Moses Without Rod (2014) - full transcript
Story about Musa Anter's complicate life.
MOSES WITHOUT ROD
Halt! It is forbidden
to whistle in Kurdish.
Halt! It is forbidden
to whistle in Kurdish.
Halt! It is forbidden
to whistle in Kurdish.
Halt! It is forbidden
to whistle in Kurdish.
Halt! It is forbidden
to whistle in Kurdish.
In 1943, I was the principal of
Dicle Student Dormitory in Istanbul.
One day two policemen took me
to the 1st Police Department.
As soon as we entered, four-five
officers and the police
captain attacked me.
They hit me, kicked me and
insulted me over and over again.
I asked why.
"You fucking traitor!"
said the captain.
"Don?t you know your misdeed?"
"No," I said.
"Haven?t you got a radio?"
asked the captain.
I said "Yes, we have."
"And haven?t you got a phonograph?"
I said, "Yes, we have one."
"You fucking bastard!" said the captain.
"There are so many nice
records in Turkish.
Why the hell do you whistle in
Kurdish at the dormitory?"
Mother
Father
Child
My dear father...
Once again, times bring
yearning and sorrow for us.
You had just been released
from Diyarbakir Prison.
I was delighted when you said to me
"Bring my grandchildren over
here for a few nights."
It meant that I could
rest for a few days
while you?d be spending time together.
However father, this happiness
only lasted a single day.
A day later, the ruthless came
to take you away.
Since I was alone, you took the
kids home by taxi,
I was told. You were
accompanied by soldiers...
My helper opened the door.
I was so devastated, father.
I was so devastated for not being
able to see you off to our absence.
I had come home in a panic.
Time seemed to have stopped
while I was waiting for my mother.
For she was the one who would
know best where to look for you.
It took us a few days to
find out that you
were taken to the ?Pavilion? in Erenk?y.
Only a few times in my life had
I seen my mother cry so much...
Because everybody knew what a
torture chamber the Pavilion was.
My dear father, I heard that visits
are not allowed at the Pavilion.
Whereas I was hoping that my
letter would reach you,
I learned that letters are not allowed,
either.
Dearest father, I miss you very much.
My precious father,
I am sending you much love.
Son, what is that?
It is a very good partridge, father.
Where does its goodness come from?
Father! I will take it up to the
mountains.
I will put up traps around it.
When it calls, other partridges
will come and fall into my trap.
Why did you let my partridge go?
My son! No matter it is an
animal or a human being,
he who betrays his herd
shall be punished.
Now, let?s suppose that we, the Kurds,
would like to separate from Turkey.
So Kurdistan would be robbed, all the
remaining balance would be transferred.
All of the aboveground and underground
resources would be turned into
investments here.
But how can I give up on my beautiful
Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya?
How can I leave Adana, Mersin,
Bursa and Konya to Turks?
What am I to do with
Semdinli, Mardin, Siirt?
We do not support such separatism.
We really do not.
I do not say this out of
fear or some influence.
Kurds do not want to
separate from Turks.
Look, I am a writer.
I write that we are not separatists.
And I am tried in court
for this same article.
Accused of separatism!
We are NOT separatists, no!
We are not separatists.
Sun
Moon
Sky
Today?s youth does not know
what a long way we have come.
In April, when lovers stroll around
arm in arm with their beloved...
how could they imagine
the cold in January?
So, this is where we are coming from,
precious Turkish and Kurdish youngsters.
What is Mem ? Z?n?
Where does it come from?
Let us make a brief introduction.
The origins of Mem ? Z?n are
found in Mem? Alan,
a mythological Kurdish saga
dating from B.C.
Inspired by this saga, the great Kurdish
poet Ehmed? Xan? wrote Mem ? Z?n...
within the rationale of his era.
And it is still beneficial to us today.
It inspires us.
Mountain
Prairie
Highland
So mister...
You intend to divide the
country I understand?
Your Honour, is the country
a meatball so I shall divide?
Earth
Tree
Water
How curious are God?s wonders!
