Cultural Exchange: Turkish film 'Fetih 1453' stirs nationalism

The movie has been hugely successful in its home country since its premiere, telling of the Turks' defeat of the Byzantine capital, but critics say it glosses over the sordid details.

ISTANBUL, Turkey — The Turks have a blockbuster on their hands. It's called "Fetih 1453," as in the year the Turks conquered the Byzantine capital of Constantinople — now the sprawling city of Istanbul. This epic, with 16,000 extras, sword fights, tons of blood and turbans galore, has broken all film records in Turkey, not only in how much it cost to make ($17 million) — but also the box office take, more than double the investment and counting.

donate vehicle to charity donate your car to charity buy my junk car