Dry Summer (Susuz yaz). Metin Erksan and David E. Durston, 1964.
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Edition screened: Criterion Blu-ray #688 in box set #684 Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Project No. 1, released 2013. Turkish with English subtitles. Runtime approximately 90 minutes.
Summary: Actual murder of a dog and a chicken.
Details:
1) Beginning 29:20, a chicken is held down, her head cut off, and the body thrown at a young woman as misguided flirtation by the jackass protagonist in the film. The body of the chicken flaps around at the woman’s feet until a cut at 29:42.
2) A dog, sitting calmly and watching the other actors, is shot – for real – at 34:03. The camera stays on him as he howls, rolls over on his side, and dies through 34:14. The dog’s body is found and carried home, 34:50-35:53.
If a ever a film needed to be remade, it is Dry Summer. This otherwise exquisite, beautiful film addresses the most important social and interpersonal issues, and is marred horribly by the shockingly brutal murder of the dog and the more common chicken butchering. Please, let some sensitive contemporary director realize the potential in re-making this masterpiece.
