Three Monkeys (2008) Üç maymun (original title)

Director:

Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Writers:

Ebru Ceylan (screenplay) &
Ercan Kesal (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

3 October 2008 (Taiwan)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A family suffers from a major communication breakdown during their struggle to to get through their hardships.

Plot Keywords:

Money | Prison | Politics | Bosporus | Desperation

Awards:

7 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Yavuz Bingol	...	Eyüp (as Yavuz Bingöl)
Hatice Aslan	...	Hacer
Ahmet Rifat Sungar	...	Ismail
Ercan Kesal	...	Servet
Cafer Köse	...	Bayram
Gürkan Aydin	...	Cocuk

Directed by
Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Writing credits
Ebru Ceylan		(screenplay) &
Ercan Kesal		(screenplay) &
Nuri Bilge Ceylan		(screenplay)

Produced by
Nuri Bilge Ceylan	....	co-producer
Valerio De Paolis	....	co-producer
Cemal Noyan	....	co-producer
Zeynep Ozbatur Atakan	....	producer (as Zeynep Özbatur)
Fabienne Vonier	....	co-producer

Cinematography by
Gökhan Tiryaki		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Ayhan Ergürsel
Bora Göksingöl

Casting by
Harika Uygur		(as Harika Uygur Ülkü)

Art Direction by
Ebru Ceylan

Makeup Department
Gülcan Bayar Öge	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Ayhan Ergürsel	....	third assistant director
Eser Erzurum	....	second assistant director
Ayla Karli	....	first assistant director (as Ayla Karli Tezgören)

Art Department
Izel Altintas	....	art department
Narin Deniz Erkan	....	art department
Baris Matur	....	set
Samet Orhan	....	set
Yilmaz Yildirim	....	set

Sound Department
Furkan Atli	....	boom operator
Roberto Cappannelli	....	sound re-recording mixer
Serkan Cetin	....	foley recordist (as Serkan Çetin)
Mustafa Durma	....	foley editor
Olivier Goinard	....	sound mixer
Umut Senyol	....	sound editor
Murat Senürkmez	....	sound
Jack Stew	....	foley artist
Burak Topalakci	....	foley artist assistant (as Burak Topalakçi)
Mert Özer	....	dubbing recordist

Visual Effects by
Kuban Altan	....	transfer supervisor
Murat Aydin	....	avid operator
Omer Serif Bilsel	....	inferno visual effects (as Ömer Serif Bilsel)
Yaman Derbent	....	inferno visual effects
Okan Duzalan	....	inferno visual effects (as Okan Düzalan)
Alp Enuysal	....	inferno visual effects
Bora Göksingöl	....	avid nitris visual effects
Bora Göksingöl	....	inferno effects supervisor
Bora Göksingöl	....	inferno visual effects
Michael Harrison	....	inferno visual effects
Nuri Memis	....	avid technical support
Tijen Pal	....	inferno effects coordinator
Daniel Sanders	....	inferno visual effects
Bulent Tanoba	....	film transfer
Ozgur Taparli	....	film transfer

Camera and Electrical Department
Altug Acar	....	panther operator
Ismail Ay	....	panther assistant
Mehmet Basbaran	....	panther operator (as Mehmet Basaran)
Mustafa Cengiz	....	camera maintenance
Salih Dikmen	....	second assistant camera
Eser Erzurum	....	behind the scenes camera
Eser Erzurum	....	still photographer
Serkan Gulguler	....	first assistant camera (as Serkan Gülgüler)
Serhat Ozcan	....	lights (as Serhad Özcan)
Ahmet Seçkin	....	panther assistant
Mucahit Vural	....	lights (as Mücait Vural)
Aykut Çaylak	....	panther assistant
Mehmet Ömür	....	still photographer
Süleyman Öztürk	....	lights

Editorial Department
Bülent Bayraktar	....	trailer
Ayhan Ergürsel	....	post-production assistant
Bora Göksingöl	....	colorist
Bora Göksingöl	....	on-line editor
Süleyman Göktas	....	negative developer
Ersan Gümüs	....	printing
Kenan Hürsan	....	negative developer
Sinan Kiliç	....	negative developer
Ayhan Kisa	....	printing
Mustafa Koc	....	printing (as Mustafa Koç)
Cengiz Koç	....	negative developer
Yusuf Ozbek	....	laboratory manager (as Yusuf Özbek)
Ilhan Ozkan	....	negative developer (as Ilhan Özkan)
Hüseyin Sargin	....	negative developer
Ferhat Temel	....	trailer editor
Orhan Turgut	....	negative developer
Aydin Yeniçeri	....	negative developer
Serkan Yigitkoç	....	negative developer

Music Department
Yildiz Tilbe	....	phone music: Hacer

Transportation Department
Ahmet Akar	....	transportation
Mücait Albayrak	....	transportation
Özcan Asiltürk	....	transportation
Kemal Yesim	....	transportation: Zeyno Film
Aladdin Çay	....	transportation

