Kainan 1890 (2015) Reviews

• The story of how Japanese villagers came to the aid of Turkish sailors shipwrecked off the coast of Wakayama in 1890

  juchikura2016-03-11

  Review of "Kainan 1890" I was fortunate enough to see a screening of "Kainan 1890" in Japan recently, and I must say that it was a thoroughly uplifting experience. The joint project of the Japanese and Turkish governments tells the story of the ill-fated Ertugrul, a Turkish frigate carrying an Ottoman envoy that was sunk in a typhoon off the coast of Wakayama, Japan. It focuses on the villagers of Kushimoto who risked their lives and gave all of their meager resources to save the crew members who survived the wreck, as well as recover bodies from the wreckage. I'm not here to critique the acting or the production values of the film, which were adequate if not outstanding. The importance of the film lies in its message. Cynics will probably say that the film is overly melodramatic, and to an extent, I would have to agree. However, I found that the honest human emotions conveyed throughout the film overpowered the cynic in me, and I felt genuinely moved by the story. What cannot be denied is that this one act of humanitarian kindness laid the foundation for a friendship between two very distant countries that flourishes to this day, and had very real reciprocal consequences nearly a century later when Turkey came to the aid of Japanese nationals. So there is a big emotional payoff in the coda of the film, which came as somewhat of a surprise, since I had been expecting a story that focused only on the shipwreck itself. What goes around comes around (in a very good way here). In a time where movies tend to focus on escapism, violence, explosions and spectacle, this story stands out as a positive example of how individual actions can make a difference in the way that countries perceive each other and lay the groundwork for friendly relations. It's the kind of lesson that needs to be talked about more in an age where terrorism and religious violence are casting an increasingly long shadow around the world.

• Based on True Events

  alpcentufekci2016-01-10

  First of all, I would like to give some information about Ertugrul and what happened in 1890. Ertugrul was an Ottoman naval ship and her mission was to give the regards of Ottoman Sultan to Japan Emperor. After completing her mission, on the way back home, she was caught by a strong typhoon in the Japan shore and she crashed to the rocks and sank close to an island called Kusimoto. In fact words written on the poster of the film:"Does it matter where they come from? This is the duty of the humanity" summarize the main theme of the film. The film is divided into two parts. In the first part, it tells the story of Ertugrul and her crew and in the second part, the ways of Japanese and Turkish people intersect in a hard situation 95 years later. In general, "Ertugrul 1890" is an emotional film and it mentions about the friendship between Japanese and Turkish people. Though I think that some scenes are a little bit exaggerated, it helps us to remember things like helpfulness, faithfulness and brotherhood. I like some characters in the film very much, especially the Japanese doctor in the village and the Turkish officer. The performance of the cast is good. Also, it was so surprising that the man acted as Turgut Özal (8th President of Turkiye) really looks like him, this made me smile. Like cultures, the musics of two nations are different from each other and this difference makes the soundtrack of the film distinctive. In the first half of the film, cuts are edited as one scene to Turkish side and following scene to Japanese side. Personally I like such story telling. As a good way to introduce your characters who are in different places in the same time period, I think this kind of editing keeps the attraction more. We rarely see co-production of Japanese and Turkish Cinema and as a person who likes emotional films, I can say that "Ertugrul 1890" is a successful co-production. If you like emotional films based on true events in history, you can spare time for this film. Overall, it deserves at least 7 rating according to me.

• Great graphic good plot but over-exaggerating

  qq7541908052016-10-05

  I don't know if you ever seen many Japanese emotional dramas/movies before, but this film is very much a typical one. Their intentions for peace and love are great, but I don't understand why people will gather around in neat queue to sing a certain song??That would be for cinematic effect I assume. Though I agree that Japanese movies are way better than most Chinese movies these days, but just don't make movies like you're making a Jap cartoon k? Either way, it is very great to see those artistic pictures and to know about this history. Less dramas and tears would make this movie a 8 score good movie.

• A good period drama with a modern twist, however suffers from the usual problem of the Japanese and the Turkish movies

  ivan_dmitriev2018-03-19

  ... which are usually reserved for TV productions - namely overacting and sometimes the lack of tension in a supposedly tense moments. The human drama otherwise is good and focuses on people insdead of the flashiness, however the quality of the camerawork and the narration doesn't suffer from it. The overly quick and summary presentation of the Turkish officers and the mission, as well as the absence of introduction of the ship as one of the first second-generation ships of the line - a sign of renewal of the battered Ottoman navy after the Russo-Turkish war, doesn't help build connection to the character in the beginning, however that is remedied by the unfolding of the story from the second part of the movie. There are minor errors in the filming of the interior of the ship - namely the guns which look 18th century instead of the actual Krupp guns, sloped ship sides, instead of the straight and armored construction, which are disappointing for a movie with a high production value such as this.