Who knows why in this crazy
country of ours
Kurds have been deprived
Altogether confined
Only if we had a monarch
Upon his head a crown bestowed by God
And a throne to him assigned
Then we too would have some luck
So if he had a crown
Most certainly we would be well-known
It would take away our suffering
Save us orphans from the wicked
Turks could not defeat us then
No more would we live
In a ruined owls? land
Taking the sword of will in hand
Capturing bravely countries of one?s own
Only if we were united
And we altogether accepted
Ottomans, Arabs and Persians
Would all be our servants
We?d be through with both
religion and state matters
We?d study both sciences and wonders.
My father was a very brave man.
He was an idealist and very brave.
He never compromised.
He always stood by the righteous.
He absolutely refused injustice.
These qualities made him Musa Anter.
A great resistance and
power for struggle...
He did not tell me to do things,
he showed them to me with his living.
A great love and respect for life.
And the struggle.
If one realizes these
things in his life...
and I saw my father do it...
Perhaps that?s why we have
such love and respect for life...
and we struggle more than others.
We will keep on fighting until we die.
We are trying to walk in my father?s
footsteps in the struggle...
although we can never be like him.
At least we are trying
to be worthy of him.
What are you staring at, lady?
Look on the ground.
Why shall I look on the ground?
It is man who was created from earth.
You look on the ground yourself.
We, women, were made
of the rib of man!
Certainly we have the
right to look at you.
Stone
Steep
Rock
Who?
Huseyn and the governor of
Nis?b?n spread a rumour about me.
They made it up themselves.
They said "We asked Musa Anter what
we should do after retirement.
And he suggested we
open a brothel in Ciz?r."
Of course I did not say anything
like that, they made it up.
I said "If you will be the director
of the brothel, then we will come."
Then he said "You should
bring your wives first."
The governor of Nis?b?n,
Atilla Ko?, heard this.
He, too, liked jokes.
So the governor was
supposed to cut the ribbon.
At the opening!
And the first customers
would be given to their wives.
But their wives are
not worth a penny.
Such big money, a penny!
His child?s name was Toto...
He had a wife and a child.
He kidnapped a young girl to marry.
Ali, come on now.
What is the bet?
Let?s say, two roosters.
You see this ring? My
grandfather defeated
your grandfather with this ring.
Come on, find it now.
You have it.
Are you sure?
Yes.
Am I loaded or am I empty?
You are empty.
Now you are in trouble!
It will be just like the theatre!
The penalty...
The penalty is money for
a bottle of whiskey.
Fine, father.
I have no choice.
Maybe otherwise it will be double!
This was for the article.
The other is bribe money.
Imagine, "he gets caught being bribed."
Black as night.
A ball of fire...
He can?t approach anyone.
He walks towards a girl.
And he does like this with his foot...
The ribab plays.
He dances and sings.
"Oh boy, what a beautiful piece!",
he says.
The girl does not understand his words.
What did I say?
Damn on you!
Do you understand?
He said that out of manners.
He had not spoken yet.
He already asks "Do you understand?"
He says, "Do I make sense?"
And then he says, "Do you understand?"
He had not started yet!
We had a friend, Azmi G?ldogan.
He was a lawyer. In Diyarbakir.
Our maths teacher was Celil.
In maths lesson...
He was cruel.
Everybody feared him.
Nazmi goes up to the blackboard.
He says, "I know nothing."
As soon as he says "Secondly...",
he gets a slap in the face.
"You have to say a first thing,
and then you go on with the second!
But you say "secondly" before
starting off with the first thing!"
I have a typewriter.
It is just like Rezzak?s taxi.
Trrock! Trrock! One button here one
button there,
they hit one after another.
We did not have much possession
during the time we were together.
After all, we were together only
for a very short period of time.
It is like me and your mother
one of these days... Bernard Shaw.
An English lady, very pretty.
Bernard Shaw said to himself,
"She is another like me."
One day she said...
"Your Excellency,
why don?t you marry me?"
Do you understand?
And she goes on...
"Why shall you marry me?"
"Think about it.
If we have a child...
he or she will be as beautiful as
I am and as intelligent as you are.
A wonderful child!"
He said, "What if it turns
out just the opposite?"