Other crew
Ebru Akin	....	finance: Zeyno Film
Pelin Aksoy	....	administrative coordinator: Sinefekt
Selin Arat	....	international production coordinator
Çagri Erdogan	....	production assistant
Eser Erzurum	....	location manager
Valérie Farthouat	....	overall office coordinator: Pyramide Productions
Vaira Giacconi	....	office: BiM Distribuzione
Ilkay Bahar Köseoglu	....	overall office coordinator: Zeyno Film
Philippe Leconte	....	legal adviser: Pyramide Productions
Antonio Medici	....	office: BiM Distribuzione
Ali Oyan	....	accounting: Zeyno Film
Stéphane Parthenay	....	international production coordinator
Yalçin Sen	....	location manager
Yalçin Sen	....	production assistant
Selen Tarim	....	legal adviser: Zeyno Film
Arda Topaloglu	....	production coordinator
Erdem Türkekul	....	legal adviser: Zeyno Film
Lucy Wood	....	subtitler

Production Companies

• Zeynofilm
• NBC Film
• Pyramide Productions
• BIM Distribuzione
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (with the participation of)
• Conseil de l'Europe (with the support of)
• Imaj Sound Post Production (in association with)
• Imaj (in association with)
• Ministry of Culture and Tourism (with the participation of)

Distributors

• Contact Film (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Imagine Films Distribution (2009) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Imagine Films Distribution (2009) (Luxembourg) (theatrical)
• Imagine Films Distribution (2009) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Mongrel Media (2008) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Mozinet (2011) (Hungary) (theatrical)
• Odeon (2008) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Pyramide Distribution (2008) (France) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (2008) (Turkey) (theatrical)
• Zeitgeist Films (2009) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Alliance (2008) (India) (all media)
• Argentina Video Home (2011) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Arsenal (2008) (Germany) (all media)
• Atalanta Filmes (2008) (Portugal) (all media)
• BIM Distribuzione (2008) (Italy) (all media)
• Cine Colombia (2008) (Colombia) (all media)
• EDKO Film (2009) (Hong Kong) (DVD)
• Fidalgo Films (2008) (Norway) (all media)
• Film1 (2011) (Netherlands) (TV) (limited)
• Filmcoopi Zürich (2008) (Switzerland) (all media)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2009) (Belgium) (DVD)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Imaj DVD Entertainment (2009) (Turkey) (DVD)
• Imovision (2009) (Brazil) (all media)
• Maywin Media (2008) (Russia) (all media)
• MegaCom Film (MCF) (2008) (Yugoslavia) (all media)
• Mirada Distribution (2011) (Argentina) (all media)
• Mongrel Media (2008) (Canada) (all media)
• Mongrel Media (2009) (Canada) (DVD)
• New Wave Films (2008) (UK) (all media)
• Orlando Films (2009) (Israel) (all media)
• Suraya Filem (2008) (Indonesia) (all media)
• Suraya Filem (2008) (Malaysia) (all media)
• Suraya Filem (2008) (Singapore) (all media)
• Suraya Filem (2008) (Vietnam) (all media)

Special Effects

• Imaj (visual effects)

Other Companies

• Cinéstéréo  optical sound transfer
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Eclair  laboratory
• Fullset  set
• Imaj  post-production facilities
• Imaj  sound and mix studio
• Imaj  steadicam
• L.T.C.  optical sound development
• Melodika  dubbing studio
• Orion  lights
• Sinefekt  film transfer
• Sinefekt  laboratory
• Zound  foley studio

Also Known As:

"Üç maymun" - Turkey (original title)

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

Turkey | France | Italy

Language:

Turkish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Hong Kong:III | USA:Unrated | Brazil:14 | Sweden:11 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Istanbul, Turkey

Company:

Zeynofilm

Trivia:

Nuri Bilge Ceylan won the Best Director Award with this film in 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

Goofs:

Continuity: Ismail's safety belt fastened on and off at consecutive cuts,while he is driving his father back from the prison.

Dark, stylish, noir thriller is definitely no turkey!

I can't remember if I've ever seen a Turkish film before, which is a pity, because if Three Monkeys is anything to go by, I have missed some terrific movies.

This is a dark, stylish, noir thriller which sees a man agreeing to take the rap for his political master who is involved in a car accident. In return for doing time for a crime he did not commit, his boss will continue to pay his salary to his family, and also settle the 'debt' with a lump sum payment when the man is eventually released. While he is in prison, his wife is left to hold the family together and she and her son quickly get caught up in a web of passion and betrayal.

Director, Nuri Bilge Ceylan carried off the Best Director Award at Cannes for this, his fifth feature, and it's not hard to see why.

Three Monkeys is is a dark, brooding film, where every shot has been thought through and framed with meticulous detail. Long, intense close ups of the principal characters produces sustained psychological tension as unspoken words seem to fly through the air like knives.

The principal cast of Three Monkeys; Yavuz Bingöl, Hatice Aslan, Ahmat Rifal Sungar, and Ercan Kesal, are universally good, but top credits should go to Hatice Aslan, the femme fatale of the piece, who has the ability to convey many layers of meaning by saying little and feeling much.

Highly recommended.