Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul (2005)

Critic Reviews

• Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

  Crossing the Bridge does more than offer a wide variety of entertaining and intoxicating Turkish music. It also uses music to paint a portrait of a vibrant, cosmopolitan city and provide a window into a rich and varied national culture.

• Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

  Even as Crossing the Bridge acknowledges differences, tensions, the provocative power music exerts on our hearts, it makes an elegant, head-bopping, hip-swaying argument that sound unifies.

• Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle

  Akin's documentary gets its legs from the subtle questions it raises about Turkey's politics, nationalism, religious identity, cultural integrity and international perception.

• Stephen Hunter, Washington Post

  An infectious (in a good way) documentary.

• Stephen Williams, Newsday

  It's a tasty sonic apertif to an unfamiliar world, and likely to inspire more than a few folks to make a beeline for the world music browser at the music store.

• V.A. Musetto, New York Post

  The musical selections are nothing if not eclectic -- rock, hop-hop, psychedelic, folk, electronica, traditional -- and include some perky performances. But Crossing the Bridge is more than just a musical primer.

• Marrit Ingman, Austin Chronicle

  Though its photography is keen and vibrant and its concept elegantly simple, the movie doesn't quite add up beyond its performances.

• Bob Strauss, Los Angeles Daily News

  A delightful survey of Turkish music's many intriguing variations, as well as a fascinating, if somewhat superficial, portrait of one of the most historic cities on Earth.

• Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly

  The music is gorgeous, and Akin's feverish camera shows an exile's love of the beautiful, crumbling but energized city as he pokes around its crevices, looking for recombinations of old and new, here and there.

• Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

  Though not nearly as exhilarating or illuminating as Buena Vista Social Club, this structurelss docu does capture the unique variety of sounds of Istanbul, a city strategically positied between East and West.

• Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

  It's a heady, occasionally free-floating mix, and a feast for music lovers.

• Bill White, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

  Then-and-now footage of aging legends such as Erkin Koray and Sezen Aksu offers an insight into the musical continuum that bridges a rich heritage with a promising future.

• Ethan Alter, Show Business Weekly

  While Crossing the Bridge is sure to find an appreciative audience among world music aficionados, its crossover appeal seems limited at best.

• Daniel Eagan, Film Journal International

  ... an exciting introduction to a worthy musical world.

• Ken Fox, TV Guide's Movie Guide

  You'll feel lucky for such a comprehensive introduction to Turkish music, and will no doubt be scrambling for a soundtrack album.

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