Life
Death
Universe
At a mountain, Uncle did I arrive
Those poor mountains!
Almost did they cry
Barley had come into ear
So small was the wheat
Then came the pests, Uncle
Flocks of them, alas!
Ate away our wheat, Uncle
Left behind the hay, alas!
Then came the pests, Uncle
Off the highlands they forged
Ate away the poor?s wheat, Uncle
The sun was high in the
sky dearest Uncle
Towards milking time
The herd flowed down, Uncle
Down to the shepherds, alas!
Four crippled calves
remained behind, Uncle
Mouths on the udder, alas!
Do not grieve, sister!
Soon will come your brothers and sisters
to rescue you from being eaten up.
Soon will come your brothers and sisters
to rescue you from being eaten up.
Soon will come your brothers and sisters
to rescue you from being eaten up.
Musa Anter!
Are you of Armenian origin?
No, I am of Kurdish origin.
However, we are united with
Armenians by calamity.
Pain
Laugh
Falcon
Night
Red
Tree
Will
Time
Eye
Sword
Intelligent
Blind
Sound
Four
Salt
Hair
Black
Prairie
Deaf
One
Head, blood
Mute, mourning, star
River, life, soul
My father gave me truly great advice.
We got on really well.
We were like friends.
There was one thing he told me
every time I would leave.
He would repeat...
"Let us even hear your death
and bring honour upon us...
but never take a penny from anyone."
"There is one more thing I ask of you.
Whatever they menace you with,..
whatever threats they make,..
do not ever compromise your
character and do not lie."
He said "I stopped after
having three children.
Only if I knew! I would have
had hundreds of children.
But thank God, I have millions
of daughters and sons today."
I am his biological son.
We did not really have
a father-son relationship.
He was rather my idol.
Very much like Che,
as I was growing up.
Later, Ap? Musa became my idol.
He was not at all like a father to me.
Believe me, I did not relate
to him as my father.
I always tried to follow
in his footsteps,
to do like he did, live like he lived...
...and help others.
At this age, I have still not even been
served a glass of water by anyone.
We are rather used
to always give ourselves.
I tell the judges that they,
too, should be on my side.
Those merciless!
What kind of law is this?
Who made these laws?
Like that Italian,
what was his name?
Beccaria...
Beccaria said...
"I am astonished.
The judges, before everyone else,
should be revolting against these laws."
What did I say to...
Heaven
Purgatory
Hell
We have been ruined.
But we will be ruined no more!
We have been ruined.
We have been ruined.
We have been ruined.
But we will be ruined no more!
We have been ruined.
But we will be ruined no more!
We have been ruined.
But we will be ruined no more!
Musa Anter
Musa Anter
Musa Anter
Musa Anter
Musa Anter
I have been a sworn and living witness
to all of Turkey?s account for 55 years.
And not only a witness.
No!
I am a defendant.
I am a convict.
And I am a petitioner against it!
Once upon a time,
rats invaded a country.
They ate away whatever they found,
wheat and all crops...
Somebody came forward and said
"I can destroy these rats."
"Get me a big iron cage."
"Everybody shall catch
the rats alive."
"We will shut them in the cage alive."
So they build a cage with
bars closely wrought.
They catch thousands of rats alive
and confine them in the cage.
A few days later, the rats
begin to get hungry.
They start eating each other.
First they eat the small and the sick.
There are less and less rats left.
They are given a little
food now and then.
The rats snap up the food.
But after a while, they stop
eating the food given to them.
And yet, when a dead rat is given to
them as food, they rush to devour it.
When people see that rats are now used
to eating the flesh of their own kind,..
they open the door of the cage.
Of thousands of rats,
there are only 40-50 left now.
But they have the habit of cats.
They disperse all over the city.
The rats in the streets
do not flee them.
They consider them rats.
They do not know that these are rats
in appearance and cats in habit!
The rats eat all the other
rats they come across.
And thus were all the rats
in the country eradicated.
Kurdish is forbidden!
The charge is 5 Turkish liras per word!
I am me.
You are you.
Dogs bark in the direction they fear.
Trees grow on their own roots,
people blossom on their own language.
A lion is a lion, whether
it is male or female.
