The forty days of musa dagh, has already been made into a littleknown, armenian financed film. His father was a junior civil servant working for the government of the ottoman empire and was from a village in the mountainous southeastern corner of presentday bulgaria. The forty days of musa dagh neal ascherson, 8 march 2018 i n a corner of the eastern mediterranean, where the coast of anatolia turns south towards syria, a mountain massif rises by the sea. Centre for screen cultures the politics of recognition. Media in category the final days 2000 film the following 4 files are in this category, out of 4 total. The year 2000 in film involved some significant events. Based on the events at musa dagh in 1915 during the armenian genocide in the ottoman empire, the book played a role in organizing the jewish resistance under nazi rule. He is primarily known as the author of the forty days of musa dagh 1933, english tr. French and british naval ships then evacuated some 4,200 men, women and children from musa dagh to port said in egypt. Armenian guerrilla troops fight against the turkish forces on the mountain of musa dagh.
Mar 15, 2014 the 6th day 2000 film the 6th day is a 2000 american science fiction action thriller film directed by roger spottiswoode, starring arnold schwarzenegger as family man adam gibson, who is cloned. Bookslut the forty days of musa dagh by franz werfel. Every citizen will enjoy complete liberty and equality, regardless of nationality or. Musa dagh stood as the sole instance where the western allies at war with the ottomans averted the death of a community during the armenian genocide. Franz werfel 18901945 was a germanspeaking jew born in prague, and he and the readers of his meticulously researched novel realized that the eradication of armenians in turkish lands bore an ominous resemblance to what was beginning to happen to the jews of europe. Family edit david opatoshu was survived by his wife, lillian weinberg, a psychiatric social worker, whom he married on june 10, 1941. New documentary on the forty days of musa dagh and hollywood. Franz werfel, a refugee from the holocaust, wrote the 1933 bestselling historical novel the forty days of musa dagh, which told of an armenian community that fought off turkish soldiers. The genocide of the armenians facing history and ourselves.
The book is an original work and the first to deal with the historic controversy werfels masterpiece stirred since its publication in the united states in 1934. In 1933, franz werfel, a jew then living in vienna, austria, published a historical novel, titled the forty days of musa dagh. Ive read the book, the forty days of musa dagh by franz werfel. Dinosaur was the most expensive film of 2000 and a boxoffice success. The forty days of musa dagh is franz werfels masterpiece, bringing him international acclaim and a bomc main selection. David opatoshu also wrote the screenplay for the film romance of a horsethief 1971, based on a novel by his father, joseph opatoshu. It was adapted into a film in 1982 by the same name, the forty days of musa dagh film. Denverto promote his new film rocky balboa, actor sylvester stallone talked to the denver posts michael booth about his dream project. Thus the forty days of musa dagh had to wait another fortyseven years to be produced and made, not by a hollywood studio, but by an armenianamerican producer in a low budget production, shown primarily to armenian audiences. In the face of the complete decimation of the armenian communities of the ottoman empire. The forty days of musa dagh was first published in 1933, barely a decade after the armenian genocide. The forty days of musa dagh is a historical novel depicting the heroic battle of musa dagh, which took place in 1915. Franz viktor werfel 10 september 1890 26 august 1945 was an austrianbohemian novelist, playwright, and poet whose career spanned world war i, the interwar period, and world war ii.
This is a wonderful account of the heroic folks near musa dagh who resisted the turkish genocide of armenians and found rescue. Edwin avaness received his grasp of arts level from northwestern universitys radiotvfilm system, and a bachelor of arts level in film and digital press productions at university or college of california, santa cruz. The book that first drew americas attention to the armenian genocide, which began 100 years ago on april 24, 1915. The pragueborn viennese writer franz werfel wrote a stirring novel in 1933 based on this resistance. Depriving the forty days of musa daghdepicts the trials and tribulations of hollywoods multiple attempts to produce a film based on werfels bestseller. The 6th day 2000 film the 6th day is a 2000 american science fiction action thriller film directed by roger spottiswoode, starring arnold schwarzenegger.
The struggle of 5,000 people on musa dagh had so fascinated me that i wished to aid the armenian people by writing. Its the saga of a passing race, a race long condemned to accepting an attitude of rather contemptuous pity. It was passed from hand to hand in jewish ghettos in nazioccupied europe, and it became an example and a symbol for the jewish underground. The aesthetics of human rights in franz werfels the forty days of. This is the story of how the people of several armenian villages in the mountains along the coast of presentday turkey and syria chose not to obey the deportation order. The film that was denied edward minasian after fifty years of waiting, dream of armenians now a reality. Forty days of musa dagh 1982 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. A brief history of musa dagh armenians armenian national.
