"Crossing the Bridge: the Sound of Istanbul"

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Crossing the Bridge: the Sound of Istanbul" is a terrific introduction to
Turkish popular music and to Turkish culture in general. Directed by Fatih
Akin, a 33 year old Turk who was born in Germany, it explores the way in
which Turkey's connections to both West and East produce a synthesis of
both cultures, defying Samuel Huntington's clash of civilizations thesis.
Crossing bridges is an apt title for the documentary since Istanbul itself
overlaps two continents across the Bosporus Straits. Imagine getting in
your car from your home in Asia each morning and driving across a bridge to
get to your workplace in Europe. That's Istanbul for millions of its residents.

Richard Hamer, the American saxophone player who is a member of the
Istanbul-based band "Orient Expressions," dismisses the idea of a rigid
distinction between East and West altogether. In one of the film's many
insightful interviews, he states that the idea that the West starts at
Greece and extends to Los Angeles and that the East starts at Turkey and
ends at China is "bullshit." Indeed, the ability of Turkey over the
centuries to synthesize European and Asian influences should indicate that
there are ways to transcend the seemingly intractable conflicts taking
place today.

full:
http://louisproyect.wordpress.com/2006/05/25/crossing-the-bridge-the-sound-of-istanbul/


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