Long live freedom!
For Musa Anter...
Halt! It is forbidden
to whistle in Kurdish.
Halt! It is forbidden
to whistle in Kurdish.
Halt! It is forbidden
to whistle in Kurdish.
Halt! It is forbidden
to whistle in Kurdish.
Halt! It is forbidden
to whistle in Kurdish.
In 1943, I was the principal of
Dicle Student Dormitory in Istanbul.
One day two policemen took me
to the 1st Police Department.
As soon as we entered, four-five
officers and the police
captain attacked me.
They hit me, kicked me and
insulted me over and over again.
I asked why.
"You fucking traitor!"
said the captain.
"Don?t you know your misdeed?"
"No," I said.
"Haven?t you got a radio?"
asked the captain.
I said "Yes, we have."
"And haven?t you got a phonograph?"
I said, "Yes, we have one."
"You fucking bastard!" said the captain.
"There are so many nice
records in Turkish.
Why the hell do you whistle in
Kurdish at the dormitory?"
Mother
Father
Child
My dear father...
Once again, times bring
yearning and sorrow for us.
You had just been released
from Diyarbakir Prison.
I was delighted when you said to me
"Bring my grandchildren over
here for a few nights."
It meant that I could
rest for a few days
while you?d be spending time together.
However father, this happiness
only lasted a single day.
A day later, the ruthless came
to take you away.
Since I was alone, you took the
kids home by taxi,
I was told. You were
accompanied by soldiers...
My helper opened the door.
I was so devastated, father.
I was so devastated for not being
able to see you off to our absence.
I had come home in a panic.
Time seemed to have stopped
while I was waiting for my mother.
For she was the one who would
know best where to look for you.
It took us a few days to
find out that you
were taken to the ?Pavilion? in Erenk?y.
Only a few times in my life had
I seen my mother cry so much...
Because everybody knew what a
torture chamber the Pavilion was.
My dear father, I heard that visits
are not allowed at the Pavilion.
Whereas I was hoping that my
letter would reach you,
I learned that letters are not allowed,
either.
Dearest father, I miss you very much.
My precious father,
I am sending you much love.
Son, what is that?
It is a very good partridge, father.
Where does its goodness come from?
Father! I will take it up to the
mountains.
I will put up traps around it.
When it calls, other partridges
will come and fall into my trap.
Why did you let my partridge go?
My son! No matter it is an
animal or a human being,
he who betrays his herd
shall be punished.
Now, let?s suppose that we, the Kurds,
would like to separate from Turkey.
So Kurdistan would be robbed, all the
remaining balance would be transferred.
All of the aboveground and underground
resources would be turned into
investments here.
But how can I give up on my beautiful
Istanbul, Izmir, Antalya?
How can I leave Adana, Mersin,
Bursa and Konya to Turks?
What am I to do with
Semdinli, Mardin, Siirt?
We do not support such separatism.
We really do not.
I do not say this out of
fear or some influence.
Kurds do not want to
separate from Turks.
Look, I am a writer.
I write that we are not separatists.
And I am tried in court
for this same article.
Accused of separatism!
We are NOT separatists, no!
We are not separatists.
Sun
Moon
Sky
Today?s youth does not know
what a long way we have come.
In April, when lovers stroll around
arm in arm with their beloved...
how could they imagine
the cold in January?
So, this is where we are coming from,
precious Turkish and Kurdish youngsters.
What is Mem ? Z?n?
Where does it come from?
Let us make a brief introduction.
The origins of Mem ? Z?n are
found in Mem? Alan,
a mythological Kurdish saga
dating from B.C.
Inspired by this saga, the great Kurdish
poet Ehmed? Xan? wrote Mem ? Z?n...
within the rationale of his era.
And it is still beneficial to us today.
It inspires us.
Mountain
Prairie
Highland
So mister...
You intend to divide the
country I understand?
Your Honour, is the country
a meatball so I shall divide?
Earth
Tree
Water
How curious are God?s wonders!