Depriving the forty days of musa dagh depicts the trials and tribulations of hollywoods multiple attempts to produce a film based on werfels bestseller. Complete summary of franz werfels the forty days of musa dagh. Musa dagh traces the trials and tribulations of franz werfels the forty days of musa dagh in hollywood. June 2012 matt mcgregor fiction the forty days of musa dagh by franz werfel, translated by geoffrey dunlap and james reidel. Its an amazing book and a great story, and it so obviously has the potential to be turned into a truly great movie. The armenians of musa dagh had endured for fifty three days from july 21 to september 12, 1915. Werfel took the liberty of changing certain details to give the story biblical dimensions. The forty days of musa dagh, an epic novel in which armenian villagers resist turkish forces until rescued by the french. The novel was written in 1933 by the austrian writer franz werfel 18901945. The promise opens in theatres nationwide hye sharzhoom. Pdf the forty days of musa dagh download full pdf book. But here is a book that creates too strong a temptation to resist.
Franz werfels bestknown works include the forty days of musa dagh 1933, a classic historical novel that portrays armenian resistance to the turks, and the song of bernadette 1941. It is a shame that the turkish lobby millions strong, since all turkish kids are taught from revisionist history books these days, and will fight to the teeth to deny the genocide committed by their forefathers. Franz werfels novel the forty days of musa dagh,originally. David welky 2006 global hollywood versus national pride. The forty days of musa dagh 1934 edition open library. The forty days of musa dagh is franz werfels masterpiece that brought him international acclaim in 1933, drawing the worlds attention to the armenian genocide. Franz viktor werfel wrote the novel the forty days of musa dagh, which dealt with the siege of the villages of musa dagh during the armenian genocide.
Plans by mgm to produce the film in 196869, and later by sylvester stallone in 2006, were also cancelled. Five months later, the armenian educational foundation took out its own fullpage ad in. The film that was denied in journal of armenian studies 3. On october 1, 1895, 2,000 armenians gathered in the ottoman capital to demand. Perhaps most hauntingly, a novel about armenian selfdefense franz werfels the forty days of musa dagh was secretly passed from handtohand among. First american edition, translated from the german by geoffrey dunlop. The new, expanded translation by james reidel demands recognition as a major literary and cultural event. That story inspired the pragueborn austrian writer, franz werfel, to write a novelized version of the events as the forty days of musa dagh. Armenian genocide not up for debate in intent to destroy. Atom egoyans ararat released in 2002, was the next major film expected to be the long awaited genocide. These historical events later inspired franz werfel to write his novel the forty days of musa dagh 1933, a fictionalized account based on his detailed research of historical sources. The forty days of musa dagh is a 1933 novel by austrianbohemian writer franz werfel based. Moranian, the armenian genocide and american missionary relief efforts in jay winter, ed. The forty days of musa dagh by franz werfel, first edition.
It was translated from its original german into numerous languages in subsequent years. It is not until four refugees arrive in yoghonoluk in late april, that the full nature of what. Kim kardashian is helping to promote the promise, a film about the. Forty days of musa dagh, the work by werfel franz werfel. With kabir bedi, ronnie carol, guy stockwell, peter haskell. How kim kardashians armenian roots are helping the promise. Domestically in north america, gladiator won the academy awards for best picture and best actor russell crowe. The forty days of musa dagh is a 1982 american film produced by john kurkjian, written by alex hakobian, and directed by sarky mouradian. Road films, which launched the movie in roughly 2,000 theaters to.
Musa dagh became a household name globally, and the saga itself was immortalized. See bali, rifat 2001, musas children, the republics citizens, p. Not surprisingly as an author franz werfel was also on the nazi book. The forty days of musa dagh was eventually translated into eighteen languages, while metrogoldwynmayer, the hollywood film company, announced plans for the production of a movie version of the novel. What we have here instead is a dreadful, horriblyacted, poorlywritten adaptation that is an embarrassment to everyone. The forty days of musa dagh is a 1933 novel by the austrianjewish author franz werfel. The novel tells the story of one of the few examples of armed resistance by the armenians to the deportations and killings by. The latter book had its start when werfel, a jew escaping the nazis, found solace in the czechborn poet, playwright, and novelist, whose central themes were. Jewish response to the forty days of musa dagh wikipedia. The turkish ambassadors protestations to the department of state resulted in the intervention of the united states government in the matter.