"If leaders are graceful, people will not dare disgracefulness. If leaders are just, people will not dare unjustness. If leaders are honest, people will not dare dishonesty."

Confucius

Turkish Image Trampled On

A second "Midnight Express" attempt and plan, the movie "Ararat", produced by the director Atom Egoyan with contributions from the Armenian lobby and the French government, has caused huge disappointment in both Armenians and Egoyan fans and the impartial viewership after it was shown.

"Ararat" which was first shown out of competition at the 55th Cannes Film Festival, has been heavily criticized by reviewers and has been regarded as a fiasco by Egoyan.

Shown in Toronto on September 5th, the movie has been shown across theatres in France for 10 days as of the second week of September only to cause huge disappointment again. Failing to attract the hoped-for French attention, the movie "Ararat" has only been seen by 196 persons in a week and some theatres even removed it after the first few days due to the lack of interest.

Some Armenians too have harshly criticized the movie when it was being shown in France. Armenians who left the theatre when the movie was still continuing have spoken out their reactions. For instance, Armenian origin IHA correspondent Alen Sirin has expressed his feelings on the movie watched only by 18 in a 250-seat theatre in the Paris Opera Square as following:

"I cannot believe that this much defamation and rancor are contained in a movie. A nation can only be insulted this much, but you don't understand the movie because he has made a fool out of it in trying to spread hatred and defame. It is also meaningful that heroin is discovered inside the film boxes the youngster who is the main character in the movie is carrying. This adds the "Midnight Express" touch and the script exploits feelings by using small-aged children."

After stating that children are often used in the movie and that scenes aimed totally at exploiting feelings are included, another Armenian viewer in this Paris theatre said "Unfortunately, the movie smells rancor,hatred and defamation. I turned my back to some scenes. Atom Egoyan has mistaken apples for pears.Aznavur always suggested that he was impartial yet it is apparent he is partial here" in outlining his perspective on the movie.

Atom Egoyan's "Ararat" was shown in Erivan on September 21th and approximately one month later, on October 11th, it was shown in the movie theatre of the American Congress following a reception organized by Democrat Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. from New Jersey and Republican Congressman Joe Knollenberg from Michigan in one of the most exclusive chambers (Member's Room) of the USA Library of Congress.

Of course, this move by the Armenian lobby prior to the November 5th election in the USA will not come as a surprise. News to Armenian voters of the movie having been shown in the Congress theatre has scored substantial points to vote-hunter American parliamentarians.

With their talk of how hard they are working for the recognition of the "genocide", how much success they achieved yet how it would not prove enough for them, and that there was no bigger crime than denying the genocide, that denial was worse than actually perpetrating the genocide and the like, Frank Pallone and other prominent figures from the Armenian lobby prepositioned the viewership before the movie shown in the Congress theatre. By the way, presentations before the movie was shown suggested that it won an award in Cannes. However, as mentioned above, the movie was shown out of competition in Cannes. Another prominent person who delivered a speech right before the movie was shown was Atom Egoyan who is known to be reserved and silent in general. This short speech by Egoyan has of course not surprised the viewers in the theatre. Because this attitude by Atom Egoyan who is going through his own psychological conflict with himself, and mirrors this on his movies, has been considered quite natural.

Review of the Movie

The movie Ararat comes out as a repetition of the psychological state of being Atom Egoyan has expressed in his previous movies. Egoyan impersonates someone who is in cognitive dissonance with his own ethnic history and chooses suicide as a result in the character Gorki. As Agoyan himself is someone who has denied his Armenian origins up until he graduated from university and has received a lot of reaction from the Armenians because of this.

Another character in the script is the art historian Ani. And this is a reference to Ani remains.

The emphasis in the script to Ani's first husband being an ASALA militant and to Ani's son Raffi's efforts to embrace his father not as a terrorist but as a hero are of those themes in the script which are equated with being Armenian.

Another theme that the script tries to equate with being Armenian is "Noah's Ark".