Who knows why in this crazy
country of ours
Kurds have been deprived
Altogether confined
Only if we had a monarch
Upon his head a crown bestowed by God
And a throne to him assigned
Then we too would have some luck
So if he had a crown
Most certainly we would be well-known
It would take away our suffering
Save us orphans from the wicked
Turks could not defeat us then
No more would we live
In a ruined owls? land
Taking the sword of will in hand
Capturing bravely countries of one?s own
Only if we were united
And we altogether accepted
Ottomans, Arabs and Persians
Would all be our servants
We?d be through with both
religion and state matters
We?d study both sciences and wonders.
My father was a very brave man.
He was an idealist and very brave.
He never compromised.
He always stood by the righteous.
He absolutely refused injustice.
These qualities made him Musa Anter.
A great resistance and
power for struggle...
He did not tell me to do things,
he showed them to me with his living.
A great love and respect for life.
And the struggle.
If one realizes these
things in his life...
and I saw my father do it...
Perhaps that?s why we have
such love and respect for life...
and we struggle more than others.
We will keep on fighting until we die.
We are trying to walk in my father?s
footsteps in the struggle...
although we can never be like him.
At least we are trying
to be worthy of him.
What are you staring at, lady?
Look on the ground.
Why shall I look on the ground?
It is man who was created from earth.
You look on the ground yourself.
We, women, were made
of the rib of man!
Certainly we have the
right to look at you.
Stone
Steep
Rock
Who?
Huseyn and the governor of
Nis?b?n spread a rumour about me.
They made it up themselves.
They said "We asked Musa Anter what
we should do after retirement.
And he suggested we
open a brothel in Ciz?r."
Of course I did not say anything
like that, they made it up.
I said "If you will be the director
of the brothel, then we will come."
Then he said "You should
bring your wives first."
The governor of Nis?b?n,
Atilla Ko?, heard this.
He, too, liked jokes.
So the governor was
supposed to cut the ribbon.
At the opening!
And the first customers
would be given to their wives.
But their wives are
not worth a penny.
Such big money, a penny!
His child?s name was Toto...
He had a wife and a child.
He kidnapped a young girl to marry.
Ali, come on now.
What is the bet?
Let?s say, two roosters.
You see this ring? My
grandfather defeated
your grandfather with this ring.
Come on, find it now.
You have it.
Are you sure?
Yes.
Am I loaded or am I empty?
You are empty.
Now you are in trouble!
It will be just like the theatre!
The penalty...
The penalty is money for
a bottle of whiskey.
Fine, father.
I have no choice.
Maybe otherwise it will be double!
This was for the article.
The other is bribe money.
Imagine, "he gets caught being bribed."
Black as night.
A ball of fire...
He can?t approach anyone.
He walks towards a girl.
And he does like this with his foot...
The ribab plays.
He dances and sings.
"Oh boy, what a beautiful piece!",
he says.
The girl does not understand his words.
What did I say?
Damn on you!
Do you understand?
He said that out of manners.
He had not spoken yet.
He already asks "Do you understand?"
He says, "Do I make sense?"
And then he says, "Do you understand?"
He had not started yet!
We had a friend, Azmi G?ldogan.
He was a lawyer. In Diyarbakir.
Our maths teacher was Celil.
In maths lesson...
He was cruel.
Everybody feared him.
Nazmi goes up to the blackboard.
He says, "I know nothing."
As soon as he says "Secondly...",
he gets a slap in the face.
"You have to say a first thing,
and then you go on with the second!
But you say "secondly" before
starting off with the first thing!"
I have a typewriter.
It is just like Rezzak?s taxi.
Trrock! Trrock! One button here one
button there,
they hit one after another.
We did not have much possession
during the time we were together.
After all, we were together only
for a very short period of time.
It is like me and your mother
one of these days... Bernard Shaw.
An English lady, very pretty.
Bernard Shaw said to himself,
"She is another like me."
One day she said...
"Your Excellency,
why don?t you marry me?"
Do you understand?
And she goes on...
"Why shall you marry me?"
"Think about it.
If we have a child...
he or she will be as beautiful as
I am and as intelligent as you are.
A wonderful child!"
He said, "What if it turns
out just the opposite?"
Life
Death
Universe
At a mountain, Uncle did I arrive
Those poor mountains!
