ign logo IGN.com | AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | GameSpy | FilePlanet | TeamXbox | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | Direct2Drive

RottenTomatoes.com

RT Bug Squash
Home Movies DVD Celebrities News Critics Photos & Trailers The Vine Forums
Box Office | In Theaters | Opening | Upcoming | Best Of | Certified Fresh | Showtimes
Register for free site & special features! | Log In | What is RT?
                       
MOVIES / ON DVD / CROSSING THE BRIDGE: THE SOUND OF ISTANBUL
Crossing The Bridge: The Sound Of Istanbul

Rate This Movie

Write a Review
Share This Movie
Add to List
Buy DVD
Buy Poster

Bookmark and Share

Crossing The Bridge: The Sound Of Istanbul

86%
100%
100%
N/A
N/A
N/A
86 %
Reviews Counted: 35 Fresh: 30  Rotten:5 Average Rating: 6.9/10
 
Consensus: Weaves together a rich tapestry of musical styles. Infused with cultural and political concerns, this film weaves together a rich tapestry of musical styles that celebrate the diversity that makes up contemporary Turkish life. more
 
Rated: Not Rated
Runtime: 90 mins
Theatrical Release: Jun 9, 2006 Limited
Synopsis:
A European musician and composer sets out to capture the musical diversity of Istanbul. A lover of experimenting with sound, Alexander Hacke (of the German avantgarde band Einstürzende Neubauten) roams the streets of Istanbul with his mobile recording studio and "magic mike" to assemble... [More]
A European musician and composer sets out to capture the musical diversity of Istanbul. A lover of experimenting with sound, Alexander Hacke (of the German avantgarde band Einstürzende Neubauten) roams the streets of Istanbul with his mobile recording studio and "magic mike" to assemble an inspired portrait of Turkish music. His voyage leads to the discovery of a broad spectrum ranging from modern electronic, rock and hip-hop to classical "Arabesque". As he wanders through this seductive world, Alex collects impressions and tracks by artists such as neo-psychedelic band Baba Zula, fusion DJs Orient Expressions, rock groups Duman and Replikas, maverick rocker Erkin Koray, Ceza (Turkey’s answer to Public Enemy), breakdance performers Istanbul Style Breakers, digital dervish Mercan Dede, renowned clarinetist Selim Sesler, Canadian folk singer Brenna MacCrimmon, street performers Siyasiyabend, Kurdish singer Aynur, the "Elvis of Arabesque" Orhan Gencebay, and legendary divas Müzeyyen Senar and Sezen Aksu. -- © Official Site [Less]

Genre: Education/General Interest

Director: Fatih Akin

DVD Info

Release:

Sep 19, 2006

[DVD Details]

DVD Features:

  • Additional Release Material
  • Original Theatrical Trailer

Buy It On DVD

Reviews

 
T-Meter Critics
 
 
Top Critics
 
 
RT Community
 
 
My Critics
 
 
My Friends
 
 
DVD
 
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2
Arrange By: Name | Fresh | Rotten | Date | Source
 
 
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
11/11/06 03:55 AM
Stuart Klawans
Nation
Ratings Image

Though its photography is keen and vibrant and its concept elegantly simple, the movie doesn’t quite add up beyond its performances.

Full Review | Comment
08/19/06 03:28 AM
Marrit Ingman
Austin Chronicle
Ratings Image

Crossing the Bridge does more than offer a wide variety of entertaining and intoxicating Turkish music. It also uses music to paint a portrait of a vibrant, cosmopolitan city and provide a window into a rich and varied national culture.

Full Review | Comment
08/18/06 04:19 PM
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

A delightful survey of Turkish music's many intriguing variations, as well as a fascinating, if somewhat superficial, portrait of one of the most historic cities on Earth.

Full Review | Comment
08/18/06 04:17 PM
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News
Ratings Image

The music is gorgeous, and Akin’s feverish camera shows an exile’s love of the beautiful, crumbling but energized city as he pokes around its crevices, looking for recombinations of old and new, here and there.

Full Review | Comment
08/17/06 12:44 PM
Ella Taylor
L.A. Weekly
Ratings Image

Even as Crossing the Bridge acknowledges differences, tensions, the provocative power music exerts on our hearts, it makes an elegant, head-bopping, hip-swaying argument that sound unifies.

Full Review | Comment
08/04/06 02:42 PM
Lisa Kennedy
Denver Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

Though not nearly as exhilarating or illuminating as Buena Vista Social Club, this structurelss docu does capture the unique variety of sounds of Istanbul, a city strategically positied between East and West.

Full Review | Comment
08/02/06 08:35 AM
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Ratings Image

It's a heady, occasionally free-floating mix, and a feast for music lovers.

Full Review | Comment
07/28/06 04:37 PM
Moira MacDonald
Seattle Times
Ratings Image

Then-and-now footage of aging legends such as Erkin Koray and Sezen Aksu offers an insight into the musical continuum that bridges a rich heritage with a promising future.

Full Review | Comment
07/27/06 05:02 PM
Bill White
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Ratings Image

Akin's documentary gets its legs from the subtle questions it raises about Turkey's politics, nationalism, religious identity, cultural integrity and international perception.

Full Review | Comment
07/14/06 07:10 PM
Jonathan Curiel
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

While Crossing the Bridge is sure to find an appreciative audience among world music aficionados, its crossover appeal seems limited at best.

Full Review | Comment
07/06/06 05:41 PM
Ethan Alter
Show Business Weekly
Ratings Image

An infectious (in a good way) documentary.

Full Review | Comment
06/29/06 05:09 PM
Stephen Hunter
Washington Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review | Comment
06/24/06 03:27 AM
Time Out
Ratings Image

... an exciting introduction to a worthy musical world.

Full Review | Comment
06/15/06 07:30 AM
Daniel Eagan
Film Journal International
Ratings Image

You'll feel lucky for such a comprehensive introduction to Turkish music, and will no doubt be scrambling for a soundtrack album.

Full Review | Comment
06/09/06 02:42 PM
Ken Fox
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Ratings Image

It's a tasty sonic apertif to an unfamiliar world, and likely to inspire more than a few folks to make a beeline for the world music browser at the music store.

Full Review | Comment
06/09/06 02:28 PM
Stephen Williams
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

The musical selections are nothing if not eclectic -- rock, hop-hop, psychedelic, folk, electronica, traditional -- and include some perky performances. But Crossing the Bridge is more than just a musical primer.

Full Review | Comment
06/09/06 02:22 PM
V.A. Musetto
New York Post
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

It is our good fortune that Akin and his on-screen narrator, bass player Alexander Hacke, are our passionate guides through the country's musical history.

Full Review | Comment
06/09/06 02:18 PM
Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
Ratings Image

If the music fails to hold your interest, there's always Madonna.

Full Review | Comment
06/08/06 11:57 PM
Kent Turner
Film-Forward.com
Ratings Image

An infectiously enjoyable survey of contemporary Turkish music, Fatih Akin's documentary works as a corollary to his breakout fiction film, Head-On.

| Comment
06/08/06 06:23 PM
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2
See More Topics...

Related Forums

Surprising highlight of the London Film Festival
by: dgurtin 10/31/05
all

Pictures

Around the Network

• Crossing The Bridge: The Sound Of Istanbul at Rotten Tomatoes
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | ModCenter | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive

By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2008, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.