Many themes like Mount Agri, Lake Van, Akdamar Island, Armenian Church and pictures of the alleged genocide are embedded in the movie in flashbacks to create a completely propaganda based production in what can be called "sloganist movie-making".

Atom Egoyan's Ararat tells the story of a movie being shot. This is a historical movie. Its subject is the Armenian genocide alleged by the Armenians.

The most dramatic scene is when neither an Armenian nor a Turk but a supposedly impartial American missionary appears as the source of historical events in the movie that will be shot.

In this scene, Rouben, one Ararat character, hands out a book to Martin who will play the American missionary in the historical movie that will be shot while actors are being described their roles and says: "This book is the key to your character. The book is the original diary of Clarence Ussher published in 1917 in Boston. Ussher is an American doctor who has seen it all".

As Rouben continues his line in this scene, he remarks:

"Each scene in my script is based on this document (book). This is a true story told by a man who has witnessed the total destruction of a society…" and says that this character is very important and should be played well.

As mentioned above, this scene will be the most dramatic one for viewers. Indeed, the one who witnessed events is neither a Turk nor an Armenian. According to Egoyan or according to the impression Egoyan wishes to create to the viewer, this is an impartial witness. What makes the movie important is that it is based on the memoirs of an American. Egoyan's scenes in this historical movie being shot are based on the memoirs of the American missionary Dr. Ussher.

An overwhelming majority of events Egoyan portrays in the movie are not in Dr. Ussher's book. Yet it is not too much of a concern for director Egoyan whether or not they are in the book. Indeed, as he himself stated, he has "artistic authority". And this authority allows him anything and everything.

This authority of Egoyan's is so magical that it even allows him to place Mount Agri right next to the city of Van, something which is both geographically and technically infeasible. When asked about how he has made something as infeasible as this, he asserts that this has been made possible by his "artistic authority".

Typical of the Egoyan school, miscellaneous incidents occur concurrently in the movie without any distinction in terms of time. It is stressed that the Armenians wanted to speak their language that they fought for their rights and systematically killed by Turkish troops because of this. In the movie, Turkish troops put women, children and the elderly to the sword, rape women recklessly, ignite them alive and these are all shown in detail.

The movie which constantly accents attacks on the Turkish government consists such expressions as "the government was aware, there were telegraphs and notes". Another striking point is the message the movie tries to deliver to the Armenian society inside and outside Armenia. The movie frequently repeats that the Armenians have forgotten this incident that they want to forget, that this was wrong, and that there should always be efforts to remind and get acceptance for the incident. An additional point that is worth noting is the use of the sentences "American nation will help us", "America is our guardian" in periodic intervals.

The US Always Does This: Armenian Question and Popular Draft Resolutions by the Armenians in the US Congress

The US, Turkey's strategic ally, is one of the principal actors in advancing the Armenian problem to the international level. That Atom Egoyan is granted permission to show his movie in the US will not come as a surprise when Turkish-US relations are examined within the context of the Armenian problem today.

US policy on Turkey within the framework of the Armenian problem deems it only natural that Atom Egoyan's movie Ararat is shown in the US. Against this background, considering that the US will not endorse the (alleged) Armenian Genocide is a relatively optimistic thought. Because, unlike say France or England, the US has a unique position vis-à-vis the Armenian issue. The US which planted the seeds of this issue back in the 1810s in a systematic way has not only brought the issue before its senate but also spent millions of dollars on this just in the 19th century. It can even be suggested that today's highly conscious, organized Armenian movement can be traced back to the ABCFM established in Boston in 1810.

