The Ottoman Empire, which arose in the Middle Ages on the territory of modern Turkey, lasted more than six centuries. The history of this Islamic state is filled with numerous wars, triumphal victories, achievements in the field of economy and culture, but at the same time it is cruel and marked by a bloody, merciless struggle for power. Sultan Suleiman I was especially famous for expanding the borders of the empire and wisdom. However, he was remembered by his descendants not only for his military achievements and brilliant reforms, but also for his romantic love for a slave of Slavic origin, known in Europe under the name Roksolana. The Magnificent Century (film 2011) tells the audience about these events. The actors and creators of the series tried to realistically display this era.
About going out
The genre of action-packed drama emotionally conveys from the screen a situation full of disturbing events of that time, the grandeur and attractiveness of the Sultan's chambers, the complicated relationships that develop outside the walls of the palaces. It is not surprising, because the script of the Turkish series, written by Meral Okay, was devised and embodied in accordance with the real facts of the bloody and turbulent history of this country. From the moment the first episode of The Magnificent Century was presented, the audience was captured by the action and looked forward to continuing. It happened on January 5, 2011. The events of the film begin with the accession to the throne of Sultan Suleiman, the tenth representative of the Ottoman dynasty, and culminate in his death, which occurred 46 years later.
Where did the shooting take place?
To shoot and place carefully selected, colorful scenery, the television series team needed to build a huge pavilion with a total area of 50,000 m 2 . It didn’t work otherwise, because in the film it was necessary to reflect all the luxury of the Ottoman palace with numerous rooms, corridors and balconies, surrounded by a beautiful garden with flowering plants and manicured flower beds.
Make-up artists had to work hard to create the characters of the series, who needed to present on the screen images of historical personalities that outwardly changed over time. The show of season 1 of the "Great Age" ended on the Turkish channel Show TV in the summer of 2011. Soon the sequel was filmed. A total of 139 episodes were released, which were shown until June 2014.
Halit Ergench
The main figure in the film, as you might guess, is the almighty Sultan Suleiman himself. Turkish actor Halit Ergench brilliantly coped with this role. His character, or rather, a real historical figure, has very contradictory information about himself in the written sources of the past. However, in the movie, Suleiman is endowed with many positive human qualities. He has a strong, imperious character, but is capable of experiencing love and friendship, striving to be fair in everything. However, many of his actions cause a mixed reaction from the viewer and even outright anger.
Halit himself was born in Istanbul in 1970. In real life, married, by the way, for the second time. Although in his youth he studied at a technical university, and after that he worked as an operator and a marketer, he soon abruptly changed his role and became an actor in the theater, and then he began acting. He was involved in cinema in melodramas, dramas, and even in horror films.
Meriem Sahra Uzerli
Continuing the story about the actors of the film “The Magnificent Century” in 2011, it is impossible not to recall the one that played the role of the beloved of the powerful Sultan. It was a German actress with Turkish roots Meri Sahra Uzerli. Her heroine Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska can not be classified as innocent lambs. In the film, she appears before the audience as a seductive, but insidious person, extremely dexterous and cunning. It is thanks to these qualities that she, in the course of action, from an ordinary slave turns into the wife of the Sultan.
However, the actress manages to convey the entire versatility of the character of her character. Having looked through all the episodes of The Magnificent Century, an interested observer finds out that she is a simple woman who is somewhat even naive, fanatically in love with her husband and extremely attached to children. According to the plot, a native of Alexandra Anastasia Lisowska from Crimea, previously lost all her loved ones, which undoubtedly causes sympathy for her.
History has kept little information about the past of the wife of Sultan Suleiman. It is known that she was the daughter of a priest and at baptism received the name of Alexander. True, some sources indicate that her name was Anastasia. By the way, this is the name she bears in the Ukrainian version of the series. Meriem Uzerli herself was born in Germany in 1983, plays in the theater, on television and cinema.
Okan Yalabyk
Another bright personality among the actors of the film “The Magnificent Century” of 2011 is a man who played the role of the right hand of his master, who later became the great vizier, Ibrahim Pasha. This hero, whose image is Okan Yalabyk, is in the television series the embodiment of good and evil at the same time.
This character is literally woven from contradictions. The son of a simple Greek fisherman, a slave named Theo, he seeks incredible career heights in the Ottoman state. First, Ibrahim appears in the image of a loyal friend of the Sultan. However, with the release of season 2 of the “Magnificent Century” and its subsequent continuation, the viewer learns a lot about him, and the character of the character under the burden of power does not change for the better. The role of the wife of Ibrahim Pasha and the sister of the Sultan is played by the Turkish actress and model Selma Ergech, and the mistresses, maidservants of the harem Nigar - Filiz Ahmet.
The fate of the series
The actors of the film “The Magnificent Century”, who appeared before Turkish viewers in 2011, almost immediately in January 2012 had an acquaintance with the Russian audience on the Domashny channel, where the show continued until 2015. This television picture has also been seen in more than fifty countries around the world.
Two years later, two books were published, written by Sophia Benoit, revealing to the interested reader all the secrets of the beloved series. From them you can learn about the traditions in the harem of Turkish sultans and the real fate of the concubines, as well as the history of the Ottoman Empire itself.
Despite the consistently high ratings of popular popularity, it should be noted that the series was adopted in Turkey itself is far from unambiguous. Television received numerous protests and complaints from principled members of society about the denigrating national history and culture that allegedly took place. At the same time, starting in 2011, the film became the winner of many awards at home and abroad.