Biyografi Dünyası
Byzantine Games (Bizans Oyunları)

Byzantine Games (Bizans Oyunları) (translated)

Movie · 2016 · 12 people

Gani Müjde directed Bizans Oyunları (long title Bizans Oyunları: Geym of Bizans), a Turkish comedy and parody. The Mayans migrate to Anatolia and their Byzantine neighbours grow jealous. The film opened on 15 January 2016, runs about 109 minutes and was made jointly by Avşar Film and Tükenmez Kalem, with Mars Entertainment Group distributing.

Tired of South America's heat and the noise of the Rio Carnival, the Mayans move to Anatolia, having heard its soil is full of gold, and settle around Bağcılar, where they mix with Turkic tribes. Their success in science, art, technology and sudoku draws the attention and hatred of Byzantium next door. The peaceful Byzantine King Clitor III (Altuğ Yücel) admires the Mayans, but his wife Clitorya V (Gonca Vuslateri) and his brother Muhteris (Murat Dalkılıç) plan to remove the king and then lock up the Mayan women in dungeons. The cast also includes Gürkan Uygun (Gazi Magosa), Tolgahan Sayışman (Prince Adonis), Tuvana Türkay (Ayçörek), Hazal Şenel (Çiğbörek) and Ebru Aykaç as Köşem Sultan.

The screenplay is by Emre Bülbül and Gökhan Karagülle, the producers are Şükrü Avşar and Gani Müjde, and the music is by Cem Erman. Viewers' ratings average 2.2 from 373 votes, while one critic scored it 4 out of 5.

DirectorGani Müjde
Production companyAvşar Film, Tükenmez Kalem
Byzantine Games (Bizans Oyunları) Byzantine Games (Bizans Oyunları) Byzantine Games (Bizans Oyunları) Byzantine Games (Bizans Oyunları) Byzantine Games (Bizans Oyunları) Byzantine Games (Bizans Oyunları)

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Cast

Gürkan Uygun Gürkan Uygun Actor · 52 years old Gazi Magosa Hazal Şenel Hazal Şenel Actor · 34 years old Çiğbörek Tolgahan Sayışman Tolgahan Sayışman Actor · 44 years old Adonis Tuvana Türkay Tuvana Türkay Actor · 36 years old Ayçörek Hatun Gonca Vuslateri Gonca Vuslateri Actor · 40 years old Kilitorya Ebru Aykaç Ebru Aykaç Actor · 51 years old Nazmi Kırık Nazmi Kırık Actor · born 1976 Yonca Şahinbaş Yonca Şahinbaş Actor · 54 years old Ceyhun Yılmaz Ceyhun Yılmaz Actor · 50 years old Ünal Yeter Ünal Yeter Film actor · 49 years old Vurkaçoğlu Oğuzhan Uğur Oğuzhan Uğur Artist · 42 years old Hamza Yazıcı Hamza Yazıcı Actor · 34 years old Kısa Mesaj

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Through different eyes

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

Yeşilçam comedies carried a heart even at their wildest; I looked for that heart in Bizans Oyunları and rarely found it. Mayans settling in Bağcılar, intrigue in the Byzantine palace, even Kösem Sultan thrown into the mix: on paper it promises a cheerful muddle. Yet the humour mostly leans on wordplay and loud gags, and even the characters' names read less like wit than like a crude nudge. Energetic performers such as Gürkan Uygun and Gonca Vuslateri try to fill the screen, but a viewer hoping to care about a story is left with little to hold on to.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Parody is a serious craft: it needs a well-chosen target, sure timing and references woven into the story. The 'Geym of Bizans' pun in the full title says plainly what the film wants to have fun with, but Gani Müjde's direction turns the idea into a string of sketches rather than a solid structure. The Mayans' migration, their sudoku triumphs and the palace plot to remove the king could each be funny, yet the editing builds no tension to tie them together, and the roughly 109 minutes sag at times. Still, the nerve to use anachronism as a deliberate playground, and the absurd tone the large cast commits to, leave genre fans a few moments. The wide gap between audience votes and one critic's warm verdict sums up how divisive it is.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

With its colourful costumes and absurd mood, Bizans Oyunları may look like fun for children, but be careful. Character names and some jokes rely on suggestive innuendo, so it is not for little ones. The issue is not violence but the language and the jokes. Teenagers and adults may get a few laughs out of the parody. If you want something the whole household can watch without worry, pick something else.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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