US perspective on the Armenian problem should be analyzed in detail. In a speech in 1985, Senator Hubbard outlines the issue from the viewpoint of the US as following:

"What would Americans in your region and in mine think if the Turkish Grand National Assembly were to issue a resolution each year on what the Americans have done to the Indians centuries ago or, and I am ashamed of saying these, on the enslavement of blacks in American history in my region or in many other regions of America"

Remarks by Congressman Dan Burton of Indiana, who spoke during the deliberations of House of Representatives Committee on International Relations on the (alleged) Armenian genocide in September 2000, that: "I do not recall that we have ever brought before the House of Representatives a resolution on trade in African slaves. There is no resolution condemning our ancestors who transported 18 million Africans to America. There were 7 million Indians when we came to America. Now,there are 300.000 Indians. What happened to these people?", highlights the need for the US to work meticulously on the issue and to be more cautious over issues which may have a bearing on its future.

As things stand today, there is almost no congressman in the US Congress (Senate and the House of Representatives) or the White House who does not believe Armenian allegations of genocide. A few exceptions do not alter this rule. However, no matter how much they believe in this incident, they consider it against US interests to reflect this in a resolution. Furthermore, there are those in the Congress who consider it unjust to single out Turkey while not issuing any resolutions on genocides that have taken place in history and those who believe that what the Muslims of Anatolia have gone through between 1915-1923 can also be labeled as genocide, even though these are only a few.

What Happens If the US Congress and White House Issue the Armenian Resolution?
The answer to this question is quite obvious. History will register it as a decision influenced by domestic politics that has no binding effect, no future mandate on American policy, no concrete power to command, and one that will even incur burdens in the future (over issues like the Indian problem, trade in African slaves etc.).

Both the Erivan government and the Armenian lobby will regard the issuing of the resolution by the US Congress as a victory as was seen in the France example. In that case, there will be some more strains on Ankara-Erivan relations yet there will be no permanent strain on the Ankara-Washington axis. If Turkey persists in its traditional approach to the Armenian problem, it will again not come as a surprise that Turkey buries the issue deep down in its collective memory in the case mentioned above.

It should be acknowledged as a fact that what lies behind US non-recognition of the (alleged) genocide as of today, which was endorsed by France and can be placed on the agenda by other Europeans in this "Crusader" mindset tomorrow, is its interests in the region. And this systematic procrastination of the issue in the US Congress can be interpreted as "a card in would-be sanctions against Turkey whose attainment of power in the region is undesirable".

Conclusion

Atom Egoyan's "Ararat" is a million-dollar propaganda endeavor in which every scene from those things the Armenians tried to make a symbol of for themselves for years like Noah's Ark to Mount Agri, from the innocence of ASALA to allegations of genocide, from the Armenian spirit to words attributed to Hitler, from Lake Van to employing a Turk to play the homosexual Cevdet smells hatred, rancor and revenge with a view to creating an obscene image of the Turk on the viewer. Regarded as the second "Midnight Express", Ararat is a suitable candidate to overriding that in its current shape. So long as these kinds of movies loom over Turkish-Armenian relations and the spread of horror continues, it will be very difficult to observe calm and healthy relations between the two communities. Furthermore, if this movie is shown in Turkey, no one will be able to speak a word on Turkish-Armenian friendship any more. Since this movie does not aim at forging consciousness but at implanting unconscious hatred in people's minds; the movie should not be shown if we want to avoid originating, deepening or proliferating hatred toward Armenians within Turkey.

Of course there is the other face of the mirror. This is related to showing the movie in Turkey; yes, this movie should be shown in Turkey. It should be shown so that those who still live in a world of wonders do not mislead people with their naïve ideas. So that not only those who think " it is not that much, it is exaggerated" but also those who think "we are powerful, nothing can hurt us" can see it for themselves how serious damage is inflicted on Turkey and the image of the Turk.

In a world where the need for rapprochement between cultures is appreciated even more, it is apparent that Ararat, a movie inflaming racism and enmity, is the product of a mindset which is at odds with contributing to world peace and humanity. Anybody who values and respects inter-cultural, inter-religious and international dialogue, anybody who thinks that humanity needs peace more than ever at this point in time will condemn the racist and antagonistic structure of this movie and those who produced this movie will be found guilty by international public opinion.