequences in seedy bars or hotel rooms, and domestic moments taking place in the main living-space.

Director Osman F. Seden, a master at this kind of filmmaking, tells the story of a community under threat, not just from self-interest, but from the desire to maintain past certainties - such as the continuation of the family through marriage - while trying to secure social and material advancement. The struggle is not an easy one; often it seems that people are prepared to sacrifice their loved ones' integrity for the sake of a fast buck. The only character who remains morally pure is Turkan herself - despite her apparently frailties, she is a strong-willed personality who is more than able to stand up for herself, even if she never resorts to physical or mental violence.

While defiantly set in the present of early Seventies Istanbul, MAZI KALBIMDE YARADIR looks back to a mythical past of romance and sentiment, the kind of lasting values that not only bring audiences closer to the action on screen, but evoke worlds that can be easily identified. There is a certain kind of optimism about this film that is particularly endearing, and guaranteed to appeal to Yesilcam's fans; despite all that life might throw at you, if you keep your integrity, then you might be able to find some form of happiness, however transient. This quality makes the film attractive to watch.