La promesse

Very proud there is a movie coming out about the Armenian genocide. My great grandparents survived this genocide and went through hell. It is a shame that the Turks are brain washed and in denial about something so cruel their people did. I also noticed a lot of those in denial are making horrible reviews to sway people's opinions to see the movie. Just horrible. Go see the movie for yourself to see the TRUTH!

I also saw this in Toronto during the film festival. The director and main actors (except Christian Bale) were present and answered questions. The first question was the Turkish reaction--you can see that for yourselves: 84,000 ratings (low!) on IMDb BEFORE the premier of the film! Magic, right? Clearly the Turks are organized and out to sabotage this movie. 84,000 ratings don't appear without some organization, so I assume some government interference. Not very subtle. Like Dr. Zhivago (to which the director gladly admitted similarities), it is a love triangle set amid WW I. In this case, our hero is from a small town in eastern Turkey, an Armenian. He's about to leave for medical school in Istanbul, and gets engaged to another Armenian woman. Her dowry gives him the money necessary to pay for medical school. He befriends a Turk whose father is in the upper echelons of government, and he falls in love with another Armenian woman he meets at his uncle's house, where he is staying. His uncle is a rich merchant, and the woman is the nanny. But she is also having an affair with Christian Bale, who plays an American war correspondent. The Ottomans begin rounding up Armenians after they enter the war, sending the men to work battalions to construct railways and exiling the old men, women, and children to Syria. Our hero escapes and goes back to his native town, which so far has avoided problems. His parents want him to marry his fiancée, and he's in no position to say no, so he does, despite his love for the other woman, who is now supposedly out of the picture. But of course she comes back, along with Christian Bale. His wife is killed along with other villagers, and he flees to another village. They decide to fight rather than trek across the desert to Aleppo, where the Ottomans want to exile them. This leads to the famous siege of Musa Dagh, the rescue by a French fleet, and the drowning of the girl as they are about to reach the French battleship. So basically that's the story. It's plausible, well acted, and serves as an emotional entry to the horrors unfolding around them. As in Dr. Zhivago, the love story is necessary to tell the story-- otherwise you would have something like a boring fictionalized documentary. The historical facts seem accurate, despite our Turkish friends' protests. It's well worth your time and money.

I just finished watching this at the TIFF Film Festival at its premiere gala. I found it surprising good story line about the massacre and genocide of the Armenian by the Turks. They do advise that it is a fictional story (including the made of love triangle). I like the love triangle between Oscar, Ana, and Christopher as it keeps some hope and interest as you see the devastation of genocide and war. But what people don't know is the movie has very little of Christian Bale in it, as he a reporter and has a minor role which is good. He didn't ruin the story, said his lines and contributed to the movie but didn't interfere with it. Oscar goes through everything and is a survivor, but if you think this is going to be a happy Hollywood ending or true love find each other, then wrong movie. That doesn't happen. Ana, I think is one of the best characters and is part of the love triangle and she makes it seem real. Probably the best out of all three main actors. She is beautiful, portrays the sense of innocence, deeply in love and willing to help people, and you want her to be happy and survive, but war and genocide doesn't let that happen. Not too sure why its a 4.3 because I was the first to see it and paid $100 for the premiere. I found it pretty good. P.S. If they shot Christian Bale in the first 30 seconds for being a drunken idiot, probably wonder have made no difference in the movie! Ana didn't show up for the premiere and Christian Bale didn't do any Q&A, so waste of my $100.

I had the fortune to attend the World Premiere of The Promise at TIFF and let me tell you, if the sustained standing ovation was a clear sign for the film's reception, then you can imagine how good the film is. With titles like Hotel Rwanda under his belt, Terry George is one of the few directors with the right sensibilities to handle themes of genocide with the right level of prudence and attention to detail required. With The Promise, he absolutely does not disappoint. The whole cast is simply wonderful but wow I want to talk about Oscar Isaac. I consider him to be a gift to film. He is perhaps one of the only men in Hollywood who can play "ethnically ambiguous" characters appropriately and gather attention. From what I've heard so far, the Armenian people think he actually seems Armenian. Oscar's charm jumps off the screen once more, but his performance also captures the character's raw suffering. More than once I got chills from the anguish presented, that's how good this guy is. I am curious to see the degree of backlash this film will receive, given how the government of Turkey has not recognized the genocide; although, I believe Turkish people should give this a chance. It also shows how there were Turkish heroes and victims caught up in the atrocities of war and they are not the real bad guys here: war is. The Promise may not reach Hotel Rwanda's level of emotional response and the film's length may discourage some, but its historical importance, remarkable performances and beautiful photography make it a title worth watching.

Beautifully shot film, with intriguing intertwined love stories. Well balanced between the protagonists narratives and the inevitable lead-in to the Armenian Genocide, showing its impact on a very human level, particularly on the story's leads. Those who provide a 1 star of 10 clearly are not actually rating the film, but providing political feedback. How many who have rated it as 1 in 10 have actually seen the film? Doubt many have. Some of the rants are a clear attempt at revisionist history to try to rationalize the actions of the Ottomans. Sad part is that there really should be no need for those rating that way to do so, since Turkey (which I know is a denier) is not the same as the Ottoman Empire, and modern Turkey (though less modern under Erdogan), and Turks, should feel no compulsion to try to defend that Empire. Please use IMDb for the purposes for which it is meant, not to attack for political purposes. It would be fair, for example, only once one sees a film, to criticize it for being too political (though politics are worthy of expression in film), or too one-sided, and explain why, with examples.

I just finished watching this at the TIFF Film Festival at its premiere gala. I found it surprising good story line about the massacre and genocide of the Armenian by the Turks. They do advise that it is a fictional story (including the made of love triangle). I like the love triangle between Oscar, Ana, and Christopher as it keeps some hope and interest as you see the devastation of genocide and war. But what people don't know is the movie has very little of Christian Bale in it, as he a reporter and has a minor role which is good. He didn't ruin the story, said his lines and contributed to the movie but didn't interfere with it. Oscar goes through everything and is a survivor, but if you think this is going to be a happy Hollywood ending or true love find each other, then wrong movie. That doesn't happen. Ana, I think is one of the best characters and is part of the love triangle and she makes it seem real. Probably the best out of all three main actors. She is beautiful, portrays the sense of innocence, deeply in love and willing to help people, and you want her to be happy and survive, but war and genocide doesn't let that happen. Not too sure why its a 4.3 because I was the first to see it and paid $100 for the premiere. I found it pretty good. P.S. If they shot Christian Bale in the first 30 seconds for being a drunken idiot, probably wonder have made no difference in the movie! Ana didn't show up for the premiere and Christian Bale didn't do any Q&A, so waste of my $100.