Almost did they cry
Barley had come into ear
So small was the wheat
Then came the pests, Uncle
Flocks of them, alas!
Ate away our wheat, Uncle
Left behind the hay, alas!
Then came the pests, Uncle
Off the highlands they forged
Ate away the poor?s wheat, Uncle
The sun was high in the
sky dearest Uncle
Towards milking time
The herd flowed down, Uncle
Down to the shepherds, alas!
Four crippled calves
remained behind, Uncle
Mouths on the udder, alas!
Do not grieve, sister!
Soon will come your brothers and sisters
to rescue you from being eaten up.
Soon will come your brothers and sisters
to rescue you from being eaten up.
Soon will come your brothers and sisters
to rescue you from being eaten up.
Musa Anter!
Are you of Armenian origin?
No, I am of Kurdish origin.
However, we are united with
Armenians by calamity.
Pain
Laugh
Falcon
Night
Red
Tree
Will
Time
Eye
Sword
Intelligent
Blind
Sound
Four
Salt
Hair
Black
Prairie
Deaf
One
Head, blood
Mute, mourning, star
River, life, soul
My father gave me truly great advice.
We got on really well.
We were like friends.
There was one thing he told me
every time I would leave.
He would repeat...
"Let us even hear your death
and bring honour upon us...
but never take a penny from anyone."
"There is one more thing I ask of you.
Whatever they menace you with,..
whatever threats they make,..
do not ever compromise your
character and do not lie."
He said "I stopped after
having three children.
Only if I knew! I would have
had hundreds of children.
But thank God, I have millions
of daughters and sons today."
I am his biological son.
We did not really have
a father-son relationship.
He was rather my idol.
Very much like Che,
as I was growing up.
Later, Ap? Musa became my idol.
He was not at all like a father to me.
Believe me, I did not relate
to him as my father.
I always tried to follow
in his footsteps,
to do like he did, live like he lived...
...and help others.
At this age, I have still not even been
served a glass of water by anyone.
We are rather used
to always give ourselves.
I tell the judges that they,
too, should be on my side.
Those merciless!
What kind of law is this?
Who made these laws?
Like that Italian,
what was his name?
Beccaria...
Beccaria said...
"I am astonished.
The judges, before everyone else,
should be revolting against these laws."
What did I say to...
Heaven
Purgatory
Hell
We have been ruined.
But we will be ruined no more!
We have been ruined.
We have been ruined.
We have been ruined.
But we will be ruined no more!
We have been ruined.
But we will be ruined no more!
We have been ruined.
But we will be ruined no more!
Musa Anter
Musa Anter
Musa Anter
Musa Anter
Musa Anter
I have been a sworn and living witness
to all of Turkey?s account for 55 years.
And not only a witness.
No!
I am a defendant.
I am a convict.
And I am a petitioner against it!
Once upon a time,
rats invaded a country.
They ate away whatever they found,
wheat and all crops...
Somebody came forward and said
"I can destroy these rats."
"Get me a big iron cage."
"Everybody shall catch
the rats alive."
"We will shut them in the cage alive."
So they build a cage with
bars closely wrought.
They catch thousands of rats alive
and confine them in the cage.
A few days later, the rats
begin to get hungry.
They start eating each other.
First they eat the small and the sick.
There are less and less rats left.
They are given a little
food now and then.
The rats snap up the food.
But after a while, they stop
eating the food given to them.
And yet, when a dead rat is given to
them as food, they rush to devour it.
When people see that rats are now used
to eating the flesh of their own kind,..
they open the door of the cage.
Of thousands of rats,
there are only 40-50 left now.
But they have the habit of cats.
They disperse all over the city.
The rats in the streets
do not flee them.
They consider them rats.
They do not know that these are rats
in appearance and cats in habit!
The rats eat all the other
rats they come across.
And thus were all the rats
in the country eradicated.
Kurdish is forbidden!
The charge is 5 Turkish liras per word!
I am me.
You are you.
Dogs bark in the direction they fear.
Trees grow on their own roots,
people blossom on their own language.
A lion is a lion, whether
it is male or female.
Long live freedom!
For Musa Anter...